Wildlife Sanctuary Help!

OK Donna, ditch the lists from the state of Georgia and go it on your own. Remember, supply and demand. They need phenomenal quantities and like many states, they send their projects out for competitive bid and looks as if they got a great price but a not so environmentally friendly product. Once you start cutting and pasting the scientific name of each plant on their lists into the USDA's site to find origin, you'll see why I'm saying to ditch their lists for your demonstration gardens.

When you're ready to boogie some more, come back and post and we can let the games begin. This will be fun.

Psst, I'm not too handy around the house like her but I am pretty darn good at grabbing my husband's check book. Just finished off using his checkbook again today! Plan on using it again tomorrow.

E, can u explain a bit, are you saying I sure use speicality native wildflower for my meadow and not what everyone else is using? I have so much ground (dry/loamy) that I just wanted to fill in with wildflowers until I can get other plants establish. But first I must get the ALL those weed & Bermada grass KILL!

Remember I'm ADD and also DYSLEXIA .....I do get lost in alot of research, my brian just won't soak it up!! If I see it in color, I can do it. But alot of reading I'm lost. Have spend hours and many notes and not enough time digging & planting. So I much get out of this chair and GET MY BUTT in GEAR today! I'll check back in after dark!

E, Share with me what plants your thinkin I should use.
From Wildflower's & woody ornamentals.
Dang just come on down to S.GA, this winter and help me ge it done!!!!!! lol!!!

I'll gather up my list of plants I have on hand now! Which are mostly perennials - aster's phlox-coneflowers-salvia's ect...........

until dark, I'm out of here!







This message was edited Nov 6, 2007 12:06 PM

Most Federal projects are based on competitive bid. What this boils down to is who is the cheapest not the best. If you look at those lists of "wildflowers", they are using an incredible amount of non-native seed cheap filler seed. When in bloom, it looks real pretty to people driving on their roads but it most certainly isn't in the best interests of North American wildlife. Although many states (Texas paved the way) are beginning to move toward natives only on public lands... some states are somewhat lagging. Your state and my state are pretty bad but hopefully in the years to come they will become more environmentally responsible with their choices of roadside plants.

What I'm saying is that you don't want to use "wildflower" seed mixes at all. A wildflower can be a plant that came from Europe or Asia and has naturalized or it can be a plant that is from the US. You want to create your own mixes that are native to your garden on Earth and devoid of all the cheap filler crap particularly if you are attempting to attract wildlife to your property.

If you want to fill in, let's look at filling in with more wildlife friendly "wildflowers". Tracking down the suppliers is not all that hard once you become familiar with what to look for as well as what questions to ask. You'll be fine. Slow down, take a breath, and go at this project slowly and methodically. You will save yourself a tremendous amount of time and aggravation as well as $$$ in the long run.

Please do gather up your lists but also please draw out a diagram of your property on paper showing where everything is from your driveway to the greenhouses to the big pond and take a photo of that and post it.

I'd love to go to Georgia but I'd also love to get down to Alabama to meet somebody who lives down there who is also special. Wish I lived closer and could drive down there by myself because I would.

you gal's have E_MAIL~ hope it helps!

Here's just a few perennials that I have to plant. These were purchase in October................There's anywhere from 6-36 per varitey. I still have many more in container's from last year cutting's too. I know there's alot that not native but they are magnets & some host for BF's & Hummer's.

phlox David white
Phlox "Eco Flirties Eyes"
Phlox subulata "Pink"
Phlox subulata "Scarlet Flame"
Phlox subulata "White"
thymus"Pink Chntz"
Verbena "Ron Deal"
Veronica " Georgia Blue"
Dianthus Firewitch
Echinacea Magnus
aster Eventide
aster Crimson Brocade
aster Wood’s Purple
aster Alma Potschke
aster Hella Lacey
aster Honeysong Pink
aster Purple Dome
aster Macrophyllus
aster September Ruby
aster Laevis Bluebird
aster Raydon’s Favorite
buddleia Petite Purple
buddleia Red Plume
Echinacea Rocky Top
Echinacea Rubinstern
monarda Blue Stocking
scabiosa Butterfly Blue
teucrium Summer Sunshine
solidago Fireworks
solidago Golden Fleece
penstemon Husker’s Red

All of the plants you have listed above are cultivars. None are straight species. I'll toss a little bit out about that later.

Both of the Butterfly Bush cultivars ('Petite Purple' and 'Red Plume') are basically knock offs of Buddleja davidii which is not only not native but they're being considered noxious weeds as well as invasive in some states. They are capable of naturalizing in your ecosystem. There is no way you could have known this because for some reason, the nursery industry sells these under the spelling of Buddleia as opposed to the USDA that lists them under the spelling of Buddleja. Scroll down and take a good look at your two plants here-
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BUDDL2

Your scabiosa is another one that I wouldn't be too comfortable planting. That's naturalized. Before you purchase cultivars, you might want to get in the habit of going online and finding out what they really are. Your 'Butterfly Blue' is a knock off of Scabiosa columbaria. Same deal with your Dianthus 'Firewitch' which- Dianthus gratianopolitanus. Your Thymus 'Pink Chintz' = Thymus pulegioides (syn. T. serpyllum). Your Teucrium 'Summer Sunshine' = Teucrium chamaedrys. Veronica 'Georiga Blue' = Veronica umbrosa,

The phlox cultivars you listed above are either Phlox paniculata or P. subulata. The Verbena ‘Ron Deal’ = Verbena canadensis, Echinacea ‘Magnus’ and 'Rubenstern' = Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea purpurea 'Rocky Top’ = Echinacea tennesseensis, Monarda ‘Blue Stocking’ = Monarda didyma, Solidago ‘Fireworks’ = Solidago rugosa, Solidago ‘Golden Fleece’ = Solidago sphacelata,

Aster ‘Eventide’, ‘Crimson Brocade’, = Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, while Aster 'Wood's Purple' = Symphyotrichum dumosum. And Aster 'Alma Potschke', 'Hella Lacey', 'Honeysong Pink', 'Purple Dome', ‘September Ruby', = Aster novae-angliae.

I don’t believe there is a Solidago ‘Husker’s Red’ out there but there is a Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ and that would = Penstemon digitalis. Penstemon digitalis is native.

Your aster Macrophyllus is a straight species native to most of the eastern portions of the US. The correct scientific name for it is Eurybia macrophylla if you want to look it up.

Your aster Laevis Bluebird is actually Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird'. The straight speices, Symphyotrichum leave, is also native to the Eastern US.

Your aster ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ is actually Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite. The straight species Symphyotrichum oblongifolium is native to much of the US but not to your state.

Although some of the plants you listed are cultivars of native species, most you listed are cultivars of non-native species. None are classified as native but of garden origin. All are therefore introduced or cultivated.

All of this information I pulled off the Internet by googling the name of the plant you provided. I specifically looked at entries that came up in the search for the full binomial from which the cultivar originated. I knew whether most of them were native or non-native but had to check on your Teucrium 'Summer Sunshine'. Once I was able to figure out the full binomial to the parent plant from which the cultivar originated which was Teucrium chamaedrys, I plugged that into the USDA’s search engine to determine origin-
http://plants.usda.gov/index.html
Once you get to the actual entry for the plant, a map of the states will appear. Click on your state and look for your county to get an idea of whether a plant is documented as occurring there and if so, is it native or naturalized.

Checking each plant before you buy it is a real good habit to get into so you don’t end up with any surprises down the road. Once you get used to doing it and know what to look for, it takes all of about 1 – 2 minutes to do. Now, I’m going to give you the names of 6 plants that are very popular these days. I want you to tell me what their “mommas” are and if the straight species are native, non-native, listed as a noxious weed or an invasive species in any of the states:

Winged Euonymous
Heuchera ‘Snow Angel’
Lythrum ‘Pink Spires’
Diabolo Ninebark
Pyrus 'Redspire'
Barberry 'Aurea Nana'

The reason why I am giving you those 6 to look up on google is so that you can see first hand how quick and easy it is to do for yourself before you spend hard earned money buying plants.

It appears your goals are consistent with those of others who garden for wildlife although you are going one step further by creating an outdoor classroom. Really what you are doing is no different than what others are do- you are going to “provide the five basic elements needed for wildlife survival; food, water, cover and places to raise young along with sustainable gardening practices”.

Because of your outdoor classroom (where you will be connecting people with nature), you will need to become well versed in the following-
http://www.nwf.org/outside/pdfs/nativeplants.pdf

ok teacher E, I'm off doing my homework..........will report in soon..........
thanks!!!

Here's what I found:

1. Winged Euonymous
Euonymous alatus
non-native - Asia
invasive

2. Heuchera 'Snow Angel'
Heuchera sanguinea
native (to the southwest US)

3. Lythrum 'Pink Spires'
Lythrum salicaria
non native
noxious weed
invasive

4. Diabolo Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
native - endangered

5. Pyrus 'Redspire'
Pyrus calleryana
non native
invasive in Fla

6. Barberry 'Aura Nana'
Berberis thunbergii
non native
noxious weed
invasive in Connecticut

Impressive! Bravo! Didn't take as long as you thought it would now did it! Now that's what you've got to start doing before you buy a plant! We want that money in our pockets so we have college funds for our kids not in the pocket of our local nurseries so they are sending their kids to college on our mistakes!

Now I'm going to add a little bit since you only hit a few sites. Redspire Pear is a Calleryana Pear. It's invasive in a lot more states than just Florida but Florida is more progressive than some states and they're beginning to take an offensive stance against the plants that threaten public health, their economy, or the environment as opposed to the traditional defensive position. Same thing goes with Barberry. If you go back to the USDA link, you will see the maps that indicate all of the states in which these plants have naturalized. Hmmmm, how come they're only formally identified in a handful of states as being invasive? Many factors contribute to the whys. Once a plant appears as having naturalized in your state or an adjoining state, you pretty much know that's one to steer clear of. Plants such as these aren't well mannered and they do not respect political boundaries.

You did really great. You probably just saved yourself a couple thousand dollars and a lot of elbow grease ripping out plants that would have volunteered all over your property... and your inlaws next door... and onto the Church property... and and and!

Incidentally; here's an article for you to read that although dated, addresses early concerns associated with all Calleryana Pears such as the Bradford Pear, Cleveland Select, and the Redspire you just researched-
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73633/
Scroll down and read my comments in the PlantFiles entry because they include the article written by Mr. Stewart. Oddly enough, I can no longer find his published article on line ;)

I get it! Much easier and less costly on my pocket book! From now I'll do my research before I buy. As I was going through my old (1996) master gardener files, I found all my notes on outdoor classroom. Gonna do some rereading on them tonight.......It's funny lookin back now that I did put in an OD butterfly garden in 96' when my son was in the 2nd grade at his elementary school. They call me the Garden Lady! Nice to find all my notes again.........That was a FUN time for me!

Also found the seed list from the wildflower's I sow in 1996! Only common name were list will research them .....

Wildflower South Georgia Mix from Wildseed Farm Eagle Lake Texas
custom Mix of 10 pounds (for Ga DNR)

Yarrow 3.8%
Cornflower 6.4%
Tickseed 7.8%
Plains Coreopsis 11.8%
Ca. Poppy 11.8%
Blanketflower 12.2%
Dames Rocket 8.4%
Blk Eye Susan 13.2%
Crimson Clover 12.2%
Shasta Daisy 7.0%
Corn Poppy 5.4%

and after 11 years I still have some yarrow- white, shasty daisy & crimson clover.
will pos the sc. name later. when I find out what's native & non native........

How come the ninebark is endangered? I thought that was the one that was found everywhere. Or is it just that particular one?

The straight species of Western Ninebark is threatened. Habitat destruction. Cheat grass I believe but there are other factors.

Ok, thanks.

Yarrow achillea millefolium NON NATIVE
Cornflower centaurea cyanus NON NATIVE
Tickseed Coreopsis lanceolata (lance coreopsis) NATIVE
Plains Coreopsis tinctoria NATIVE
Ca. Poppy escholzia californica NATIVE
Blanketflower ?
Dames Rocket hesperis matronalis ?
Black Eye Susan Rudbeckia hirta NATIVE
Crimson Clover trifolium incarnatum NON NATIVE maybe noxious weed some state's
Corn Poppy papaver rhoeas NON NATIVE
Shasta Daisy could be chrysanthemum leucanthemum Oxeye daisy NON NATIVE N. WEED some states

So only 4 out of 11 were NATIVE'S .........wow that's shocking too knowso much was FILLER"S.......understand fully why EVERYTHING needs to be research FIRST.......BEFORE YOU BUY!!

Almost everyone of these WILDFLOWERS were listed in bulletin #994 UGA. I look up & id 33 wildflowers in this #994 bulletin and ONLY 10 were GEORGIA NATIVE'S!

This also has list for GA federally protected plants found in GA. will look them up later.

E, you sure do have me on the RIGHT PATH NOW!!!

I'm not too good with a search engine but a few years ago I posted about all the pretty packets of Dame's Rocket that I bought to "naturalize" here. I mean the packet did say they'd naturalize and naturalize is exactly what they did. If you want a good laugh, read about how I bought around 20 packs of them and read about how long it took me to get rid of them.

It's all about time and money. I have too little of both these days and some mistakes aren't fun enough to want to repeat.

lol!! I can see you now with all those packet!! lol!!

Amen, time & money ...........I wanna have FUN and not work myself to death!! I've got a few of NON native woody ornamentals that workin me hard!! They'll be gone once native's get some size........

E, d-mail me YOUR list of Native suppliers that would sale wholesale, please!

My WILDFLOWER pickin's so far NATIVE TO GEORGIA

aster novea New England Aster
Coreopsis lanceolata Lance Coreopsis
Coreopsis tinctoria Plains Coreopsis
echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower
Eschscholzia californica Ca. Poppy
Gailardia pulchella annual gailardia
Lupinus perennis Perennial Lupine
Monarda citrioora Lemon mint Beebalm
oenothera speciosa Pink Primrose
Phlox drummondi Annual Phlox
Rudbeckia amplexicaulis Clasping conerflower
Rudbckia hirta Black Eye Susan
Salvia coccinea Sacarlet sage
Solidago spp. goldenrod

still lookin!

That Blanketflower in that GA mix is probably going to be some sort of a Gaillardia. Probably native and probably ok but without knowing which one, best to stay away from it.

Most everyone has quite a few non-natives, myself included. There aren't too many purists out there but there are people hitting extremely high percentages of species that occur naturally within a 50 mile radius of where they garden.

I don't have access to my last new hard drives so I can't get the information you want. I will have to go and search for it again. There is a thread in Indigenous Plants titled something to the effect of Native Plant Nurseries started by me. I went through most of them that were added and knocked out most nurseries trying to bill themselves as native plant nurseries that were selling noxious weeds or invasives. The listed nurseries probably have inventories of in excess of 90% natives with many having 100%. You still have to check plants that you aren't familiar with.

Your wildlife pickins are looking mighty fine so far but there are a few I've got to look up and I can do it this weekend. I'll also find wholesalers for you. You wouldn't want my personal list because it's tailored to me and where I garden.

Sometimes wholesalers don't carry all that you might want. In that case, you might want to consider buying three of a plant from a retail nursery and then propagating from your starter plants. You probably already know how to winter sow as well as how to root cuttings but do you know how to root woodie cuttings?

By the way, isn't exciting when you start making connections for yourself> I loved it when I realized I wasn't so dependent upon others and had enough tools to start making really good decisions for me without having to spend the time typing out a gazillion questions. Your end gardening style will differ from mine. No two are alike and that's the way it should be. Adds to the spice of life.

You'll get even better at it and faster as time goes on. ADD is a limitation, it's not a wall to block you. There are many work arounds and self help tools to work around one's personal limitations. I find keeping extremely detailed handwritten notes from symposiums/workshops and stickums in my reference books helps me considerably. I routinely mark up books, dogear pages, and hilight whole sentence or paragraphs so I can flip through pages of a book and see what I believed was important when I read it. I also turn off the tv, too distracting for me.

woody cuttings I can do! My shaded Gh is set-up with a second misting system already to go. just purchase more mister this week. Hoping the weather will stay fairly in the 60's during the day & low 40's at night. I did most of my cutting this time last year, but I didn't have all these perennials either to plant.........althou I do need to brush up on my woody cuttings. Have about 40 var. of salvia's that I'll keep near the house bed;s........and try real hard to strickly native out from in the 3 acer's..

Do you have any favorite Native books? I have an old Woodlanders catalog from 1995, they have suggest a few must have NAtive books! Will use there catalog for refernce too.
Now I feel I'm getting some where.

I'll start first with a native wild flower meadow then incroprate woody's & perennials and evergreens........I can see it in my head.........but yes I'll put it on paper first before I plant........I've come down the my first head/chest cold and felt really crampy today, so I just stay in and did my searching. But far now a wasted day.........but I do need to good and rest, just a little crank up now might be for the meds for this cold!

E, I'll so happy your are taking yor valuable time and share all your knowledge with me. I'm trying hard to soak it up like a dry sponge, promise you time will not go in vain........

You said your special friend is in Ala. what part? We have a vacation cabin on the Ga./Ala line near Eufuala, Ala. Sure you be nice to meet ya, if you ever this close to me & Cordeledawg.

There are two books out there that are sort of expensive that you might want to be on the lookout for to help you with woody plant propagation-
"Manual of Woody Landscape Plants", Michael Dirr
"Making More Plants", Ken Druse
Buy them used if you can, you won't be disappointed.

I'm not familiar with the Woodlander's Catalog but it's somewhat dated and so many new publications have come out that I'd hesitate to use it as a list of what to buy.

Favorite native plant books??? I have hundreds. Start with these-
"Noah's Garden", Sara Stein
"A Sand County Almanac", Aldo Leopold
"Lakescaping for Wildlife & Water Quality" Carol Henderson
"Miracle Under the Oaks", William Stevens

These books won't tell you what to plant but they will arm you with a good solid skill set so you will feel comfortable tackling what ever you've got in store for your property. That's it, just 4 books. The rest of your information can come from online or from native plant societies in your area or from symposiums and such.

I keep any non-native plants I have up tight around my house so I can watch them. I'll admit to having to rip out quite a few that started getting too aggressive for my liking but that's been part of my learning curve. My MIL buys a lot of plants for me but I also pick up plants that are native to states that are south of me, states that are west of the rockies, and from other continents. I will not knowingly buy a plant that is listed as a noxious weed or as an invasive in any other state. Mostly I am buying white flowering plants for my moon garden which is for my moths but I have hundreds of Tall Bearded Iris lining the sidewalk to my front door and there are many hostas on the north side of the house intermixed with native Viburnum. I seem to be moving more toward natives in those areas when something has to go only because of the time element and not wanting to have to baby sit plants any longer. On the rest of the property that includes natural areas, I've been sticking to native plants that occur within a 50 mile radius of my property.

As far as where to start first, take a close look at that Oak allee you've got. You may want to begin adding a few more trees and shrubs in and around those trees right now. It takes a while to get woodies established and inserting other plants here and there will break up and soften those soldier rows of live oaks. Mix it up there. That way if you lose one of those live oaks, it won't be as noticeable. You can always plug along eliminating your lawn by adding native wildflowers to it. Start saving newspaper is about all I can say. That's a great way to kill off the grass while starting plugs of natives.

The one thing I think you need to do is figure out where your footpaths are going to go. You can't have people trampling your plants and most will stick to a footpath if it's defined. You don't need to worry about what material to use to create your footpaths but you do need to know where they will be so you can work around them. Nothing worse than having to move established plants because you forgot you were going to need access to the area. That's from experience.

Regarding evergreens, think of your property and think of an area where they will multi task by benefitting critters and you by creating year long privacy or a windbreak. I'm thinking somewhere over on the side of your property where the Church is. Possibly up toward the front where your frontage is or possibly toward the way back behind that barn area.

My time is no more valuable than yours or anyone else's. And I don't necessarily have knowledge per se but more experience as a result of having to attend this school of hard knocks ;) You do realize I'm going to push hard to get you to join a native plant society in your neck of the woods so that you can network with like-minded gardeners down by you, right??? I promise you that if the group you join is active and involved, you won't be sorry.

Greensboro, she lives in Greensboro.

I have order Noah's Garden & Gardening with Native Plants of the South, which was recommended by Ga. Native Plant Society-president on Amazon. Can't wait to get them!

Have a wonderful wekend!

Haven't heard anything from you in a while. I have been curious how the stepping stones fared through the falling leaves. Will you wait until spring to clean up the path, or have you been blowing / raking already?

I started creating a path in my woods just using mulch and it got totally covered in leaves. I have tried to keep it semi-cleared off so that I don't slip -slide down the hill on the wet leaves.

Everything is under at least a foot of snow down there... to include the stepping stones.

I was able to clear out another area of the property last fall and did position quite a few more stepping stones. Had to use a leaf blower to clear the area. Lots of oaks back there. Dug out the area underneath about half of the newly purchased stepping stones set out but decided to quit ordering sand when the temps started dropping as I didn't want to get stuck with a truckload on the upper drive way to have to manuever around during winter. They can wait until spring. They're not going anywhere.

I also have several stacks set neatly aside to lengthen my trail if I want. I can also use stepping stones from those stacks for any that broke.

Hey JulieQ! Wet leaves can really be slippery so I know just what you're talking about. Make a wrong move on a sheet of wet leaves and you're going down! Have you any photos of the work you did before the leaves dropped and erased all evidence of your handiwork?

And gapeahen! Where are you! How did you like Sara Stein's book?

I have found a lot of rotten logs and stumps that I am going to turn into free mulch. Some logs I will leave as they lay, but there are SO MANY that I think it will be a good useful project to bust it up into mulch. That is what I thought when I put down the first bit of mulch, anyway! My wooded property is on a slope, so I have been trying to find natural pathways that meander across interesting sites in the woods. I have slightly leveled some of it, being careful to leave rain run-off areas that will not wash out my path. I am not an engineer and it takes me a while to think about how I want it to end up looking... and I may wait until spring to do a lot more, since I don't know what all may be there to surprise me. This will be my first spring at this house. I hope for some trilliums or other surprises.

I have sure had a lot of fun so far. It is very fulfilling to see the natural beauty revealed. The hard work clears my head, too-- relaxing, in a way--

I don't know if I have any pics. (?) I may be able to get out there tomorrow, but got to be packing....going up north to Quebec for a quick visit....now that's going to be snowy and COLD!

Well, get your buns out there and get some photos! I don't know about others, but I'm a very visual person so I get most of my ideas from what other people do.

I'm no engineer either, that's for sure. It's hard eye balling these projects to get slopes and levels accurate without a laser level and even then it's still difficult. I long ago gave up using surveyors to site what I'm doing. I take a glass of water out with me and a level and that's as far as I go. Hardwood mulch for me washes out. I've had slightly better luck with black slate chips but not much. I wonder if you could leave a little "lip" at the low side of the path you've leveled so that you could simply re-spread your mulch after the spring rains come?

Have been reading your thread with great interest. You might also want to check with your local extension agent for suggestions on your project. Here we have several expert Master Gardeners on tap who both do native plant gardens, but also do wildlife habitats. It's worth a try. Eq, keep the snow and you can have my share, too........LOL

Our local extension office is mostly focused on roses and turf. Toss in composting and quilting. To the best of my knowledge, none of them even have an interest in native plants. It's been a few years so the possibility exists that there is some new blood over there. This particular extension office is rather unique and in no way representative of the caliber of volunteers at other extension offices.

Well, whop him/her up along side the head and ask them for that information. They are there to answer questions and educate the public. Otherwise ask what college sponsers the extension service and take it up with them. These are land grant colleges and get for state and federal funds for these things.

OK, I got a few pictures this morning. The sun is still low, so there may be the morning shadows...This picture is to show the amount of privet that I dealt with when moving here. This is an area I have not done much with yet. You can see the neat rock behind there, though. The privet will eventually lose its leaves, too, just a little later in the winter...

Here is an area I have opened up. You can't tell it, but most of those scraggly looking shrubs are oak leaf hydrangea. I hope that by clearing out the privet they will get more light and really look nice this spring.

Here is one of my recent surprises. There are some kind of bulb shoots already poking through. I hope the woodsy cover and fallen leaves will keep them from freezing out before they are ready to bloom.

aaahh! Great area, Julie! I can't wait to hear what those bulbs are. I bet my bottom dollar Equ has can tell us.

Hey doccat5, it's an interesting situation over at our local extension office and there's been no change of guard in a long time. Old belief systems die hard I guess and like minded attracts like minded. The Forest Preserve District tosses my name into the extension office's hat on a regular basis to try to get me to volunteer over there however I doubt seriously if I could keep my mouth shut when Barberry is being recommended to a call-in looking for the "perfect" plant for that difficult spot and any workshops I conduct most certainly focus on indigenous flora and fauna as well as the impact of invasives on the fragile ecosystems. The extension offices in other counties are considerably more progressive and many have biologists, ecologists, naturalists, as well as other professionals sharing their time and talent- ours doesn't seem to encourage "those types". Mine is in some sort of a time warp- integrated pest management... hmmm, they've probably got a pamphlet on that somewhere to pass out for those interested in "that kinda thing"; burning bushes or bradford pears, no problem... what's one more and they seem to be able to tell you where they're being sold as an added service.

The bulbs in JulieQ's photo are out of sync for this time of year. They seem really early to be a native even if there's been unseasonably warm weather so I'll take a guess they might be a naturalized crocus? Lots of things they could be and they could even end of being a native. Need more photos as they mature to get a better idea of what she's got there. I have some crocus here. They're planted right into my lawn close to the house. By the time the lawn needs to be mowed, they're long gone and if I end up with a decent sized clump, I just dig down a little bit and remove the blubs I don't want then throw them out so my clumps are easily managed. I sort of like the way they add a splash of color to my lawn at a time when it looks like straw and I always get the biggest kick when they poke out of snow. I don't have any crocus growing in any of the natural areas of my property.

JulieQ! You've got Privet like I have Buckthorn and Japanese Honeysuckle. Swear words I tell you! Swear words! I see that Privet all nice and green out there in your woods sucking up resources and blocking sunlight to the woodland floor. And some people wonder why native species aren't regenerating like they used to. Many of these types of introduced plants leaf out earlier and retain their leaves considerably longer than the indigenous species which gives them a considerable advantage. Really glad you are working so hard to clear it. Your scraggly looking oak leaf hydrangeas look wonderful to me. Now that you've cleared that area of the Privet, give them a few years to rebound and they'll be just fine. I doubt you will get the showy display you deserve as a reward for all your hard work this coming year but you will get your showy display eventually. Pay close attention to that area now that you have cleared it. I cleared an area on this property a few years ago and walked out there earlier this year and found a wave of Smilacina and some particularly nice woodland sedges. I stood there in shock andmade my girlfriend drive over to look. One really needs to share these types of surprises with someone who understands and doesn't look at you like you are nuts. I know those plants weren't there before. Even though invasives take over an understory, you can still be pleasantly surprised by what regenerates from a seedbank once they are removed. Way to go JulieQ! Keep up the good work!

Really neat little slide show here on some invasives of the Midwest that plague other areas too-
http://ipaw.org/symposium/workshops/treesshrubs_kearns.pdf

A late Merry Christmas to all!

Happy New Year! I've been into family estate business (stressful) and doing a lot of sleeping. I've just been down right LAZY, have the don't won't too's!! Well it's time to get my bootie back on schdule in bring in the NEW year. Must Finish all of my half done project's.

Will be sowing wildflowers in 2 weeks I hope. They will surely bring in the bee's & butterflies. I'm hosting a Round-Up April 19th, so everything has GOT to be JUST right before my garden bubbies arrive! Thank goodness I've got 3 months to get it all done!

Happy New To ALL!!
Donna

Ewwwwwww, more estate stuff??? Poor you!

Half done projects- I've got quite a few of those myself.

Happy New Year to you too!

Hey E,
I've go another project.........My DH has got me working at the farm!!! Where we are clearing stump over grow weeds, sucker trees. You name it and it's there. We cut 100 acre's of bottom hardwood about 4 yrs ago. Slow cleaning up a little at a time, got about 50 acers so far.

Now our seedlings are arriving from the foresty comm.
Swamp Chestnut
Cherry Bark
S. Red Oak
White Oak fo upland
Red Cedar
Dogwood
Plum
just to name a few and all in all it's around 3000 seedlings! HELP!!!!!!!!!
Thank goodness it's new ground, but just all those dang ROOTS that have to be pick up!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!

We're digging several small little ponds, so we'll have speical spot for a bog and extra water when needed. So E, I can fully go all out for the wildlife here. There's 300 acres for ME to go NUT"S over!!! lol!! But I've got a little spot all plan out in my mind, but DH is still diggin & pushing with the dozer. I'll try to get you some picture's soon.

That's what I've been up too & then some! Frontyard on hold for now!
Donna

Hey Donna, post a boatload of photos! What kind of species are there right now that your husband is bull dozing?

Say, Have you ever spoken to these people about getting technical and possibly some financial assistance with a project that size-
http://www.qu.org/

E, there's mostly Bay sucker coming from old stumps. Which we are keeping a good bit of them. Over grown switch grasses & weeds. We are harowing the new ground and will replant with native's for all the wild life. Such as turkey-deer-quail-birds and of course the bee's & butterflies.

As for the species, well there's 100 acre's in slash pine's in the upland. We only found 1 white oak in all 300 acre's. There's a large creek that runs on the back side which kept the bottom land flooded most of the time.

I'll share more later I've run out of time! Gotta get to the farm!