Summer Greetings From the Garden
July 20, 2023
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News You Can Dig
Warning, lots of long and dense (but awesome) content ahead. Buzzing with excitement from our own gardens that are teeming with life, and motivated by the many questions we've received and great discussions we've had at the Emporium this season, we have filled these pages with as much information as we could pack into one edition. You don't have to read it all at once. Save it, come back to it, and happy gardening!
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Shop for a Dazzling Array of Plants Every Weekend at the Native Plant Emporium on Barneyville
Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11-4
New Plants Arriving Weekly!
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Yes, we know lots of garden centers closed up for the season. Yes, we also heard that some of you have packed up your tools and we assume have started shopping for Christmas?! Gardening for and with nature doesn't just include using different plants, there is a whole different rhythm to the process. Some native plants are just waking up, their blooms are timed to meet the needs of native pollinators, songbirds and wildlife who need the energy most as summer ebbs into fall. Many of the very best plants for our area gardens have only recently become available and our inventory, supply and selection will grow as well.
We currently have more than 170 varieties of Native Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Grasses, Vines and Ferns. This includes everything from six varieties of milkweed, four varieties of bee balm and eight varieties of aster and goldenrod to unusual offerings like Wild Quinine, Native St. John's Wort and Stoneroot. We have gorgeous late summer blooming plants like Native Hibiscus, Vervain, Ironweed, Joe Pye, Boneset, Cardinal Flower, Blue Lobelia, Black Cohosh, Brown and Black Eyed Susan, Coreopsis, Hyssop, Hoary Skullcap and Rattlesnake Master and hard to find shrubs like Mapleleaf Viburnum, Swamp Azalea, Beach Plum, Paw Paw and New Jersey Tea.
Our great small tree offerings include Gray Birch, Pussy Willow, Carolina Allspice, Florida Dogwood, Redbud and Serviceberry and we have beautiful shrubs for every setting like Inkberry, Winterberry, Fothergilla, Red Twig Dogwood, Dwarf Mountain Laurel, Native Roses, Native Spirea, Summersweet, Flowering Raspberry, Viburnum and Virginia Sweetspire. Need plants for tough spots and coastal areas? Be sure to have a look at Sweetfern, Bayberry, Myrica Gale and Aromatic Sumac.
We have plants that will give you blueberries, elderberries, chokeberries and huckleberries if the birds don't get them first! For trellises and arbors we have Native Honeysuckle, Native Clematis and American Wisteria as well as American Groundnut, an edible flowering vine. For shady areas be sure to check out our huge assortment of native ferns and have a look at the warm season grasses that are really starting to shine including Big and Little Bluestem, Purple Lovegrass, Prairie Dropseed and Pink Muhly Grass. And, from Shrubby Five Fingers to Wintergreen, Native Strawberry, Anemone, Wild Geranium, Mayapple, Pearly Everlasting, and Foam Flower we have your native groundcover needs covered.
If you need larger quantities than we have on hand or are interested in different native varieties than you see, we regularly take and fill special orders. Message us or stop by the Stand to discuss your needs.
And finally, when you visit, don't forget to bring a bucket to get your organic compost - magic dirt from Earth Care Farm in Charlestown, RI. You may also want to check out the amazing Buckwheat Hulls Mulch that we are carry as well as our recent addition, rain barrels from Wills Garden.
Now accepting credit and debit cards along with cash and Venmo.
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Next Year's Great Garden Starts This Fall
We hope you will savor every minute of these long days of summer. But, we also know how fast they fly by. It's already time to start thinking about your late summer garden plans. Having been known to plant even in the snow, we are living proof that you can put native plants in the ground pretty much any time you can dig a hole. But, there are ideal times and September is one of the most perfect times of all for planting. The warm soil creates just the right climate for native plants to spread their deep roots. Early Autumn sunshine enhances the ability of young plants to store energy and as summer wanes, weed and disease pressure becomes minimal. By late summer you can also take stock of what is working in your garden and what needs some adjusting. It is also a perfect time to search out new patches of grass ready to be converted to gardens teeming with life. Don't forget that our website boasts a wide array of tools and resources to support you in the planning process and as the weeks tick by towards Autumn our inventory will continue to grow, especially with shrubs and trees, so be sure to stop by and take a look around!
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Recognizing World Firefly Day
From Our Blog "Life in the Garden"
Summer in Rhode Island is officially underway. Sunny days at the beach, backyard cookouts, parades, farm fresh produce, chilly sips of frozen lemonade or local IPAs and warm summer nights filled with the flashing magic of fireflies all lie ahead. But at least one of these things may soon be a thing of the past. Fireflies are disappearing and if the trend continues the next generation may not have a chance to experience their magic on a muggy summer night. Scientists don’t know enough about fireflies to be certain why they are disappearing, just that they are. But researchers are quickly pinpointing the main causes of the declines to be habitat loss, light pollution, and pesticide use, essentially the same things that are contributing to the alarming decline in insects, birds and biodiversity overall.
The good news is that gardeners can create firefly havens right at home, helping to replace the natural habitats that have been lost to development. Attracting fireflies to your garden does more than just bring a little extra magic to the night, firefly larvae are voracious eaters of garden pests like slugs and snails. Since fireflies spend up to 95% of their one-to-two-year life in the larval stage that’s a lot of beneficial pest control from these little wonders. Click HERE to continue reading...
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What's Bugging us
Earwigs and aphids and beetles oh my. Nary a day goes by that someone doesn't check in with a question that starts with how do I get rid of. This season earwigs, aphids and beetles (of undetermined notoriety) lead the get rid of list. It is widely assumed that we will have expertise in "organic" pesticides and can render or sell quick solutions. But, the reality is, we don't use pesticides, and we haven't in a very long time. Not organic ones, not all natural ones, none means none and this includes the whole trio-cide of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. If we don't use them ourselves we aren't going to sell or recommend them. What we do recommend is building a cide-free, thriving ecosystem and watching the magic happen.
Do we occasionally see some of these creatures that are bugging you? Yes, of course. Do they last long enough to do any real damage before being gobbled up by any number of predators in our yard, especially birds and garden snakes? Nope, they don't. Do we have holes in some leaves and a bit of mildew here and there? Probably, but we don't helicopter parent our plants and they are planted densely enough that from just a few feet away any of those "blemishes" are simply not noticeable. We also grow what we sell - tough, healthy native plants that are well adapted to grow just as nature intended.
As for vegetable beds, perhaps it is that our specialties are garlic and hot peppers, but our veggies are largely untouched by any of these "pests" we are hearing so much about. Though one night two deer had a fiesta and climbed right in the veggie boxes chomping down Tomatoes, Poblanos and Jalapenos - there goes the fresh salsa. More than 95% of insects are beneficial, some estimates say 98% in our area. And earwigs, like them or not are actually considered a beneficial garden pest. They are voracious eaters of aphids and help clean up dead plant material. When you use pesticides, even ones labeled organic, you don't just kill the target pest, you also kill all the wonderful beneficial pests that would have shown up to handle the job for free had you given them the chance. We love free help and let beneficial bugs take care of business. When you kill bugs, even with organic or homemade solutions you also inadvertently offer up poisoned food to nesting songbirds who love to eat nearly any creepy crawly in sight!
Attracting more - and more - beneficial bugs to your garden is the way to really get things back in balance. And luckily, there are science backed ways to do so, and no we are not talking about marigolds. There are many fabulous native plants that serve double duty attracting the beneficial bugs you need while also nurturing life and boosting resiliency in the garden. These include some of our absolute favorites like Boneset, Yarrow, Milkweed, Wild Quinine, Ironweed, Rattlesnake Master, Wild Bergamot, Blue Vervain, Mountain Mint, Culver's Root and Golden Alexanders. As an added benefit these wonder-plants are also largely bunny, groundhog and deer proof (an article for another day)! There can be a bit of an ugly window while you transition your landscape off of a myriad of products, we refer to that as our Red Spider Mite Years! But the sooner you get started on your landscape detox the sooner the answer to "How do I get rid of" will become abundantly clear. Brilliant pollinator conservationist and award winning author Heather Holm dug in on the research of symbiotic relationships between beneficial bugs and garden pests and the native plants you need to support the balance. Click on the photos below to view the information in more detail.
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But What About Those Earwigs?
Bugs in gardens are one thing, but no one, us included, wants earwigs or other uninvited critters inside. Earwigs love damp wood mulch! So replace mulch with more plants - Win - Win! Earwigs also don't like crossing dry surfaces - try creating stone or other dry surface borders between gardens and the house or even around veggie gardens. For those of you who drive by our house regularly you will probably agree that from the street it looks as though we have lots of plants growing right up against our house but that couldn't be further from the truth. All around our house we have a stone dripline border that keeps the garden - and its inhabitants away from the house and also gives us easy access behind the gardens. Whenever possible, we recommend modeling the approach of keeping plants and gardens a few feet away from structures when you create foundation beds. Be sure to direct water away from the house so it is not pooling right near entrances or buildings. Downspout extenders used wisely carry water out to the gardens where it will be quickly absorbed by deep rooted plants. And one last earwig tidbit, although they are nocturnal they are attracted to artificial light. So turn off those lights near entries and not only will it help nighttime pollinators, it will also keep earwigs away from natural entry points.
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And Then There Were Two
Many of you read our story about the 8 turkey poults that made there first foray into the world right in our front yard. Some of you even had a chance to see Mom Turkey who during the spring would often fly over the Emporium or parking lot as a way of safely getting from one part of her habitat to another during busy times. Unfortunately just a few days after they were born and learned to scratch for bugs, only two of the babies remained. Life is hard for wild turkeys, incredibly smart and social creatures. As ground nesting birds they fall victim to so many perils and are especially vulnerable to shrinking habitat. Baby turkeys (poults) can only eat insects for the first several weeks of life. Great pest control, but only if those bugs are plentiful and not slathered in pesticides. But on to the good news! The two remaining young are doing extra well, growing and learning. Thankfully some cars have heeded our request to "Slow the F Down" on Barneyville and traffic was stopped the other morning to let the trio safely cross the road. While we wish they would just stay safely in our yard, the reality is that they like so many wild creatures must move frequently between habitats in order to survive. That's why connected corridors of habitat are so incredibly important. And so the article in the next section, which appeared in this week's Barrington Times, is written in memory of the six who didn't make it.
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Did you know that our "Life in the Garden" blog posts are now a monthly feature in the local Barrington Times? This month we're talking about building connections, are you in?
Rhode Island is a place where connections run deep, after all it’s the great “I know a guy” state. For gardeners there’s a new kind of connection to be made, a connection to nature and to efforts underway to build back – and connect – fragmented natural habitat. In the second most densely populated state in America with 95% of land privately owned there is not much wiggle home for our wild friends. That’s why embracing the hot trend of wildlife gardening is extra essential here. The places we live, work, learn, play, shop, worship and more all represent opportunities to create vital connections between larger conservation areas. Gardeners, nature enthusiasts and residents from all walks of life who don’t want to sit idly by while scientists ring the alarm bell about our growing biodiversity crisis are connecting with each other and working to bring these spaces back to life. We know some of you right now are asking why you would want wildlife moving freely through your yard. If being connected and trendy isn’t reason enough consider that pollinators, birds, amphibians, indeed all native wildlife must move between varying habitats to thrive, and their health is deeply connected to our own wellbeing. Click below to continue reading...
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Messy or Magical?
Creating the kinds of connected corridors of habitat we describe in the article above can get a little bit, well "wild" quickly. We love that! But we also recognize that to get more people onto this party bus spaces need to have lots of visual appeal and obvious signs of care. As your own yard becomes wilder and wilder (we hope) consider some fairly simple strategies that are nods to good design. Pathways, structures, signage and edges all signal intent. We especially love using stone which has lots of visual interest, offers structured ways to walk in the gardens without stepping on planted areas and provides cool, moist places that attract welcome critters like toads who by the way love to eat earwigs! Below are a few winter photos from our own wild space where the pathways and features become more evident. We try to practice what we preach, though admittedly sometimes tread a bit further over to the wild side.
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What's Inspiring Us This Month?
Amid the incessant whir of leaf blowers and purely ornamental garden chatter that plague the soundwaves this time of year, we found some great rays of sunshine and hope in conversations with many of you. We also found inspiration in a book and a movement called "We Are the Ark" (Acts of Restorative Kindness). Great summer beach reading and an inspiring online community to connect with, be sure to check it out. Here is an excerpt from the book to give you a taste.
"Whether we realize it or not, plants and all the other creatures we share this planet with are key to our survival and continued existence. In basic terms they clean our water, recycle our air, pollinate our food crops and help us in a myriad of other ways that we know about and ways that we’re only just discovering. The earth is struggling to provide food, habitat and water for all her life forms – including humans. We are not making her job easy... For those of us that care about the living world around us and are aware of the challenges we all face, this is a painful and desperate time – but there is hope. We have waited too long for changes to come from our leaders and politicians. We cannot wait any longer. The change will come from the ground up – it will come from us.
This is a call to step up and reassess our management of every individual tiny patch of the earth possible. It’s a call to the guardians of the earth to step forward and make themselves known, to raise their voices. We need to help the natural world and not hinder it. We have to invite nature and wildness back into our gardens, parks and every tiny patch of this earth we can. To create sanctuary, food and habitat for the creatures we are supposed to share this planet with and who in return will help us survive here within a truly natural and beautiful environment. It’s up to each of us to re-wild our world piece by piece until we have a patchwork quilt of sanctuaries that wraps its way around the globe. Things are only hopeless if we do nothing, so let’s do something!"
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Weed-Fighting Natives
Recently, Nancy Lawson, Author of "The Humane Gardener" and "Wildscapes" joined Margaret Roach of A Way to Garden for a lively discussion on fighting plants with plants. As you disrupt soil to add more natives it can open up opportunities for unwelcome weeds and invasive plants to appear. The best way to deal with this is strategically and with one of our favorite things, plants! Especially thuggish plants. We encourage you to listen to the episode (or read the transcript) and consider embracing some of these techniques on your own properties!
CLICK HERE FOR THE EPISODE
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Promising Bits of Legislation | |
The beauty of building back habitat right at home is that you don't have to wait for the perpetually slow turning wheels of government to get started. Nevertheless, we try to keep an eye out for promising things happening locally and nationally. Here are a couple of items we are following and we thought you might want to as well! | |
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This month Massachusetts will consider adding the dreaded Callery (Bradford) Pear to its prohibited plant list. Bradford Pear like so many other invasive plants escapes yards and takes over in wild areas choking out essential remaining habitat. Many other states have already banned Bradford Pear, it is encouraging to see MA following suit. A public hearing on the subject will be held in August, here's the info:
MASSACHUSETTS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the Department of Agricultural Resources, under its authority pursuant to M.G.L. c. 128, §27 which requires the Commissioner of MDAR to hold a public hearing when prohibiting the delivery within the commonwealth nursery stock, fruits, plants, and parts thereof from outside the commonwealth. The purpose of this hearing is to restrict the entry of the following plants:
Callery pear/Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana)
| And, by the way, did you know that despite the fact that invasive plants are literally strangling Rhode Island's natural areas, RI nevertheless continues to be the only Northeastern State that does not have a prohibited Plant List? Click Here to Learn More! | |  |
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Pollinator-Safe Plants
On June 28th, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced new legislation that would create a pollinator-friendly plant labeling program, modeled after the Organic Foods Production Act that created organic labeling. The program would require the Department of Agriculture to create a certification program for plant producers in order to certify that their plants are not treated with pesticides harmful to monarchs and other pollinators. Under the pollinator-friendly plant labeling program, plants must be native to the United States and must not have been grown using pesticides or substances that are not approved for use in organically grown products.
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Massachusetts Residents, Consider Participating in this Important Initiative
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Research is seeking participants from central and eastern MA for a study focused on understanding whether and how residential mosquito spraying drifts onto neighboring properties. Specifically they are seeking participants in Massachusetts who either have their own property sprayed (DIY, via company, or via Mosquito Control District) or who have neighbors that spray their properties (via same methods)'
If you are interested in participating, please click on the link below to learn more.
Click Here To Learn More and Participate
Looking for ways to talk to others about the harm and folly of residential mosquito spraying? Read and share the article linked below.
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Grow Native Massachusetts 2023 Evenings With the Experts Videos Now Available!
Since 2010, Grow Native Massachusetts has been presenting an Evenings with the Experts series free of charge as part of their commitment to make information available to as many change makers as possible. Whether you are new to the topic of native plant landscaping or a seasoned gardener looking to deepen your knowledge, there is something in the Grow Native recording library for you! Look for programs on ecologically-informed design, pollinators and more. The 2023 series was exceptional and featured well-known speakers like Doug Tallamy, Edwina von Gal and Mary Reynolds. Be sure to set aside some time to watch.
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Thanks for joining! If you'd like to take a look at some of our prior newsletters and the resources provided you can view them on our website.
READ PRIOR NEWSLETTERS 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 Plant Farm Stand/Native Plant Emporium is located in Swansea, MA directly next door to the address listed above. Just look for the flurry of activity and the driveway to the big red barn.
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We are on a mission to bring life back to the area one yard at a time. You can read all about us on our website, including the story of where the name Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch came from. | | | | |
