Comments on: Native Plant Resources for Central and Upstate NY

By: Goldenrod: This native plant should be kept out of the garden

Goldenrod: This native plant should be kept out of the garden — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:00:43 +0000

[...] Native Plant Resources for Central and Upstate NY [...]

By: Jim K

Jim K — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:35:10 +0000

Kathy,
I just discovered your site here and I am really enjoying reading all of the back articles. As a former upstater (Rochester, Syracuse, and many summers as a guide outside of Tupper Lake), it is great to read about *home* again. Thank you.

Now living in central Kentucky I’m fighting the same battle against invasives, in particular Bush Honeysuckle . Its my only deviation from strict organic gardening. I cut it close to the ground, carefully paint the stump with RoundUp , and in a few years a good kick usually knocks the remaining stump our of the soil. Any other treatment, such a cutting down the bush and grubbing our the stump is next to impossible, since the tiniest bit of root left in our rocky soil means hundreds of new sprouts in just a few weeks. Luckily, the paint-on application prevents much “drift” of the herbicide to the surrounding soil, and RoundUp degrades in a few weeks. Short term damage for long term gain, I hope, as I’m replanting with native understory shrubs like sourwood, dogwood, redbud, and pawpaw.

By: rualway

rualway — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:06:14 +0000

When we first relocated to Upstate New York from California I was surprised that many around here never considered native plants as garden-worthy. In California many belong to the cult-of-native plants. They are so well adapted to growing there, that it makes the most logical sense to grow natives. The left coast is so intune to habitat-as-gardens, that not growing natives is considered odd. In our corner of eastern Otsego county, we border state land. The woodland across our road (south facing) is a blaze with Trillium in the Spring as well as other Spring etherals. Craig took a lot of photos last year and we played hop-scotch trying not to step on any while he took pictures. The area boasts dappled sunlight and large boulders. The trees are mostly oak, birch and maple. The area has been state land for many years and remains largely untouched.

By: Don

Don — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:53:20 +0000

Kathy… a VERY interesting (and horribly complicated, incompletely understood) topic. As I work with a volunteer organization here that is attempting to save and restore natural areas, this is something we have to deal with a great deal. T. g. is one of the more amenable trilliums, but here in Iowa often associated with basswood-sugar maple-red oak mesic forests with limestone outcroppings. You might find this site useful for New York:
http://www.acris.nynhp.org/report.php?id=9990

By: Gail

Gail — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:37:41 +0000

Posts like this resonate deeply with me. I believe that natives make sense on so many levels…and to know your land’s history that is fortunate. Just recently I found out the clerk who works in the dry cleaners grew up in my neighborhood. She was able to confirm my belief that this land had been forest before it was suburbanized…I knew this but talking with her about her experience exploring the woodlands was touching.
Gail

By: Apple

Apple — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:54:29 +0000

I love trilliums and was thrilled to find the woods here filled with both red and white ones. I haven’t tried to move any, they seem quite happy where they are.

I have read the abstracts of several of my houses.

In 1870 Sherman Stowell, farmer, is listed just before Ira Brockett on the census so they most likely had adjoining property. No Elizabeth shown.

In 1880 Ira is listed with his wife Elizabeth and his father-in-law Richard Hotchkiss. Why Elizabeth bought the land instead of Ira is anybodys guess.

I’m not sure just from looking at the census if Ira & Eliz were living on the same 30 acres in 1880.

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:02:35 +0000

Jim, I don’t think growing the white trillium is that difficult, as long as it has a soil rich in leaf mold and a partly shady site. It’s the propagation that’s difficult. It takes many years to get from seed to blooming size.

And Craig, you are right about the soil. I was once given rescued trilliums. They were on land owned by a gravel pit, which might have never been disturbed but was soon to be dug for gravel. The soil around the roots was entirely humus, and made me realize how unsuited my soil really was for these woodland emphemerals. I try to mulch heavily with leaves, but the trilliums I have planted in the woods survive more than thrive. They do better in my amended garden soil on the shady side of the house.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:42:46 +0000

It’s funny you mention trillium. I remember as a kid going out into the woods by our house in Binghamton and seeing trillium growing in the woods. We’d pick ‘em for my mom. It’s the first flower name I ever learned. I’ve been tempted to buy some from the catalogs to see if I can get them to grow in my yard now. I’m told their tough to grow. That is one plant that has strong associations for me.

By: Ellis Hollow

Ellis Hollow — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:25:46 +0000

I started some Adlumia from seed a few years ago. If I recall, it’s a biennial and it was really nice the second year. I was hoping it would reseed. But I haven’t seen any since. I’ll have to try it again.

I like the idea of growing natives and restoring communities of plants. But that involves more than growing plants. It means restoring native soils, which is a job that takes centuries.

By: wiseacre

wiseacre — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:07:30 +0000

Nice selection of books. I think I’ll add Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines to my collection.

Good luck with the Trilliums. I have them in the hedgerows between hay fields and they’re one of my prized “possessions”