When undertaking to create a garden installation, we all want to dive right in and get some plants in the ground. However, before starting I wish more people would stop to ask some very important questions about the site. Questions to ask: · What are the reasons for establishing this garden? Are there specific goals? · What is the budget? Who is paying for each item? Who is applying for grants? · Who is maintaining the garden forever? Is there a maintenance staff or a volunteer group? How much training do they need to do proper maintenance? · How many staff are on board? Are the people who will be using and maintaining the space all in agreement that this is what they want? · What signs will there be? How will visitors be educated about the garden? · What is the installation timeline? Is this a spring or fall planting? Does the installation need to be split into stages? · How will the garden be protected? Who is picking up litter? Is the garden used for dog walking? Will the garden be spared any future development? Is there a maintenance budget? · How will the garden be used? Will the visitors be returning often or infrequently? Does the garden need features like picnic tables, play space, bike lanes, etc? Should the garden be wheelchair accessible or are there any other accessibility requests?

Even though we are normally daytime creatures, our gardens are still functioning at night. Native gardens at night are home to many creatures like moths, owls, bats, toads, racoons, and lightning bugs. Some plants bloom all night long or even open at night to take advantage of nighttime pollinators. Pollinated by the sphynx moth, the Missouri evening primrose opens in the evening and closes in the morning. Flower scents are stronger at night to attract insects that rely more heavily on their sense of smell in the dark. Moths navigate more by smell then by sight so they appreciate flowers with fragrance. Flowers will often increase the amount of fragrance they release at night to attract pollinating moths. I like to stand on my deck in the evening and just breath in all the good nighttime smells. The garden at night can be a more pleasant retreat than during the heat of day during Missouri summers. Gardens with lots of vegetation can trap cool air and humidity at night to make a little oasis for creatures to take a break from the summer heat. Special times to be in the garden after dark are in the spring to hear the frogs and toads start to sing. In the heat of summer crickets chirp and firefly’s flash. Owls are exciting to listen for especially when they are making their matting calls. Fall bird migrations continue through the night with geese calling from high overhead. Stay out late on full moons to see the garden glow or on new moons to experience the darkness. Watch for shooting stars and the passing of satellites. We have 11000 species of moth in the US. A fun activity to do after dark is to hang up a white sheet with a light pointed at it. Moths and beetles are drawn to the light where they are easy to study and identify. But be sure to turn the light off when you are done to release the moths to perform their nightly duties. Lights left on after dark can confuse night flying insects. Lightning bugs use their light flashes to find each other, so an artificial light can disrupt their ability to find mates. Even birds can be confused by artificial light. A truly dark yard can be hard to obtain unless neighbors share the same values. Dark skies full of stars are awe inspiring but light pollution can make them hard to find. On a spring evening I like to put out my game camera to see who visits in the night. I often capture photos of raccoons, opossums, and rabbits. In the morning the camera role reveals what I missed overnight. Try to spend more time in the garden at night this year. Look for ways to appreciate sunsets and sunrises by placing seating in a good location to take in the view. I love to watch the summer sunset from my porch with a margarita in hand as it falls behind a large oak in my yard. I enjoy the progression of birds across the sky, first the regular daytime birds heading home to roost, then the swifts swooping above, then the bats come out, finally the hidden owl hoot. We all should get in the habit of taking a final walk before bed to enjoy our gardens at night.

Citizen science is a way that you and all your friends can help scientists by documenting what you see in your garden or out in nature. Scientists reach out to the public to help them with data collection in order to do broader research. Helping with citizen science projects can be educational and it also is inspiring to know we are part of something bigger. We have all heard that biodiversity on this planet is declining. Especially the smaller species are rapidly disappearing and we don’t even know exactly how much we are losing. Some beetles go extinct before they are even discovered because we just don’t have enough scientist out there documenting beetles. Recording the species that occur in certain areas can help scientist see where populations are, or where they are declining. A recent citizen science bee study in St Louis discovered several species of bee that had not been recorded in the area before. Having so many people recording the bees they saw in their area made it possible for more observations to be included in the research. Bee diversity in St Louis was even higher than the scientists expected. A current citizen science project involves ticks. People can save the ticks they find to send in to researchers for study. The researchers are looking at species and abundance of ticks across the country as well as the diseases they carry. Tick born diseases are spreading rapidly and effecting more people each year. It will be nice to have this new data about what diseases are out there and where the ticks are. The inaturalists app is a tool that many researchers use when gathering citizen scientists’ data. Our observations on inaturalists can help researches locate populations of rare plants or notice when unique birds visit an area. They can also use the data to find records of when flowers are blooming, eggs are hatching, or butterflies migrating. Invasive species spreading to new areas is also recorded in inaturalists. Invasive species are easiest to control if you start treatment early so having this up-to-date data is great for wild life managers. Sometimes the observer doesn’t even know what species they are looking at but scientists can see the photos and identify the species for them. Get in contact with local universities to see how you can join citizen science projects to document insects, birds, and flowers. There are many projects going on, some are easy to join and some will require special training. Often, helping with these projects is as easy as taking some photos. The more of us helping out, the better we will understand our world and how to protect it.

Our understanding of our environment is rapidly changing as new science is developed and human interaction with the environment changes our ecosystems. Before we can hope for others to care about native plants and insects we need to start with education. Some people have more time and better resources to keep up with environmental issues. Those of us with information need to find ways to share it and spread the word about the issues that matter to us. Education about environmental issues needs to happen in schools. To inform the younger generations, we need to go into schools and speak to kids about the importance of native plants and natural habitat. Planting school gardens is a good way to provide hands on experience for kids to learn about our environment. Sometimes teachers have an interest but need additional support to teach environmental issues in their classroom. Adults also need continuing education about new environmental issues. We also need to teach our neighbors and coworkers about the issues that are important to us. We shouldn’t avoid uncomfortable topics. Sometimes we may be surprised at how similar our neighbors feel about our world. Writing articles and sending them into the local news can also help to spread the word. Letters to the editor can often spark productive public conversations. Sometimes protecting natural systems means getting involved in politics. We can push reforms to change policies about our public spaces to increase habitat and wildlife diversity. Writing to our representatives and inviting them to outdoor experiences can help to educate them about protecting our important natural world. Permanent legal protections for native plants and insects can help us feel that the slow process of restoring and area is worth it, knowing that it will be allowed to thrive.

Hillsides or any type of slope can add an extra challenge to planting a garden. The existing turf or weeds may be the only thing holding the soil in place. Removing them to clear out a garden bed may cause erosion before the new plants can establish large root systems. Killing lawn and then planting and mulching a slope may become a mess after the first rain, as the mulch runs downhill and washes gullies into the garden. The roots in the soil are what keeps it from washing away. How do we protect our soil during this transition. I have several suggestions to try to control erosion during garden establishment. Using a combination of methods will probably give the best results. More gradual slopes will need less intervention. Killing exiting vegetation in a way that does not disturb the root system is better than digging them out. The less soil disturbance the better off the soil will be. Erosion mats are the traditional way of dealing with erosion on a slope. There are plastic or biodegradable mats that can be pinned down and then the plants will grow up through the mats. The downside of mats is that sometimes birds or snakes can get tangled in them and weeding is harder when the roots are tangled in the mat. Plastic mats do not degrade and need to be removed which can be tricky to untangle them from all the plants. Erosion mats may still have their place on very steep slopes but I use them as a last resort. If you are converting a turf slope and have plenty of time, kill sod at the top of hill first and work your way down. Start with killing a strip of sod at the top of the hill, plant your plants, and wait for them to become established. Once the top strip is established, start work on another strip of sod below the first strip. Working your way slowly down the hill season by season until your planting reaches all the way to the bottom. I find that starting at the top of the hill is better because the seeds from the native plants will fall down and start spreading into the lower parts of the slope. Another erosion solution is to make swales. This works especially well on gentle slopes. When the soil is cleared, build gentle ditches parallel to the hillside. Plant your plants in and around the swales. This will slow down the rainwater and help keep the soil from eroding. Over time the swales will fill in but your plants will be established by then. In addition to the swales, use logs half buried parallel to the slope. The logs can be held in place with spikes if they tend to role downhill. As rain water flows down the slope it is stopped by the log and encouraged to infiltrate into the soil. This series of logs and ditches form a washboard of swales and berms. We want the surface water to slow down and infiltrate as it hits each obstacle. Reroute water runoff during establishment. Downspouts or surface flow may be heading towards the new garden. If the water can be temporarily diverted to go around the new planting it will decrease the amount of flow the slop needs to deal with. A trench could even be dug along the top of the slope to detour water to one side during establishment but then filled back in after the plants have developed root systems. If a gutter drains at the top of the slope, hook up an extension tube to the downspout to bring the water all the way to the base of the slope until the new garden is established. Temporarily reducing the amount of stormwater headed towards the new bed is for the long-term benefit of the slope. Less volume and a slower water flow is less likely to cause erosion. Over time the ditches will fill in, the logs will rot, and plants will take their place to hold the soil. Slow, steady, thoughtful progress is the best way to tackle gardening on a slope.

A pollinator pathway is a corridor of habitat between larger habitats. Large pollinator pathways are needed by migrating species. For example, the monarch butterfly needs a pollinator pathway across the North America to Mexico to give it places to rest and refuel all along its great migration. Many birds also benefit from pollinator pathways since the native plants that benefit pollinators also support the needs of migrating birds. This might seem like an issue for national and international policy makers and it is important that they take up this cause. However, there is a lot the home gardener can do too besides vote. We need to connect our yards, filling in missing pieces between larger habitat areas. We can think of our yards as steeping stones in a larger habitat mosaic. Our yards are essential pieces of pollinator habitat but they need to be connected. Highways and subdivisions lead to landscape fragmentation where habitats are carved into pieces. Insects and animals can become genetically isolated when they are kept from find mates by barriers between habitable spaces. Often, wildlife will continue to try to move between safe spaces and be killed along the way. We need to focus on connectivity between wildlife areas. Native plant gardens that adjoin parks, streams, or common ground offer exponentially more value to wildlife then just one yard standing alone. We can ask our neighbors and city planners to join us in making safe spaces for pollinators and all wildlife to live. As our urban areas sprawl, planning for wildlife becomes even more important. Unused lawn and weedy shrub borders can be transitioned to native habitat that wildlife can use to travel between larger wild areas. Let’s invite our neighbors to join us in the creation of pollinator pathways across our communities. Educational signs in our yards and parks as well as talking to our community groups spread our message. Local native plant give away events will help spread plants that pollinators need in each neighborhood. Flowering and fruiting trees are a one plant way to make a big impact for pollinators and migrants. Pass on the word about pollinator pathways. Learn more at www.pollinaor-pathway.org

As our area warms and experiences more extreme weather, how can we protect our gardens? Climate change will bring heat, strong winds, flooding and drought. It will also bring new pests, invasive species, missing pollinators, and rapidly changing habitat. Providing a nourishing garden soil will keep plants healthy during these challenging times. Native plant landscapes not only protect our soil but also take carbon out of the air and store it in the soil, allowing us to live. A healthy deep soil filled with beneficial fungi and microbes will give gardens the best chance at adapting to change. We will not be able to control many of the stressors our gardens will be facing in the future but we can prepare. Healthy soils can release nutrients when our plants need them and store more water. Plants suffering through drought benefit from deep soils with lots of organic matter that can absorb lots of rain when it is plentiful and then release it to the plants when they need it later. Healthy uncompacted soils promote healthy root growth which help trees to anchor firmly and withstand storms. Plants with well-established root systems can better withstand competition from invasive species. Healthy plants are better able to fight off new pests. To build a healthy soil, add organic matter to garden soil by leaving plant debris in the garden. Keep soil surfaces covered with plants to capture moisture and make an ideal habitat for soil microbes. Capture rainwater and surface water and infiltrate it into the garden soil using raingardens. Never use pesticides or herbicides and avoid adding mulches that may be contaminated. Avoid compacting soil especially when it is wet and do not break it up or till. Keep the soil structure in its natural layers that are perfect for soil life. Plant perennial native plants with their deep roots that transport nutrients deep into the soil. Each species has its own symbiotic micro fauna and flora supporting the root system by providing nutrients. Keep a wide variety of species to support as much soil life as possible. Old plant roots can die back and decay deep in the soil, providing even more nutrients at deeper soil layers. The future is uncertain and we are already beginning to experience the extremes that come with climate change. Start now on your safety net of soil to help your garden survive the storm. As we grow our rich soil now we help to protect our future selves by creating a deep carbon sync to keep harmful carbon out of our atmosphere.

There is too much lawn in our parks. We don’t need so much lawn. We need a little lawn for kids to play, picnics, and bocce ball. But we have way more lawn in parks then we use. We should have no unnecessary lawns in public spaces. We just need some well thought out and placed lawn areas and the rest can be natural area. In the lawns that are currently in public spaces, we could reduce mowing. Grass does not need to be kept at golf course height in our parks. Tall grass and wild flowers are beautiful and just as good at providing open space for people to enjoy themselves. Less mowing also means less mower pollution, less maintenance time, and better habitat for wildlife. Parks should have no chemical inputs like insecticides and herbicides. For our safety, these should not be used in public spaces. No spraying for mosquitos. It is ok for these spaces to be a little natural. And we expect these areas to be safe to play in. I wish we could ban chemicals in parks where kids and insects play. Public spaces are meant to be spaces to bring the public together. Gardens, winding paths through woodlands, shady benches, and secluded picnic pavilions make a park an enjoyable place to meet friends. Large trees, flowers, and bird song help us feel relaxed and comfortable. Let’s turn our parks into a place for life including wildlife and for us to feel alive. Less lawn and more life could be our slogan. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little bit of nature so close to home.

It is hard to be an insect these days. Even though insects are vital to life on earth they face a magnitude of threats from poor human decisions. As development expands, natural areas are decreasing, so there is less habitat, nesting sites, and flowers. Habitats that remain are small and far apart, isolating populations and increasing threats from outside. Smaller protected areas are more likely to be impacted by pesticide drift, road noise, light pollution, stormwater runoff, invasive species, mosquito sprays, and disrupted food chains. We need to protect our remaining natural areas from destruction. These spaces are havens for wildlife that are being threatened from all sides. Species need a large enough area to allow a gene pool big enough to prevent inbreeding. Many habitat areas need to be increased in size or connected to neighboring habitat to be big enough to support rare species populations. Decreasing biodiversity of plants, vast areas of lawns, and landscaping fads that favor exotic and even invasive plants leave little food for pollinators and other insects. A traditional landscape supports less than 400 species. A native plant landscape can support over 1400 species. That is a 1000 more species just by using native plants. Ramant pesticide use in agriculture and neighborhoods makes even flower gardens toxic. Bees are less able to fight off disease when they are exposed to pesticides and also reduced nutrition. One of the stressors invading remaining habitat is light pollution. We need to reduce light pollution at home and work. City lights can confuse night insects and migrating birds. Moths are attracted to lights where they spend their time that they should be out pollinating. The glow of a city can be confusing to animals that are sensitive to light to know when it is time to sleep or wake. Day light also triggers animals wishing to migrate and plants wishing to bloom, artificial light can disrupt their rhythm. Supporting wildlife friendly community gardens and having our own gardens that support wildlife can provide more habitat. Connecting these gardens together across a neighborhood can provide even greater benefits.

Weeds can be the biggest headache when caring for a new flower bed. Some weeds fly in and find the empty spaces between plants to be great environments to grow. Other weeds were in the soil already with established roots or seeds dormant in the soil seed bank waiting for some light and water to hit them. Unfortunately, creating the perfect habitat for young native plants to establish is also the perfect habitat for weeds to invade. When preparing a bed for a native garden. Smother lawn for 6 months. Starting with a smothering layer of newspaper and mulch in early spring before lawn starts to grow can starve the lawn of nutrients and cause it to rot away over the summer. In fall check to see if the lawn is dead. Many people will plant their native plants at this point but if you have the patience, I suggest taking a little more time to control weeds. In year two grow a vegetable crop for one year. Vegetable crops allow weed seeds to sprout and be removed before the native plants go in. It is easier to spot and dig out weeds from a row of vegetables then from a mass of unfamiliar native plants. After one year of removing weeds, the soil is ready for planting a native garden. Hopefully all weeds in the soil bank have been removed at this point. I know it is a lot to ask to spend two years preparing a bed for planting. There will still be weeds that blow in on the wind or are poop planted by birds. But there will be less weeds over all to deal with. This will give you more time to sit back and enjoy your garden instead of battling pesky invaders. Timeline: 1 st  winter – smother lawn 1 st  spring and summer – keep any weeds from growing in new bed area 1 st  fall – check under smothering layer to make sure all weeds are dead 2 nd  winter – place bed boarders and mulch where needed 2 nd  spring – plant vegetable garden in bed, continue to remove weeds 2 nd  summer - harvest vegetables, continue to remove weeds 2 nd  fall – plant native garden starting with trees 3 rd  spring – fill in native planting with any missing plants 3 rd  summer – stay on top of weeding while new natives fill in

Whether it is from heat exhaustion, dementia, or having too much on our plates, we can all be forgetful. So many times, I have had a plant pop up in my yard that I don’t remember planting, is it the garden gnomes or did I forget placing it there. I have an oak in my yard that I know I planted but I didn’t keep the label and now I don’t know which species it is until it gets a few years older. One time I panted two plants on top of each other because I forgot I had already filled in that area earlier. I give plants to friends and then they call me a month later and with questions and I can’t remember what I gave them. It is an ongoing battle but I have come up with a few memory aids to help me out. Weed bouquet That’s right, pick one of each weed and make it into a bouquet on your kitchen table. Use this to familiarize yourself with the weed and recognize it from every angle. For long term weed ID, instead of making a bouquet, make a scrapbook by pressing the weeds dry and saving them in a scrapbook. This method also works for desirable plants but I’m less willing to behead them especially when it is my only bloom. Flower photo album Find an old photo album and fill it with photos of the garden plants. They can be photos you take or cut up a plant catalog. Label each one with its name and location in the garden. This method makes me feel like the plants and I are one big family on an adventure together. I like to put the plants baby pictures next to their adult pictures just like they were my kids. Garden journal Keeping a detailed garden journal or calendar is a great way to remember what happened when. It can be fun and educational to look back over the years and see which activities or mistakes seem to repeat at the same time each year. Learning from last years mistakes by marking them down in the next years journal can warn you to remember at the right time in the future. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you forget to keep up with your journal for a while, just pick up where you are. Any notes are better than none at all. Garden amnesia is common. There are even plant labels that say “I don’t remember planting this”. It is a possibility that the gnomes or maybe a migrating bird pooped that seed there. We just have to embrace what we get and find a way to continue.

“Rewilding is a progressive and inspirational approach to conservation. It's about letting nature take care of itself, enabling natural processes to shape land and sea, repair damaged ecosystems and restore degraded landscapes. Through rewilding, wildlife's natural rhythms create wilder, more biodiverse habitats.”   Our native gardens are rewilding by restarting nutrient cycling of biomass. Native plants and healthy soil practices help nutrients to move between plants and the soil. Native perennial plants with deep roots help to bring organic matter deep into the soil. Dead plant material allowed to remain and decay at the surface provides habitat for insect decomposers. Soils covered in native plants can grow rich varieties of fungi and have a strong mycelial network.   Our native gardens are rewilding by restoring stormwater recharge. Soils covered in organic mulch and plants can hold more water. Healthy soils and roots systems bring rainwater deep into the lower layers of soil. Multi layered canopy layers distribute raindrops and protect soil from erosion. Long lived native plants can transpire water back into the atmosphere. Water is encouraged to absorb in place instead of washing away in sewers.   Our native gardens are rewilding by rebuilding habitat for wildlife. Native landscapes provide host plants for insects that are adapted to eat them and in turn are eaten by other wildlife. Gardens provide the essential food, water, and shelter needed by birds, lizards, rabbits, and beetles. Native gardens can provide sanctuary and a refueling station for migrants on their treacherous journey. All wildlife is welcome and soon finds its own balance.   Our native gardens are rewilding by enabling natural processes.  In our native gardens insects are allowed to live and reproduce in balance with their predators. Plants can compete for nutrients or form symbiotic relationships. Soils are replenished with organic matter from decaying plants. No chemical additives are needed and are avoided to keep the whole system healthy.   Rewilding is not letting your lawn grow tall and ignoring the encroachment of invasive species. To rewild, the land first needs to be healed. Nonnative plants, including lawn will need to be removed or closely monitored to make sure they disappear as the rewilding takes place. Dead and polluted soils may need to be supplemented with compost and extra organic matter. Native species may need to be introduced to the system if their seed bank is dead and there are no native species nearby to colonize the land.   Healthy native gardening practices embrace natural cycles. We strive for biodiversity and celebrate the life we see in our gardens. We are continually learning to follow natural rhythms. We are rewilding our yards while we also benefit from the beauty of native plants.