The Homegrown National Park

   

   

    All across the country gardeners are building bridges by creating a Homegrown National Park with native plants, organic lawns, and gardens that focus on habitat for wildlife, birds and pollinators. The concept of the Homegrown National Park is the brainchild of Dr. Doug Tallamy who says: “We are at a critical point of losing so many species from local ecosystems that their ability to produce the oxygen, clean water, flood control, pollination, pest control, carbon storage, etc, that is, the ecosystem services that sustain us, will become seriously compromised.”

    The goal of the Homegrown National Park is for homeowners to create 20 million acres of native plantings in the U.S. This represents approximately ½ of the green lawns of privately-owned properties. This may seem like an impossible goal, but the park has been growing in leaps and bounds over recent years, and I am proud to add my quarter of an acre to this growing park. No effort is too small!

    Before moving to Wisconsin from rural New York three and a half years ago, I gardened merely for the beauty of the plants and flowers I loved. I was tired of fighting with the invasives, deer, and squirrels, and decided that I wouldn't bother gardening in my "old age." Then we arrived at our new home where the weedy lawn was graced by huge maples, elm trees, and black walnuts, but no gardens at all. I decided I would add just a few flowers and ferns here and there . . . .

    I joined a couple of Wisconsin garden groups on Facebook, and that's where I learned about the value of native plants. I realized then that my gardenless property offered me the opportunity to start fresh with a new way of gardening and my enthusiasm was renewed. I read Doug Tallamy's book, Nature's Best Hope and joined the Kettle Moraine chapter of Wild Ones. And then I got to work!

    This area next to our driveway had been taken over by Buckthorn, an invasive shrub that displaces native species all over Wisconsin. Mark and I removed it and let the native violets take over. I have planted several other native species here, including Penstemon, Columbine, Switchgrass, and several varieties of milkweed.

    Our first spring in Delavan, before I learned about native plants, I planted a few of my old favorites, like this Japanese painted fern. It was the one thing I thought I would put under this black walnut tree among the Creeping Charlie and other weeds.

    As my ambition grew I gradually planted more things under the tree. The garden space grew as I added native shade plants including Columbine, Celandine poppy, Solomon's Seal, Painted goldenrod, Short's asters, Bottlebrush grass, Blue-eyed Mary, and more. This is what it looks like as of May 2023.

    Another area where I've been planting shade natives started with the fence that Mark built, a statue that I call Kwan Yin, and several huge rocks that Mark and I moved from behind the garage. Here are the before and after photos.

    The native plants surrounding Kwan Yin include woodland phlox, foam flower, Virginia waterleaf (which grows wild all over the lawn), Solomon's Seal, Jacob's ladder, Virgin's Bower on the trellis, and goldenrod and asters for fall nectar sources.

    

    These are just two of the five native plant gardens in our backyard. If you wish to see more, let me know in the comments.

    Last summer Mark and I added a garden bed to the front yard. He does the hardscaping and I do the landscaping. In the spring of 2020 I planted some non-natives in the front yard - before I decided to become a part of the Homegrown National Park. Here are photos of the 2020 garden and the 2023 garden.

    The front yard garden now includes native Long-beaked sedge, Jacob's ladder, Prairie alum root, Celandine poppy, Trillium, Violets, and a hydrangea shrub. Soon to be added will be Bradbury's Monarda.

    Last year our property was visited by two members of the Geneva Lake Conservancy who awarded me the certificate that now stands in this garden. It states that this is an environmentally friendly landscape because of its numerous native plants, non-use of chemicals, bird baths and nesting boxes.

    If you would like to become a part of the Homegrown National Park I recommend that you check out their website and also the native plant finder on the National Wildlife Federation website.