Michele is so interesting and informative; I really enjoy learning about native planting from her. Thank you, Olga, for sharing her knowledge with us. I’ve been adding natives and removing invasive non-natives for about three years. I’m fortunate to have wonderful native plant sources in my area. ❤
Wonderful and Informative!! She has inspired me!! I never realized how many non-native plants I have around my yard!! I’m excited to research this over the winter on WWF and plan for spring!! Thank you both!! Great video as usual Olga!!
New subscriber here! This was enormously entertaining and informative. I will definitely consult the NWF site to determine what plants I can use here in Tennessee. I am a native New Englander retired to the mid-South a decade ago. It was fun nostalgia to see the New England plants again. Thank you so much Olga and Michelle.
Thanks. I am in Zone 6b Hudson Highlands NY. I have been clearing invasives out of my property for the last three years. You are absolutely right that persistence is the key. I am 70 so tackling 8 foot tall multiflora roses is not something I can do myself. Sometimes it takes machinery to pull things out by the roots. If you have a seriously overgrown situation I would recommend using professionals to make the first pass to get the worst things out. Also, there are some thugs that can only be eliminated with chemicals (e.g. Japanese knotweed). I often say, the Japanese eat knotweed, so why won't the deer??? Then you need to cover the ground. I do a thick layer of wood chips because those are cheap and easy to get (if you don't happen to be cutting down any trees, talk to a local arborist as they will be happy to give you some). If you want to increase protection, where practical lay down cardboard first. I then start planting, doing trees and shrubs first and then perennials and native ground covers. It's very much an experiment, so if something doesn't do well don't be discouraged. There will be plants that love where you have put them and with the perennials you may soon be able to dig and divide them. Get a plant identification app, such as iNaturalist, so that you can identify what you see growing wild in your area. I found a beautiful native boltonia asteroides (dolls' daisy) growing amongst the weeds where we pulled out a decrepit tennis court. More and more general nurseries are carrying native plants and there are more and more specialist native plant nurseries. If you are in my neck of the woods, One Nature in Beacon NY is a good source. Also there are some pretty good online sources, such as Prairie Nursery and Prairie Moon Nursery. Plugs are a good way to go if you need to cover a lot of area. Michelle, what are the specific blueberries that you are growing? For those who have a hard time giving up the fall color of burning bushes, blueberries and fothergilla have great autumn color. I had to work to convince my husband that the burning bushes had to go. Thanks Michelle and Olga for promoting native gardening with helpful videos.
Highbush blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum. I get them from Aspetuck Land Trust plant sale and wholesale from Summerhill Nursery in Connecticut. I get large berried varieties, as the deer are less likely to eat them. Use soil acidifier, but not Hollytone, as deer are more likely to eat fertilized plants. I have 9 shrubs on a 1/4 acre and had enough for myself to eat.
Interesting video and great work on the space. I was a bit confused when it sounds like she says bayberry was ripped out? I think bayberry is native to E North America. Probably barberry was ripped out? I think bayberry is OK in much of North America?
Good catch! Japanese barberry is banned in many states because it's devasted wetlands and takes over yards as well. Sadly, it still gets planted extensively by both homeowners and landscapers. Bayberry -- Myrica pensylvanica -- is a wonderful shrub and good slope stabilizer..
Love Proven Winners Rockin Salvia series and have half a dozen. Was very surprised to find them invasive! Not a bad thing letting them grow up large enough to dig out and pot up. But for such a heavily touted line of plants I was quite suprised
Hello Olga, great content and info, thank you! at 19 minutes, Michelle was talking about a type of native grass that doesn’t need mowing, can you tell me what type of grass is that? We live in CT, our property is over 3A with almost 2A of grass. I want to see if we can use this grass instead. Thank you!
On the advice of Tom Barry, who manages 20 acres of lawn at Greens Farms Academy, I purchased a lawn seed mix from CT-based Charles Hart Seed Company, which has done super well in a shady section of my lawn. It has a good amount of tall fescues, which have a wide leaf blade. I mow it once a month to keep it at 6". I also discovered native sedges growing in my yard, including Carex pensylvanica and radiata, and simply let them spread outward into the lawn area. In Connecticut, I find they grow to about 6", with a moderate clumping form that is beautiful. You can buy plugs of several native species to get started. In three years, they have colonized about 3' outward from where they started. I simply put some large branches in front of them to remind myself not to mow there.
? for Michele, I have a steep incline with sandy soil on the edge of a river. I am in SW Michigan, zone 6. What would you recommend for a ground cover for erosion control? Thank you!
I enjoyed this. I'm in the process of eliminating invasives and selecting native alternatives. Thanks for sharing!
Michele is so interesting and informative; I really enjoy learning about native planting from her. Thank you, Olga, for sharing her knowledge with us. I’ve been adding natives and removing invasive non-natives for about three years. I’m fortunate to have wonderful native plant sources in my area. ❤
Wonderful and Informative!! She has inspired me!! I never realized how many non-native plants I have around my yard!! I’m excited to research this over the winter on WWF and plan for spring!! Thank you both!! Great video as usual Olga!!
New subscriber here! This was enormously entertaining and informative. I will definitely consult the NWF site to determine what plants I can use here in Tennessee. I am a native New Englander retired to the mid-South a decade ago. It was fun nostalgia to see the New England plants again. Thank you so much Olga and Michelle.
Welcome Michelle! It is good to have you here!
Thanks. I am in Zone 6b Hudson Highlands NY. I have been clearing invasives out of my property for the last three years. You are absolutely right that persistence is the key. I am 70 so tackling 8 foot tall multiflora roses is not something I can do myself. Sometimes it takes machinery to pull things out by the roots. If you have a seriously overgrown situation I would recommend using professionals to make the first pass to get the worst things out. Also, there are some thugs that can only be eliminated with chemicals (e.g. Japanese knotweed). I often say, the Japanese eat knotweed, so why won't the deer??? Then you need to cover the ground. I do a thick layer of wood chips because those are cheap and easy to get (if you don't happen to be cutting down any trees, talk to a local arborist as they will be happy to give you some). If you want to increase protection, where practical lay down cardboard first. I then start planting, doing trees and shrubs first and then perennials and native ground covers. It's very much an experiment, so if something doesn't do well don't be discouraged. There will be plants that love where you have put them and with the perennials you may soon be able to dig and divide them. Get a plant identification app, such as iNaturalist, so that you can identify what you see growing wild in your area. I found a beautiful native boltonia asteroides (dolls' daisy) growing amongst the weeds where we pulled out a decrepit tennis court. More and more general nurseries are carrying native plants and there are more and more specialist native plant nurseries. If you are in my neck of the woods, One Nature in Beacon NY is a good source. Also there are some pretty good online sources, such as Prairie Nursery and Prairie Moon Nursery. Plugs are a good way to go if you need to cover a lot of area. Michelle, what are the specific blueberries that you are growing? For those who have a hard time giving up the fall color of burning bushes, blueberries and fothergilla have great autumn color. I had to work to convince my husband that the burning bushes had to go. Thanks Michelle and Olga for promoting native gardening with helpful videos.
Highbush blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum. I get them from Aspetuck Land Trust plant sale and wholesale from Summerhill Nursery in Connecticut. I get large berried varieties, as the deer are less likely to eat them. Use soil acidifier, but not Hollytone, as deer are more likely to eat fertilized plants. I have 9 shrubs on a 1/4 acre and had enough for myself to eat.
🌾 I loved this ladies! A lot of food for thought🤔 ~Very informative
Great information 🌼🐝
Loved this. Thank you.
I learned so much from this video, thank you.
This was wonderful, very informative - thank you!
Digging out my pachysandra in VA after watching this video.
I am in a constant battle with privet hedge and the weed chamber bitter.
Interesting video and great work on the space. I was a bit confused when it sounds like she says bayberry was ripped out? I think bayberry is native to E North America. Probably barberry was ripped out? I think bayberry is OK in much of North America?
Sorry I misspoke - I realized it when I looked at the video. I meant Barberry, of course!
Good catch! Japanese barberry is banned in many states because it's devasted wetlands and takes over yards as well. Sadly, it still gets planted extensively by both homeowners and landscapers. Bayberry -- Myrica pensylvanica -- is a wonderful shrub and good slope stabilizer..
Love Proven Winners Rockin Salvia series and have half a dozen. Was very surprised to find them invasive! Not a bad thing letting them grow up large enough to dig out and pot up. But for such a heavily touted line of plants I was quite suprised
Interesting! I guess if you like a plant, those extra volunteer seedlings are a mixed blessing.
Hello Olga, great content and info, thank you! at 19 minutes, Michelle was talking about a type of native grass that doesn’t need mowing, can you tell me what type of grass is that? We live in CT, our property is over 3A with almost 2A of grass. I want to see if we can use this grass instead. Thank you!
Michele will be looking through this thread and will answer your question. Stay tuned!
I would like to know that info too
On the advice of Tom Barry, who manages 20 acres of lawn at Greens Farms Academy, I purchased a lawn seed mix from CT-based Charles Hart Seed Company, which has done super well in a shady section of my lawn. It has a good amount of tall fescues, which have a wide leaf blade.
I mow it once a month to keep it at 6". I also discovered native sedges growing in my yard, including Carex pensylvanica and radiata, and simply let them spread outward into the lawn area. In Connecticut, I find they grow to about 6", with a moderate clumping form that is beautiful. You can buy plugs of several native species to get started. In three years, they have colonized about 3' outward from where they started. I simply put some large branches in front of them to remind myself not to mow there.
? for Michele, I have a steep incline with sandy soil on the edge of a river. I am in SW Michigan, zone 6. What would you recommend for a ground cover for erosion control? Thank you!