Events

My Garden: If I found myself amongst those who wouldn’t understand “mostly native, wild, crowded, and full of bugs and critters” as a good thing, I would, instead, describe my garden diplomatically as “eclectic cottage-style.” 

Where: quarter-acre lot—all garden, no lawn—in the Hillsboro-West End neighborhood .

What: predominantly-native gardens, a few 7-11 year-old mixed beds, but mostly new ‘lawn-replacement’ native gardens started in stages four years ago, the newest (last available space) just filled with 140 plugs in mid-May. 

Features for:

Neighbors: front gardens use fieldstone and steel edging, flagstone paths to look neater; a few decorative accents for utility/whimsy;

Wildlife: small log and brush piles; dry-stack stone walls; small, 33-gallon pond; compost piles; lots of messy areas;

Gardeners: organic/non-chemical upkeep; aiming towards 4-season interest; ca. 70/30 native/non-native mix: shade to sun with native stalwarts amongst very diverse beds with some odd, uncommon specimens, and useful non-natives &/or interesting volunteers in containers or left alone in beds (e.g., culinary herbs, house plants, hummingbird & pollinator-nectoring pots);

Challenges: young beds, very dynamic (i.e., kinda chaotic!); seeds/plugs/small plants leave space, soils all recently disturbed, and all edges as yet unaddressed, so ever ongoing battles with encroaching invasives and good-but-bully natives (i.e., weedy mess!); old features need reinvention (e.g., shaded out raised-caged veg beds, tree roots rendered compost unturnable, grotto area too sunny, hydrangea bed too dry—i.e., some ideas were far better on paper!); etc.

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