A local park woodland
The easiest way to create a successful native landscape is to replicate your local plant community. If you’re unfamiliar with the plant communities in your area, plan a visit to a local park or remnant to observe what is growing together and in what conditions. If you are new to the area – find a naturalist or sign up for nature walk at the local nature center.
Although many of our woodland landscapes have been invaded with invasive species and altered by humans, diminished representations of the former plant community still exist and provide us with a window of what the woodland used to be. The understory and herbaceous layers are often the first to go from human intervention, over browsing by herbivores and invasive species. Locally, this is the largest portion that is missing due to European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) invasion.
Our backyard when we purchased our house
When we purchased our home we inherited many mature trees on our property. The understory and herbaceous layers had been eliminated and converted to lawn – except for a small strip along the southern portion of our lot. This unmown strip was a mixture of both native and invasive plants.
After removing the invasive species, I inventoried the existing native plants. While walking at local parks, I would then see these same natives that I inventoried and would make note if the conditions were similar to my own yard, and what other natives were growing in association with these.
View from the back fence
To reestablish the herbaceous and understory layers in our backyard, I started by smothering the grass with leaf litter, paper and shredded wood mulch to redefine the woodland. Leaf litter in subsequent years is left and the mulch has completely decomposed adding to the organic matter in the soil. This area of our yard is extremely dry with sandy soil (the house sits on top of a gravel esker). Most of the newly formed woodland area is partial to full shade.
Chokecherry
WOODY SPECIES
After the grass was smothered over the winter months, I began purchasing tree, understory and woodland edge species that were growing locally as well as in my yard. The understory and edge species included American Hazelnut (Corylus americana), Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa), Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Downy Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum rafinesquianum), Nannyberry Viburnum (Viburnum lentago), and Serviceberry (Amelanchier species). We planted several 6-8 foot tall trees as well, to widen the woodland. Tree species included Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Sugar Maple (Acer saccharinum), Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) American Basswood (Tilia americana) and Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa).
View of the front edge showing herbaceous species
HERBACEOUS SPECIES
Because our lawn had a lot of Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea) in it, I worked on eliminating it from the lawn (pulling it out by hand) so it wouldn’t ‘creep’ back into the newly established woodland edge. Once I was satisfied that the majority was gone, we began to add herbaceous forbs and sedges to the ground layer that already had a few years of leaf litter build up.
Backyard in early May, 2011.
Several spring flowering natives were added, Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Downy Yellow Violets (Viola pubescens), and Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum). Later in the summer, Large Leaved Asters (Aster macrophyllus) provide color and interest along the border.
It has taken several years but the backyard is really beginning to fill in, enough so to provide much needed cover and habitat for birds and other wildlife. We have expanded this little woodland making it 25 to 30 feet deep and 100 feet wider. Migrating warblers stop by in the spring and fall to forage for insects on the understory shrubs and new trees.
View from the back fence looking inwards
New tree seedlings began to emerge in the leaf litter about 3 years after reestablishing this as a woodland edge. We have added old logs back into this area, partially burying them into the ground. Now woodpeckers have enough cover from the shrubs to peck away at these downed logs for insects.
As the new trees grow, they will replace the older trees on our property that will eventually complete their lifecycle.
© 2011 – 2012, Heather Holm. All rights reserved. This article is the property of Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. If you are reading this at another site, please report that to us
About Heather Holm
Heather you know I so love how you have converted your lawn and gardens to native woodland gardens…I continue to learn a lot from you…this is great…one trait that you have to have with any transformation is patience since it is not an overnight type of thing…learning that patience…
Donna recently posted..Frosty November Blooms
Hi Donna,
Great point, I couldn’t agree more – you do need a lot of patience. We struggled with many years of drought trying to get the new plants established and they did not put on much growth for several years.
Heather
Heather Holm recently posted..Native Plant of the Week: Poke Milkweed ~ Asclepias exaltata
Inspiring piece and so glad you used botanical names. At first I wondered why you removing the creeping charlie, then realized it wasn’t the creeping charlie I was envisioning, Phyla lanceolata, a native.
Hi Carole,
Yes the common names can get us into trouble – so much overlap. Thanks for you comment.
Heather
Heather Holm recently posted..Native Plant of the Week: Poke Milkweed ~ Asclepias exaltata
You have created a magical place. A complete contrast to the drear lawn and bare trees you inherited!
Elephant’s Eye recently posted..Cape mountain leopard on camera
Thanks Elephant’s Eye,
We get a lot of enjoyment from the landscape.
Heather
Heather Holm recently posted..Native Plant of the Week: Poke Milkweed ~ Asclepias exaltata
Heather, such sage advice to visit local preserves to learn of the natives found locally. Love the transformation of your oasis.
Pat Sutton recently posted..Red Cedar vs Leyland Cypress
Thanks Pat, yes we have such beautiful parks, it would be great to see them used by more people.
Heather Holm recently posted..Native Plant of the Week: Poke Milkweed ~ Asclepias exaltata
Heather, Thank you for this inspiring post. An incredible transformation. Well Done! On land and here.
Carol Duke recently posted..Sketches of Days Past Remembering and Wishing
Thanks Carol,
I so enjoy your posts too.
Heather
Heather Holm recently posted..Native Plant of the Week: Poke Milkweed ~ Asclepias exaltata
Very nice! Gives me hope for what I might be able to achieve in a few years myself!
UrsulaV recently posted..Fuzzy-Wuzzy
Thanks Ursula,
It’s such a rewarding processs so enjoy.
Heather Holm recently posted..Native Plant of the Week: Poke Milkweed ~ Asclepias exaltata
I so admire what you have done at your home. It helps to have a single objective and a clear idea of what plants are appropriate. Less results in more. Your post makes me sad though (and I am just about to post about this) that anything we do is a pale reflection of what used to be. I think you may agree when you say: “diminished representations of the former plant community still exist and provide us with a window of what the woodland used to be.” On a brighter note, thank God for Latin names.
Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens recently posted..November GBBD: Prime Time
Carolyn – thanks for your comment and trackback. Yes, it’s hard not to look at the damaged landscape through our eyes, it is very saddening. I think that’s why restoration projects are so rewarding. The landscape seems to react positively as if thanking us for our repair efforts.
Heather Holm recently posted..Reflecting the Local Landscape
Great advice…and you made it all sound so obvious and doable! When we go go to the parks and natural areas it takes us forever to identify new finds. You also left out the part about all the hard work involved! You have done a great job on your habitat, it gives us hope that the twigs we planted this year will truly grow and restore our landscape.
You are so right Jeff – lots of hard work involved. It has paid off since we have more now that the landscape is established to sit back and enjoy.
We also planted a lot of bareroot shrubs and they take a little longer to get established but now some are 8-10 feet tall. Best of luck with your project.
Heather
Heather Holm recently posted..Reflecting the Local Landscape
Heather –
you are so right! In my view, the only way to know what is truly native to place is to go out and look at what’s actually there.
Sue
Thanks Sue,
Volunteering is a great way too.
Heather Holm recently posted..Reflecting the Local Landscape
Heather, thank you for writing about the restoration of your land. You are probably aware of a booklet created recently by the St. Paul Audubon Society and co-sponsored by the Oak Savanna and Twin Cities chapters of Wild Ones. “‘Go Native’ to Sustain Songbirds and Other Wildlife in Your Garden” contains suggestions of trees, shrubs, vines, forbs, and grasses that are well represented in native habitats of central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Within the groups, the plants are arranged in descending order of the number of butterfly and moth species hosted by members of the genus (drawing on a list provided by Douglas Tallamy). More information and a link to the PDF version of the booklet are at http://www.saintpaulaudubon.org/publications/go-native-to-sustain-songbirds.