Category: Native Trees

Food Forest / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Keystone Species / Native Trees / Restoration / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy and Patsy McGrady

Two American Chestnut Trees Planted at Freedom Park on Arbor Day 2022

A second annual Earth Day and Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, April 23, at 10:30 AM will include the planting of two wild-type American chestnut seedling trees at Freedom Park in James City County, Virginia. The celebration results from a collaboration between the Clean County Commission, and volunteers at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and Freedom Park Arboretum, with support from the Freedom Park staff. One tree will be planted in the Pine-Hardwoods section of the Garden, and the other will...

Beneficial Insects / Garden Design / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Larval Host Plants / Native Plants / Native Trees / Sustainable Gardening / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

For Love of Trees

  Trees enrich our lives in countless ways. Yet we may not pay them much attention, until they are gone. A Million Trees in a Single Day Pioneers in the Nebraska Territory missed the trees they left behind back East.  They needed trees for shade from the summer sun, for windbreaks to hold the soil, for fuel and for building materials.  They needed trees so much, that Nebraska’s Board of Agriculture planned the first American Arbor Day celebration on April...

Beneficial Insects / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Larval Host Plants / Lepidoptera / Native Plants / Native Trees / Permaculture / Soil Conservation / Sustainable Gardening / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Invitation to a ‘Homegrown National Park’

The bright flash of a butterfly’s wing brings instant joy.  My mind clears for a moment of rapt attention to see what sort of butterfly it is.  Where is it flying?  Where is it feeding?  Will it stay in our yard?  Whatever had been churning through my mind evaporates in that moment of pure beauty. Birdsong in the morning gently pulls me back from dreams, and we hear birds chattering and calling throughout the day, flying from shrub to tree. ...

Beneficial Insects / Birds / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Invasive Plants / Larval Host Plants / Native Trees / Nuisance Plants / Permaculture / Poisonous Plants / Sustainable Gardening / Weeds / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Noxious or Nice?

  The swiftest way to find yourself in a rollicking argument with someone you may otherwise count as a friend, is to disagree with them over whether a plant is useful in the garden, or is a noxious, invasive weed.  This drama can erupt among those of us passionate about our gardens and the plants we grow.  We all know just enough to know we’re right, but these arguments over plants can hinge on nuance and circumstance. Do you know...