Season's Greetings, News and Resources from Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch Native Plant Emporium

December 21, 2023

Click Here to Explore Resources on Our Website

Winter Solstice Greetings

Sending our very best wishes for a peaceful Winter Season. This message arrives in your inbox on the longest night of the year. Instead of dreading the darkness, embrace it. In these shorter days take a cue from nature and slow down, reflect and make a plan for the longer days ahead. And remember the lesson of the Winter Solstice - the light always returns!


Environmentalist Wendell Berry said "To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings." Step outside here at headquarters on a winter night and you are bound to be greeted with the unmistakable calls of Great Horned Owls. Owls are especially sensitive to the effects of habitat fragmentation and thus have a lot to gain by efforts to restore habitat right at home. Some of the ways you can welcome owls to your area include:


  • Planting native plants which enhance the web of life
  • Reducing light pollution to support normal nocturnal activities
  • Avoiding the use of rodenticides and pesticides both of which are especially detrimental to owls
  • Saving dead trees (snags) whenever safe to do so


Continue reading about Owls as Indicator Species in the blog post linked below...

Click here to read our latest blog post where we explore the symbiotic relationship between Owls and Woodpeckers and the ways you can help them both right at home

Give the Gift of Nature Based Gardening


Shop local for your last minute gifts and give a gift of great gardening. A gift certificate for use at our 2024 Native Plant Emporium is the perfect way to introduce someone to the native plant movement. All gift certificates include a helpful and decorative handout on gardening with native plants so you can spread the message far and wide!


Bundle gift certificates with a good book to help inspire others to embrace nature based gardening. Or treat yourself to a book to help with your own garden planning. We've read dozens of books on nature-focused gardening, and are now offering our very favorite ones for purchase. You can read all about them at the link below. Just send us a message to place an order. Local pick up is available through Christmas Eve for all you last minute shoppers!

Visit our 2023 Holiday Gift Page
Send us a Message

The Garden Sleeps but the Gardener Plans


There really is no such thing as a "garden season". Yes, there are times we may be most active in the garden and times that our gardens look the best and show the greatest signs of life. But in nature-based gardens something is always happening - even if what is happening is going on beneath the soil, or buried within the stems. And there are always things to be done to plan and prepare for next year. Here are five things that we encourage you to do in the month ahead!


  1. Take an inventory of your garden tools. Do some need replacement? Now is a great time of year to get good deals on outdoor supplies!
  2. Clean and sharpen tools and get organized for those weeks of springtime madness when they arrive.
  3. Read a few inspirational garden books - particularly books grounded in the native plant movement and concepts of building back habitat at home. These good reads will renew your energy and enthusiasm. You can view some of our very favorites at the link right HERE.
  4. Attend some workshops to connect with others, learn new concepts and reignite your garden spark ahead of springtime.
  5. Research, research and research some more. Our website is a good place to start! Is it a rabbit hole of information that will take you off on all sorts of twists and turns? Absolutely! Are there so many things it can be tough to even know where to begin? You bet! But, what better way to spend a few cold winter days then getting lost in the world of nature based gardening - See you there.
Visit our Website to Begin Your Garden Planning Journey

Need some daily garden inspirations to get you through the winter? Looking for resources to help you plan for success? Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye out for our "Wildscaping Wednesdays" posts!

Click Here to Follow Us on Facebook
Click Here to Follow Us on Instagram

Be a Better Birdscaper - We Can Help!


"Rhode Island is in Danger of Losing It's Birds" reads the sobering headline from an EcoRI piece last February. The article was written in response to a first of its kind report conducted by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island titled "State of our Birds" in which they determined that a third of Rhode Island's birds are in decline, including common backyard birds like robins, blue jays and song sparrows. It can be hard to know how to help in the face of this sort of news, but, there are things you can do to help birds right away and right in your own yard. Our newly released "Bird Friendly Yards Checklist" provides a guide to help plan a space that's for the birds! Just click on the image below to download the tool. And be sure to visit the "Be a Birdscaper" page of our website for additional ways to help our feathered friends.

Welcome to the Latest Edition of

"Other Voices"

Last month we launched a new feature - "Other Voices" where we highlight your stories of building back habitat at home. One of our goals here at Prickly Ed's is to help connect people working to seed change in their yards and communities. We believe an important part of this is hearing others' stories. This month we are delighted to feature Mike and Wendy Zucker of Barrington. Their enthusiasm is contagious and we know it will ripple out to others in the community.


These are all their very own unedited words, we are just the vehicle for sharing - Enjoy!


From Traditional Yard to Wildlife Habitat

 

How it all started

The Covid era was a time for long walks…trying to be outside in the fresh air as much as possible. We set a goal of exploring every street in our neighborhood and then extended out into the rest of the town. During one of our rather long walks, we happened upon a house with beautiful flower gardens. We stopped to take pictures of our favorite plants and noticed a “Certified Habitat” sign from the National Wildlife Foundation. Intrigued, we took a picture of that as well, wanting to learn more about the program.

 

From research to action

When we got home, we went online and read all about the program. It sounded great and we decided to turn our backyard into a certified habitat. First, we had to learn more about native plants. We went to a couple of local nurseries and the people there were helpful, having some expertise in that area along with a small offering native plants. As we were returning home we happened to drive by the house with the beautiful gardens and saw a sign out front for “Prickly Ed’s”. We quickly turned into the dirt driveway and were surprised to see a small nursery. We jumped out of the car to check it out and learned that the nursery was run by Ed and Cindy, who were also owners of the house and gardens that started this journey. They were selling native plants and had a wealth of knowledge to share on the subject. We chatted for quite a while and then made our first purchases.

 

Time to change

We started the transition process that fall and then spent the following spring and summer converting almost all of our backyard gardens to native plants. We also put up multiple bird feeders with different types of seeds and suet, along with a burgeoning number of hummingbird feeders. As we finished the transition, our backyard was filled with all sorts of wildlife, from birds, to furry creatures, and more bees and butterflies than we’d ever seen. Every weekend or two, we were back visiting Ed and Cindy, showing them pictures of the transformation and purchasing more plants. Once all the existing gardens were changed, we’d take out some grass and create new gardens. And then we ran out of space.

 

Evolution to Revolution

This past spring, we were ready to continue our transformation, but with the backyard completed we needed a new “canvas”. After much deliberation, we decided to start converting our front yard gardens to native plants as well. At first it was easy…we pulled out some of the non-natives from our existing gardens and replaced them with local varietals. But by May that process was complete. It was at that point that we decided to take the plunge; to start to take out sections of our front lawn to create new native plant gardens. We were determined to do the work ourselves. No need to pay big money to a landscaping company. So off we went to Prickly Ed’s to share this exciting news with Cindy and Ed. They gave us some good ideas on how to approach the project and then we headed to Ace Hardware to purchase all the tools needed for the job. It was time to get to work!

 

We just kept going

Once the first garden bed was done, we noted the dimensions, took pictures and then went to Prickly Ed’s to pick out what we wanted to plant. We laid out the space in an open area on their property using sticks to denote the edges of the garden and then worked with Cindy and Ed to choose what to plant and how to lay it out. We finalized the plan, paid for the plants and filled two cars with all our purchases. By sundown the first garden was planted and it looked great! But now what? Were we really going to tear out most of the lawn and convert our front yard to native plant gardens? You can guess the answer. By Friday afternoon, we were in our work clothes ripping out more grass to create the next garden bed. We repeated this process again and again over several weeks until the conversion was completed. And we did all the work ourselves. (except for some help laying down a stone walkway) By September the transition was complete!

 

Epilogue

What a journey it's been! We never thought that a few pictures of local flowers and a “Wildlife Habitat” sign would lead to a complete transformation of our outdoor environment. We went from having traditional landscaping to a home surrounded by native gardens, which attract and sustain a wide variety of local wildlife. We can’t thank Cindy and Ed enough for their friendship, expertise, and support through the entire process. And there’s still more work to do. We can’t wait to reconnect with them next spring to figure out what to do next! 

Certified Wildlife Habitats - And Signs!


In the piece above, Mike and Wendy mentioned seeing signs at the end of our gardens. Signage is one of the important "cues to caring" that are suggested for those embarking on a journey to create and maintain gardens in wilder ways. This quickly signals to passers-by that what they are seeing is intentional, even if it looks different than what they may be used to. It also allows curious neighbors to research a bit about what you are up to. There are many initiatives that offer signage, resources and connections. You can learn more about them on the "Connect and Bee the Change" page of our website (link at right).


Click Here to Visit the NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat Program Website

Visit the Connect and Bee the Change Page of Our Website

COMING EVENTS!

Barrington Pollinator Pathway Meet Up -


February 6, 2024 6:30-8pm


Join the Pollinator Pathway group on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 6:30 pm in the Salem Family Auditorium at the Barrington Public Library for a casual sharing of ideas and questions.


Click the photo for more details and to register!

What's All the Buzz About Native Plants?

Hybrid Event on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 1pm

This Native Plants 101 Workshop is part of the Barrington Public Library's 2024 Garden Series and will be facilitated by your favorite local native plant purveyors (hint, that's us!)


For all the details and to register, click on the image below.

Grow Native Massachusetts has released the details for its always incredibly popular and really well done Evenings with the Experts Learning Series. Click on the Image below for all the details and to register. See you there!

SAVE THE DATE!

February 20, 2024 from 6:30-8pm

Peck Center, Barrington, RI


Dreaming of Spring? Come join a lively gathering of gardeners with all experience levels welcomed. Co-hosted by the Barrington Public Library and Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch Native Plant Emporium, this program will emphasize the concept that conservation really does start at home, right outside your own door. We will focus on the ways that residents can take some simple steps to build greater resiliency in their own yards and thus in our community all while having a great time in the garden! Grab a neighbor and come join the fun - refreshments will be served and inspiration will be plentiful!

Lots more details heading your way soon - for now be sure to save the date and keep an eye out for more information.

Stormy Weather

Did the recent storm leave you with a lawn strewn with branches? Fantastic! Sounds like you have the ideal supplies to build a brush pile. Download our handy guide by clicking on the image below to get started.

Storm Smart Coastal Landscaping

Landscaping on the coast is no easy task. Wind, salt spray and flooding, occasional far-reaching storm waves, and shifting, parched, sandy soils can thwart even the most seasoned gardeners. But with the right native plants you can have a flourishing coastal landscape and spend less time, money, and labor in the process. Other rewards include enhanced visual appeal of your coastal property, preservation of the natural character of the coastal environment, habitat for wildlife, a filter for pollution, and natural protection from storm damage and erosion. What's not to love?

Click Here to Explore Storm Smart Coastal Planting Options
Click Here to Read "Planning Resilient Yards and Gardens" on our Blog

Resolutions for the 2024 Garden

Discussions about habitat and biodiversity loss, resiliency and sustainability are on the rise at all levels of government, but 98% of land in Rhode Island is privately owned, controlled by individual gardeners of the past and the future. And so, it is outside our own doors where some key resiliency strategies lie. As you plan for spring, consider ways your yard can contribute to your wellbeing and to the greater good. With an eye towards bolstering biodiversity and mitigating harm, we've laid out seven steps to get you started. Read On...



From Our House to Yours - All the very best wishes for a season that brings you many moments of peace and joy. Your friendship and support means so much to us and the community you are helping us to build is truly priceless.

Help Us Bring More Life to Our Region

We are on a mission to bring life back to area yards and gardens but we can't do it without all of you. Share this message with others using the links below. Invite friends to follow our Facebook Page. Use our newly updated website to share out helpful resources and information to friends and neighbors who are ready to grow habitat outside their own doors. With your support positive change is within reach.

Visit and Share our Life in the Garden Blog
Read Prior Editions of Our Newsletter At the Link Here
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Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch

 6 Barneyville Road,

Barrington, RI 02806-2715

(401) 248-4785


Please note, use the address above for mailing or for GPS but the Roadside Stand/Native Plant Emporium is located in Swansea, MA directly next door to the address listed above. Just look for the sign and for the big red barn.

Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch, Roadside Stand, Apothecary and Native Plant Emporium is a super small, hyperlocal, roadside stand located directly on the border of Barrington, RI and Swansea, MA focused on making the area a little bit wilder one yard at a time! Offering great native plants, prickly pear cactus, magic dirt, unusual pollinator friendly annuals, organic herb and vegetable plants, lots of solicited and unsolicited advice & random curiosities designed to get your yard really buzzing. You can read all about us on our website, including the story of where the name Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch came from.

Read More About Us Here