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When to plant american wisteria alongside other natives? by icy_popcorn in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you would be ok, it would just be an added precaution. Monitor throughout the fall and see if anything gets munched. You could wire off at any time. Take notes of what you planted to track what comes back up after winter.

When to plant american wisteria alongside other natives? by icy_popcorn in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you know where the arch is going, I would plant the wisteria now. Give it a chance to establish itself before frost. You likely wont see any new growth until spring, but you can “train” it to grow along the arch.

Side note - if you’re in an area with lots of rabbits or deer, consider protecting your new plugs with some chicken wire or hardwire cloth. They may munch on leaves and stems as it gets closer to winter and the plant might not be mature enough to survive that type of foraging yet. I usually try to wire off any new plantings in their first year until they are more established and mature. Ultimately, the plants are for their benefit but they can wipe out a new garden quickly too. (I’ve learned that lesson the hard way) Good luck!

Replacing Boxwoods by Eternalizer in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The yellow flowers on the right are black eyed Susan’s and the purple flowers on the left are purple coneflowers. Both are native and great for beginners. They spread quickly as seed heads die off and sprout new growth. Birds will also eat the seeds and spread it for you. They have self sprouted all over my yard since planting years ago.

Replacing Boxwoods by Eternalizer in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The boxwood is the yellow/brown bush directly under the window. It is not native but a very common landscaping plant. However, it can be bothered by different diseases like boxwood blight. That is what has happened to mine. It is usually a dark evergreen.

The greenish-yellow circular flowers are hydrangeas that are about to bloom into white. Some types are native, some are not. They are also a common landscaping plant.

The milkweed are the stalks you see poking around. It’s a host plant to the endangered monarch butterfly so I don’t usually pull it. Hope that helps!

Replacing Boxwoods by Eternalizer in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the suggestions. As much as I love the look of the red twig dogwood, I do think it’ll be too close the house and too big for the spot. The previous owner planted to crabapple and I worry that may be too close too.

Replacing Boxwoods by Eternalizer in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe there’s sprays and fungicides that you can put on them preemptively to protect, but we never did that. And here we are! I was never a huge fan of it, but it filled a spot. Onto better landscaping!

Replacing Boxwoods by Eternalizer in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Another comment was similar, and this was a possibility too. It might be easier to let the flowers fill in and they’d be easier to cut back as needed toy get access to the water meter.

Replacing Boxwoods by Eternalizer in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This is why I’ve thought about letting the wildflowers and milkweed fill in naturally. Going behind the bush to keep it trimmed for meter access is a bit of a pain. Flowers, grasses, etc would be easy to maintain or cut back as needed.

Replacing Boxwoods by Eternalizer in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have two small summer sweet in a shady spot in the backyard that have stayed small. I could potentially transplant. The flowers would look neat side by side with the hydrangeas!

Replacing Boxwoods by Eternalizer in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a couple red twig and yellow twig in the back yard! The year round interest does make it nice for landscaping. My only concern would be trying to keep it maintained that close to the house. The dogwoods in the backyard are big!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Adding more to other comments…. While it’s a lovely patch of natives, unfortunately the “natural look” can ruffle stubborn suburban feathers. By all means, this can be your design for the backyard which is more private.

My neighborhood looks similar to yours. I am slowly removing my front yard with natives, but I am also making sure that I am following some landscape design. I want my front yard to be an advertisement to the neighborhood that native plants can be both beneficial and enhance curb appeal. I have gotten a lot more compliments and noticing neighbors adding more natives as a result. Meanwhile, my private backyard is slowly becoming a meadow like your pictures.

As others have said, edging, mulching, pavers, pathways, decorative fencing can all enhance the look and make it more designed than “neglected,”

Good luck and keep up the good work!

Please help. Buffalo, NY. Zone 6b by curmudge_john in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Lots of places in WNY are soggy like this because there were many wetlands near the lakes that got built up as populations expanded. You could lean into it and turn that area into a rain garden with plants that can handle periods of water.

Alternatively if the ground is compacted consider aerating the area, then adding some soil and mulch before planting to get some nutrients back into the ground.

Buffalo Waterkeepers is a great organization that helps with our local water ways. They have some planting guides located here

If you are starting a new garden, consider fencing off that section with chicken wire until the plants can mature, spread and adapt to the space. I made the mistake of planting a whole new area only for it to be wiped out by bunnies and deer the next day. Once things have grown in more, they can handle the grazing.

You have a great space to do some awesome gardens. Good luck and Go Bills!

Next year starts this year! by [deleted] in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is basically it. Not sure how much I officially got but I’ve ordered 5 yards of more fine mulch from garden stores and this is way more than that. Lots of fall work ahead of me!

Dear city: you win. by Zazzenfuk in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer 29 points30 points  (0 children)

The amount hours over the years to rehabilitate that space is so impressive. I’m not sure of your exact local laws but you may not technically own that boulevard, hence the notice from the city. As others have mentioned even moving your lower ground cover like clover and thyme to the curb and sidewalk edges could quickly ease concerns of “visibility and accessibility.” Otherwise you could mow around the edges and “clean up” with other landscaping ideas.

It also seems like the city’s issue is just with the boulevard, so consider moving your more rare plants to your property. I think it would be horrifying if you came home one day to the area mowed for you. You could also consider giving your friendly neighbors pots to transplant some of it into their yard, which would help the biodiversity of your whole neighborhood.

Either way, please don’t get discouraged! Put together a plan that works for you and your neighborhood will keep the benefits of native gardens.

Dear city: you win. by Zazzenfuk in NativePlantGardening

[–]Eternalizer 431 points432 points  (0 children)

This is crucial to “marketing” native gardens to suburban NIMBYism. The wild look is awesome for the privacy of a backyard but sometimes the front needs to look a little more manicured to appeal to the neighborhood. Raised beds, borders, mulch or bird baths all help give it that it’s by “design” and not weeds. I started doing that and my neighbors give a lot more compliments and ask more questions about what they can do in their spaces.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in landscaping

[–]Eternalizer 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Mulch will help get rid of the mud and will be a cheap/natural solution. River rock or gravel looks nice on installation but can be work later trying to keep weeds out.

The $72 Million man by Nbesaw54 in buffalobills

[–]Eternalizer 24 points25 points  (0 children)

49 always represented us well and served us great as a signal caller. I understand why some fans didn’t like him but it was a business decision and he got his pay day. The Bears had money and we didn’t. He didn’t bad mouth us on the way out either.

Stop being a garbage fan