Ironweed, Vernonia gigantea. Photo credit: Theodore Webster, Common License.
August is time for the giants in the gardens to bloom. Of all the natives, these are my favorites and, ironweed was my first.
Your blooms mesmerized me and when I grew you,
your height fascinated me.
Farmers hate you. They can’t eradicate you with poison so,
they mow you down. A mere image of your true self.
You can be considered a bully. Nuisance is used
to describe you.
Not picky where you grow—fields,
pastures, roadsides, and in the urban garden at
the woodland edge. You are welcomed there, not a bully nor a nuisance.
Prevailing winds constantly at your back,
always standing tall.
The other giants with their issues,
requiring support, to stand tall.
Your presence reminds me year after year, how much
I love the colors of your blooms.
Intense in the sun; subdued in the shade.
Such a welcomed color amongst the other giants
in the urban garden.
You started the pursuit of always having your color
while yellow and white also still in bloom; from the beginning
of the garden season to the end; and, that love affair
started more than thirty-five years ago.
Perception—how it defines you.
David Taylor, Forest Service
Tall ironweed, Vernonia gigantea, is a member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae. In Kentucky, plants begin blooming in August, occasionally, late July, with some individuals blooming as late as mid-October. The plant has alternate leaves each up to 10 inches long and 2.5 inches wide. Stems are typically 5-6 feet tall but can reach 9-10 feet in bottomland. The purple flowers are small, only about ¼ inch long, but because 20-25 are clustered together a head, and 50 to several hundred heads occur in one inflorescence, the plant is showy. Many species of small bees and butterflies will feed on the nectar produced by the flowers. A large plant can produce 1,000 or more wind-blown seeds.
Tall ironweed is a clumpy plant producing multiple stems from each root system, which is extensive and tough, firmly anchoring the plant in the ground. A few caterpillars and beetles eat the leaves, but otherwise the plant is relatively resistant to herbivory. Once established in a field, especially if overgrazed, the plant spreads quickly, aided by bare soil patches, and general immunity from grazing. The plant is difficult to eradicate and is generally controlled by mowing. In a garden setting, it is wise to cut the inflorescence off once the flowers are finished blooming if you don’t want them to spread. Dispose of the old flowers in the trash to prevent spreading of seed.
Debra Parrish lives in the heart of downtown and spends a lot of time and expends a great deal of love on her urban native gardens. She frequently offers summer tours for gardening clubs and other native gardening organizations.
By Heather Doolin, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), also commonly called sacred bamboo, is an evergreen shrub, vaguely resembling bamboo. Heavenly bamboo began its journey in North America as an ornamental plant, escaping cultivation and invading forests of ten southern states, Kentucky being included in those affected.
In March of 2018, I moved into my home in Louisville, Kentucky. I had been living in apartments in Virginia for the past decade, taking care of ailing parents. I couldn’t wait to garden again! My new huge yard had three big trees (a white mulberry, a red mulberry, and a silver maple) and four bushes (two azaleas, an Oregon grape holly, and a winterberry), plus almost every kind of invasive, non-native plant.
The lawn was immense. I live on a busy corner and there were no trees or bushes to soften the view. Invasives were everywhere. The worst offender was the more than 20-foot-high bamboo, which had sent out roots everywhere—into all the neighbors’ yards, even coming up through concrete! The two mulberry trees were covered in English ivy, grapevine, and euonymus (winter creeper), as was the side of the house and the chain link fence on the south side. The vines had been there years—they had trunks as big as my arm.
An invasive plant is one that does not belong where it is growing, whose origins are foreign. A native plant, for instance, one that is native to Kentucky, belongs here. Native plants may become aggressive, growing out of bounds, but are never considered invasive. Invasives crowd out the native plants, which support wildlife, birds, and insects. Invasive vines, such as euonymus, can harm trees, pulling down limbs and weakening the tree. I am an environmental educator. It is important to me to support our local insects, the pollinators, who in turn support birds and the ecosystem. I knew I wanted to plant more native trees, plants, and bushes.
My first herculean task was to remove the invasive plants. I found a video from the Olmsted Conservancy about removal of euonymus, grapevine, and ivy, and I followed the instructions. My son and I cut each off at the ground level and pulled down as much as we could. I painted the cut roots with an herbicide—my only use of chemicals. I hired a lovely young man, who later bought a house near me, to dig out the bamboo, digging down many feet to get all the roots. These efforts took up most of my first year. But, wow, did it feel good when it worked and the trees, the fence, the yard were free of these hanging, strangling vines. I also dug up bin after bin of lily of the valley from under the red mulberry. Yeah, they smell great, but they spread by runners and choke everything else out.
Dividing my property into three sections made the task seem more manageable. The lot is about 7,000 square feet with about 936 square feet for the house. There was lawn that needed mowing on three sides, small areas on the east and south, huge area on the north side. I have a side garden on the south, a front garden on the east, and a huge lawn on the north. The bamboo was on the west where my back deck adjoins the neighbors’ property. That neighbor had horrible problems with the bamboo and their patio area. When the dreaded bamboo was gone, they redid their fence and planted some evergreens between their fence and my back deck.
I immediately did away with the parts that needed mowing on the east and the south, planting a native red honeysuckle that I could see from my bedroom window for hummingbird observation. I made the south area, which is fenced, into an herb garden and grew a few vegetables the first year. It was small enough that I could dig up invasives, including massive euonymus all over the fence, and rip up the plastic netting that the previous owners had put down for weed control (which didn’t work and left bits of plastic everywhere!). The front lawn, near the street, was easy to make non-lawn just with digging and mulching what had been lawn by the curb. I planted lavender there (a “comfort plant” for me). I dug up bag after bag, box after box of daylilies and iris from the front yard. I like these and, even though they are not native, they do not cause problems, but they hadn’t been thinned in ages. I gave most of these away to neighbors. I saved the daylilies that were the most beautiful and that were fragrant. And I kept some iris—didn’t everyone’s grandmother grow roses and irises?
The huge, empty lawn on the north side gave me pause; it seemed enormous and required mowing. Lawns do not support pollinators, birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. They are a contributor to climate change, whereas vegetable gardens and plants help the ecosystem and work against climate change. To save my sanity, I decided to divide it into sections and get rid of lawn in increments. First, I extended the skimpy side garden by a huge amount, putting down cardboard and newspaper, then wood chip mulch. The tree company left me an enormous pile of wood chip mulch (free) on the lawn near the curb after trimming a white mulberry. I put down cardboard from the grocery store, filled in any spaces/gaps with newspaper, then covered with a thick layer of mulch. I made a curved section all around the bend in the road, linking the red mulberry with the silver maple near the house, which I planted with trees and bushes to act as a buffer zone. Last year, I finally filled in a large section in the middle, which is going to be a “lawn” made of violets. Violets are one of the only things that grow through the cardboard and mulch! Violets are native and good for pollinators.
The first year I planted many plants that I consider “comfort” plants—ones that remind me of someone or someplace. Some of these were not native, but I was careful not to get anything “exotic” that was invasive, that would spread and cause problems. I planted two rose bushes and some Daphne for fragrance—exotic plants that don’t spread. From here on, though, it was all native plants, trees, and bushes for me and my garden kingdom!
Do you know the online community Next Door? I discovered their free postings and found concrete pavers, rocks, bricks, broken concrete pieces with stone. Using these I was able to mark out section by section that I was converting from lawn into garden. I think it looks great and I feel great using recycled materials for my eco-garden! I even got three free native inkberry bushes from Next Door! I outlined four vegetable gardens using old brick and broken concrete—planting asparagus in 2019. This year I am eating asparagus every day! (And my pee has got that great smell.)
The past three years, I have planted more than 20 native trees and bushes—most I got free from the tree give-away program in Louisville: persimmon, oak, Kentucky coffee-tree, redbud, tulip poplar, inkberry, persimmon, wild plum, etc. I am now on my third huge mulch pile—all free from local tree companies. I bought one native tree, a fringe tree, from a local native plant nursery, and each year I get a selection of plants from this nursery—witch hazel, spice bush, cardinal flower, etc.
Last year I discovered a Kentucky Native Plant Swap on Facebook for this area, started a few years ago by Anne Milligan and Stephen Brown. It is fabulous. We have a seed and plant swap going with mini-swaps for different areas in and around Louisville. They are such a great community of like-minded native plant folks!
I planted river oats where the lily of the valley used to be, and now I can share those seeds with others. I also share beautyberry seeds. I label most of my native trees, bushes, and plants—this is for me (I am 75 and my memory…well…) and because I see this as community education; people are often asking me what a particular plant is.
Mainly, I am planting natives that form “clumps,” as I prefer a relatively neat garden! And I am leaving the sections outlined with rocks for the same reason. One advantage of having no lawn, besides not mowing, is that leaves from trees fall wherever and don’t need raking. This also provides habitat for over-wintering pollinators, increases soil viability, and is generally better for the ecosystem. My goal is to have my “yard waste” only for pulled up invasives!
Besides my online community of native plant admirers, I also include my immediate neighborhood. My third year here began with Covid and quarantine. I worked in the yard and neighbors would be out walking. It was easy and fun to be outside, physically distant enough to be safe, yet to meet each other and talk. Most neighbors have been extremely interested and supportive. Several told me what they had started to do with their front yards. People asked me what different plants were. I put up a sign in the fall explaining the river oats and inviting people to collect seeds for their yards. Sure, there are some folks who are skeptical that this will “work,” and some who are disapproving: “You don’t want any lawn?” One sweet lady asked with a plaintive tone, “But what will it be?” An older man shook his head, “You’re in for a world of trouble, lady.” But most have been admiring, “It’s like a miniature Bernheim Forest,” “It’s like Yew Dell West!” (Yew Dell is a local nursery.) Some neighbors want starts of plants.
Even in winter, a native lawn is lovely and full of interest.
I wrote a small piece, like this one, for my community newsletter, giving my address and inviting people to stop by, which they do. There was one “hate letter,” unsigned, from someone who believes I am deluded about climate change and sees me as an “elitist snob,” but I try to explain to neighbors that I am not telling anyone else what to do and that any small step they want to try with natives is worthwhile and a lot of fun. I love this sense of community, especially during a pandemic and a political scene fraught with tension. Plants and being outdoors are so very healing, in so many ways. I have so much to be grateful for.
Karen Cairns, EdD, MPH, BSN, is an Ashtanga yoga practitioner and teacher, traveling to India each year for several months to be with her teachers there. After getting her doctorate in Environmental Education at the University of Louisville, she worked in the Department of Urban and Public Affairs. The past decade Karen lived in apartments in Virginia, taking care of parents, so she was very happy to move back to Louisville in 2018 and have a garden once again!
Before I moved to Kentucky, I already knew of the comradery and community spirit of the Lexington chapter of Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes. Their first-Thursday meetings allowed ample time for casual conversations over refreshments in addition to learning from guest speakers. Folks could catch up with old gardening buddies or get to know a new guest who was curious about getting started with native plants.
WildOne members working on a neighborhood project, pre-Covid. Photo by Beate Popkin.
Even as the pandemic shut down in-person meetings, Wild Ones leaders were agile and creative in keeping the community spirit alive. They moved their monthly meetings online and they took a favorite event of the year, the annual plant exchange, and moved it to an online forum.
Give and Receive
Gardens are givers. This time of year, it’s abundantly obvious. Flowers dazzle us with their beauty and fragrance, while giving away nectar and pollen to insect companions. Fruit, seeds, and leaves continue to nourish and protect creatures large and small all year round. The plants are being served as well, through pollination, pruning, and seed dispersal. In this endless system, reciprocity is understood.
So it is with the LexingtonWild Ones Native Plant Exchange Forum. Givers provide a brief description of the native perennials, grasses and sedges, shrubs, trees, vines, and seeds they are offering for free. The receivers do them a favor by thinning where needed and opening space for something new. They also reduce that awful feeling of guilt when a perfectly good native plant gets composted.
Receivers can also request species that they are looking for. Or post a general idea for filling a niche, such as shade-loving ground cover, edible fruit-bearing shrubs for a food forest, or tall, showy plants for a butterfly garden. They may also receive the wisdom and knowledge of the giver who understands the plant’s habits.
Here’s a recent offering posted by Katherine Shaw, an experienced professional landscaper, who generously provided details about a goldenrod: I have a number of Euthamia graminifolia (formerly Solidago graminifolia) to share, aka Narrow-leaved or Grass-leaved goldenrod. This plant really attracts an array of insect visitors and puts on a beautiful display in late summer-early autumn. It is tall ( 4-5′) and cascading, so either needs other tall plants around it, or to be staked. Also, it’s a spreader. In my experience, it’s not terribly so, I would put it in the middle of my aggressive plants list—worth it if you plan accordingly and need an area filled. More moisture = greater spread. To my knowledge, these plants originated from locally collected seed.
Katherine’s motivation for sharing includes education. “Even though goldenrods are so important, people are not as into them. They don’t know which ones to avoid and which ones to try. I don’t want people to be surprised,” she said.
Katherine has participated as both a giver and a receiver. About a year ago, she took up Beate Popkin’s offer of shrubby St. John’s Wort (Hypericum frondosum)and smooth beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis). Beate’s passion for sharing these plants continued this spring. About the beardtongue, she said, “If I could give away every single one, I would do nothing else. It should be in every garden.” Beate Popkin is President of the Wild Ones’ Lexington chapter.
Hypericum frondosum, shrubby St. John’s Wort. Photo by Beate Popkin.
The side benefit from picking up the plants from Beate’s house was the chance to visit with her in her well-designed and beautiful garden. Beate, also a native plant professional, and Katherine discussed the struggles and joys of their projects. “We have different knowledge and styles, ways of addressing problems, and can all learn from each other. It’s important that we pass information on,” Katherine said.
Whether it’s a beginner learning from a pro, or two colleagues commiserating, the sharing extends beyond plants. “That’s what it’s all about,” said Beate.
Penstemon digitalis, smooth beardstongue. Picture by Beate Popkin.
Inspired to Start Your Own Plant Exchange Forum?
The structure is simple and can be customized to be public or private. Wild Ones uses Groups.io for their plant exchange, and Google Groups is another example of an online forum. Emails are sent to those who sign up to receive them, and they can choose the frequency of updates. Administrators select other settings for the group, such as whether posts must be approved or not.
Here are a few tips gleaned from Wild Ones’ online adventure:
1. Lay the ground rules. Be specific about the purpose of your group. For example, the Lexington Wild Ones Native Plant Exchangeis not intended to be a plant identification forum and emphasizes that the plants offered should not be collected from the wild. There is no expectation that a receiver will provide a direct trade, and no money is exchanged.
2. Don’t compete with sellers. Before surfing the forum, buy what you can from your local native plant nurseries and landscapers whose livelihoods depend on growing and selling plants. Katherine said she posted a wish list of plants that she has a hard time finding for sale, which are only a fraction of the plants that she buys.
3. Givers, pot it up. It’s easier to give away plants that have been dug up and potted. Beate suggests making sure you have extra potting soil and pots on hand. Seeds that are easy to collect, like wild indigo (Baptisia australis) are also good giveaways.
4. Receivers, work for it. Some givers have posted on the Wild Ones forum that their offerings are still in the ground. Receivers can come to their yard and dig, and sometimes that makes for a more interesting experience. However, Beate reminds gardeners that some native perennials have deep taproots. What looks like a tiny plant can lead to more work than expected. Come prepared.
Stay Connected
The plant exchange forum is only one way that native plant enthusiasts in Lexington have been staying connected during this year of pandemic and isolation. Mother Nature hasn’t canceled her scheduled events, and many opportunities continue to draw us outdoors. Reforest the Bluegrass, Tree Week, Master Naturalists, and stormwater grants are making strong comebacks, or never took a break. Dedicated volunteers have been removing invasive plants from Hisle Park, Floracliff Nature Sanctuary, Preston’s Cave Spring Park, Raven Run, and local neighborhoods throughout the pandemic.
Lexington WildOne members help with invasive honeysuckle removal, pre-Covid. Picture by Beate Popkin.
A great way to find these opportunities is to check the Community Nature Calendar, hosted by TreesLex: https://www.treeslexington.org/community-calendar
Other organizations can add their events and volunteer workdays, and also post the calendar on their own website. It’s a one-stop shop for connecting with the native plant community.
Karen Lanier is a writer and educator living in Lexington, Kentucky. She earned degrees in photography, French, and environmental documentation, along with a certificate as a professional environmental educator. She worked as a park ranger in national and state parks from California to Maine, and spent off-seasons printing photos, caring for animals, attending school, working in non-profit administration, and leading photography classes for youth. She now owns KALA Creative, which offers nature connection through writing, images, and workshops. Visit http://kalacreative.net/.
The Habitat Management Symposium is a natural areas training event created for landowners and conservation professionals performing or planning habitat improvement practices. This symposium takes place on three Tuesdays: March 16, March 23 and March 30, from 10 am to 12 pm ET and 9 to 11 am CT. Tickets are free, and registration is required to receive the event link.
● Oak-Hickory Forest Management, Chris Will (President, Central Kentucky Forest Management)
● Amphibian Habitat Management, Stephen Richter (Eastern Kentucky University Professor and Director of Division of Natural Areas)
● Nuisance Deer Management, Matt Springer (Assistant Extension Professor of Wildlife Management, University of Kentucky Department of Forestry and Natural Resources)
Care for the land transcends social, political and educational differences.
Throughout my career as a conservation professional, I have worked with many landowners—too many to keep up with, really—over the years. I take pride in that and consider myself fortunate to have worked with so many people who appreciate help expressing care for their land.
Through this, I learned many approach conservation differently. Many landowners want to play an active role in making habitat improvements. Others believe in a more preservationist approach of giving the land rest from human hands. Both approaches have their place, and even though they are different, they are rooted in the same goal of land conservation. Care for the land transcends social, political and educational differences.
Joining the work of Woods & Waters Land Trust now exposes me more to landowners with truly long-term conservation goals—protection in perpetuity.
Property of Keith Caye, Henry County, KY, conserved in perpetuity with a conservation easement. Photo by Ed Lawrence.
To do this reliably—to ensure perpetuity of the forests and other lands that support our waters, wildlife and conservation lifestyles—private land protection must include legal protection, such as with a conservation easement. Whereas we want to believe our natural lands will always remain natural, it’s hard to ensure this. Land is sold every day for various reasons, and future owners, including our children, may not share our same land values.
Thankfully, a permanent conservation easement remains with the land and sets forth the allowed uses of the land. An easement held by Woods & Waters Land Trust, for example, is likely to state that forested areas must always remain forested and that future development, e.g., homes and other buildings, must be restricted to certain areas and well-defined.
Those who have completed the conservation easement process for their land have described a sense of relief and, in some cases, greater closeness than before. Connie May, a co-owner of a Woods & Waters Land Trust conservation easement property in Owen County, Kentucky, said she had an even greater connection to her land after permanent protection was in place.
Betty Beshoar described a duty to the world that she and Mark Roberts accomplished with their easement on the banks of Elkhorn Creek in Franklin County. And Don and Sylvia Coffey told us how their 43-acre easement in Shelby County laid the groundwork for how their land should influence future generations.
These landowners have accomplished something for the forests and wildlife. They’ve provided something for their children that keeps giving and ensured that an aspect of their well-being is protected for the long term.
Reasons for considering a conservation easement vary, and appropriately so. It can be protection for the land itself and the wildlife that call it home. It may be to ensure the land exists so others can learn from it and experience it. For others, protected lands are essential to mitigate the effects of nearby development and habitat loss.
Creating this kind of protection is a big decision. A survey, appraisal (if tax benefits are desired) and assessments can take time. Even with the firm belief that protecting rare plants, forests or family legacy is important, the process requires patience and a trusting partnership with the organization holding the easement. It’s common for misconceptions, like needing large acreage, having rare species present and the belief that they’re sharing ownership, to arise.
The first step to entering into a conservation easement is simply a desire to see natural lands remain natural. The second is the willingness to work with an organization dedicated to helping conserve the lands that are integral to our lives. Organizations like Woods & Waters Land Trust exist to help landowners through this process.
Land is more than an object to be analyzed and shaped. It’s personal, emotional, a home. The spring wildflowers, the trees, the rabbits, deer and songbirds are members of an inner community that together make up the land.
Protecting these places satisfies a visceral need that we have as part of the natural system. Because even with all the rapid, intense disturbance that occurs when humans expand, explore and live life, we are from the natural world. Conserving these natural places is essential to who we are and where we, as people, come from.
I’ve learned from getting to know landowners and listening to their stories that they understand they are part of something bigger than themselves. They’re playing the long game. And that’s a game I’m glad to have grown into.
It’s a beautiful experience to stand alone on a snow-covered streambank. It’s exciting to plan a new habitat improvement and know you’re shaping a better future for a natural space. It’s inspiring to walk in a wood that’s been cared for. But there’s a greater sense of peace on a land that is protected forever.
Article adapted from “Reflection on Land Conservation,” published at WoodsAndWatersTrust.org.
Jody Thompson is the Executive Director of Woods and Waters Land Trust, a non-profit organization that protects forests and streams in the lower Kentucky River watershed through conservation easements, education and encouraging sustainable land stewardship.
By Shannon Trimbolli, owner of Busy Bee Nursery and Consulting
Pick up almost any seed packet, read almost any gardening book, or attend almost any gardening class and you are likely to see a USDA plant hardiness map. The map was developed by the USDA and is based on the average minimum winter temperatures for an area. It divides the country into multiple zones with each zone representing a 10-degree temperature range. Each zone can then be further subdivided. So, for example, where I’m at in Kentucky is zone 6b with an average minimum winter temperature of between 0 and -5 degrees Fahrenheit.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zones are based on the average minimum annual winter temperature. The zones were developed to help gardeners know what exotic, ornamental plants, vegetables, etc. would survive their winters. (Photo credit: USDA.)
The goal of the plant hardiness zones is to help gardeners determine whether a plant will survive in their gardens. This is especially helpful for exotic ornamental plants, garden veggies, etc. because in garden settings you can presumably control how much water a plant gets, how much fertilizer it gets, etc. However, temperature is the key component that we can’t control and which plays a major role in whether a plant can survive in an area.
The idea of plant hardiness zones and their importance is so ingrained in us that it is common for gardeners to automatically mention what zone they are in when discussing a new plant with other gardeners. This is a good thing because it shows that people are recognizing that the same plant can’t grow in all locations and the person is being conscientious of the growing limitations for where they live. But plant hardiness zones also have their limitations, and one of those limitations is their usefulness for discussions around growing native plants.
Obviously, if a plant is native to a given area, then it can survive that location’s average minimum winter temperature. However, just because a plant can survive an average minimum winter temperature doesn’t mean that it is native everywhere that average minimum winter temperature is found.
For example, parts of New Mexico are in zone 6b, just like I am in Kentucky. However, when I drove through those areas of New Mexico a few years ago, I didn’t see any of my familiar Kentucky native plants naturally growing there. Yes, in controlled garden settings with supplemental watering, people in New Mexico might be able to grow some of the plants that are native to Kentucky, but in that type of situation the Kentucky native plants are being grown as an exotic ornamental plant. They no longer count as a native plant, because they aren’t native to New Mexico.
When it comes to native plants, plant hardiness zones aren’t much use, which makes sense because hardiness zones weren’t developed with native plants in mind. In the world of native plants, ecoregions are what we need to use instead of hardiness zones.
