Happy Friday, GPODers!
As gardeners, we’re all stewards of the land, and we have a responsibility to take that position seriously. For some, that means doing no harm and adding beauty to our landscapes. But Adele Kush in South Bend, Indiana, takes that mission to the next level and builds naturalistic gardens teeming with native plants and mini ecosystems that help support our local wildlife and pollinators. We’ve seen Adele’s beautiful and beneficial landscape once before (A Naturalistic Garden in Indiana), and since then she has continued making updates and swapping in more native plants. Today, the space looks completely transformed.
Hello! These 10 photos were taken on the first day of fall. Our 1/3-acre property in a subdivision in South Bend, Indiana, was a blank slate when purchased in 1979. I began gardening for wildlife (birds, pollinators, mammals, amphibians) 30 years ago, and the yard is full of biodiversity.
Since joining our South Bend Wild Ones organization, I have learned about the incredible value of planting straight species trees, forbs, shrubs, grasses, and sedges that are native to northern Indiana. They benefit my wildlife habitat and entire ecosystem.
There is no grass in my sides and backyard. I continue to shrink the front lawn and have removed the majority of the invasive species I had planted 40 years ago, including English ivy, wintercreeper, periwinkle, daylilies, and lily of the valley. These have been replaced with common yarrow (Achillea millefolium, Zones 3–8), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum, Zones 3–8), beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis, Zones 3–8), pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia, Zones 3–8), common violet (Viola sororia, Zones 3–7) and native strawberry (Fragaria virginiana, Zones 5–9), American columbine (Aquilegia canadensis, Zones 3–8) as well as native sedges and grasses.
I encourage everyone to begin adding natives to your own yard and garden beds. If you have a local Wild Ones chapter, they will be happy to assist you, and the national Wild Ones website has free valuable education and ideas at wildones.org.
Three leadplants (Amorpha canescens, Zones 3–8), boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum, Zones 3–8), New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, Zones 4–8), violets ground cover, and self-seeded calendulas
Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum, Zones 5–9), spotted Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum, Zones 3–8), red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea, Zones 2–7), red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia, Zones 3–9)
Blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia, Zones 4–8) grows in the shade of a white pine (Pinus strobus, Zones 3–7).
Self-sown annual pink cleome (Cleome houtteana, Zones 10–11 or as an annual), purple New England aster, goldenrod
Winterberry shrubs (Ilex verticillata, Zones 3–9) and staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina, Zones 3–9)
Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca, Zones 3–9), boneset, spicebush (Lindera benzoin, Zones 4–9), prairie dropseed grass (Sporobolus heterolepis, Zones 3–9)
New England aster blooms buzz with bees.
Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida, Zones 5–9) drupes
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Zones 3–9) turning fall color on the pin oak (Quercus palustris, Zones 4–8)
Dry creek bed bordered by snowberry bushes (Symphoricarpos albus, Zones 3–7)
Thank you so much for this fantastic update on your garden, Adele! It’s inspiring to see the changes you’ve made in order to better serve the environment, while still maintaining visual interest.
What garden practices have you adapted over the years to be more environmentally friendly? Whether you have a biodiverse haven like Adele, or planted a small pollinator garden to attract and support some beneficial bugs, we celebrate all gardens that are working toward a greater good and would love to have your space featured on Garden Photo of the Day. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
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