Birthplace of Ecological Restoration
THIS IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION and was established in
1934 through the vision of various faculty and civic leaders. At that
time the country was in the midst of the Great Depression which was
accompanied by the infamous Dustbowl. At that time much of northern
Wisconsin had been logged causing concern about the health of the land.
Here it was conceived that they could put back together natural
communities, native communities. This arboretum is comprised of 1,260
acres, which provide representations of the major ecological
communities of Wisconsin.
Click here for more info
Utilize Native Plants
SUSAN FEELS IT'S IMPORTANT TO UTILIZE NATIVE PLANTS. They help increase
the diversity of plants which then increases the diversity of insects
and birds, etc. Native plants make an area a great place to learn more
about the natural world. As well they provide new and different
selections of plants and gardening options in general. Native plants
are suited to the site and the climate.
Click here for more info
Savanna Garden
SUSAN AND JOE START IN A SAVANNA GARDEN. Savanna is a type of
vegetation. Many have heard of savannas in Africa but in Wisconsin they
also have savannas. In fact they were widespread before settlement and
agriculture came into the picture. This is a Quercus macrocarpa 'Burr
Oak Savanna'. It has basically prairie vegetation on the ground layer,
but with scattered trees. The trees can be far apart or closer together
thus there can be different levels of shade and light conditions. It's
a nice garden and similar to the conditions a home gardener might
encounter.
Click here for more info
Shrubs for Sun or Shade
JOE WANTS TO SEE SOME SHRUBS AND SUSAN HAS VARIETIES THAT GROW IN SUN
OR SHADE. They start with shade shrubs. A lot of people complain they
can't grow much because they have too much shade but native shrubs are
a good example of plants that can grow in the shade successfully plus
one gets more than 1 season of interest.
Click here for more info
Rain Garden
SUSAN AND JOE NEXT LOOK AT THE RAIN GARDEN. The Arboretum has a number
of practices in place for ecological restoration. The Rain Garden is a
way of managing some of the water runoff on this property. A rain
garden is simply a way to capture and retain water on your property and
it is usually located at the lowest point on the property. Think about
the water that comes off your roof line, down the gutters, down the
walkway, down that part of your landscape that doesn't have a lot of
plants. That water is traveling downhill, taking with it chemicals,
fertilizers and a lot of things you don't want to ultimately end up in
the waterway.
Madison Arboretum - Rain Garden
Click here for more info
Curtis Prairie
SUSAN AND JOE VISIT THE CURTIS PRAIRIE. Joe finds it fascinating to
look out and see the vast amount of land and know it's the oldest
prairie restoration in the world. Susan explains that a prairie is a
diverse grassland community with no trees. Instead it's a mixture of
grasses of various sizes as well as other plants that aren't grasses.
Thus all the flowers one sees, which are called forbs, are all mixed
together into various heights and different textures. These are now
just plants growing together in a community.
Click here for more info
Mesic Mix of Prairie Species
THEY NEXT VISIT A MESIC MIX OF PRAIRIE SPECIES. Here one finds a grass
not commonly found in the Curtis Prairie nor other prairie areas. One
example is Adropogon gerardii 'Big Bluestem' it is beautiful, has a
reddish color with bluish stems, it develops flowers at the top and
grows fairly tall. Another companion to this is Echinacea paradoxa
'Yellow Coneflower', it is just coming into bloom in the middle of the
summer. It has drooping petals which is normal for a member of the
sunflower family and makes a really good, tall forb planting for this
type garden.
Click here for more info
LINKS:
University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
Mansion Hill Inn
Garden Smart Plant List
Complete transcript of the show.
In this show Garden Smart visits the University of Wisconsin, Madison
Arboretum located in Madison, Wisconsin where they've been studying
ecological restoration since the 1930's. What they've learned over the
years is today more important than ever. In this show we learn not only
about ecological restoration but discover many interesting native
plants. Native plants can be a wonderful addition to any garden.
Dr. Kevin McSweeney is a Professor of Soil Sciences and Environmental
Studies at the University and the Director of the University of
Wisconsin Arboretum. THIS IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
and was established in 1934 through the vision of various faculty and
civic leaders. At that time the country was in the midst of the Great
Depression which was accompanied by the infamous Dustbowl. At that time
much of northern Wisconsin had been logged causing concern about the
health of the land. Here it was conceived that they could put back
together natural communities, native communities. This arboretum is
comprised of 1,260 acres, which provide representations of the major
ecological communities of Wisconsin. Importantly this is all in one
place providing a great resource for the students and faculty to
investigate putting nature back together. This concept has now spread
globally, in fact scientific societies are today much more actively
pursuing ecological restoration; as well public groups are becoming
more involved in ecological restoration. It now has a broad resonance
across the globe.
In the 1930's some of this property was degraded farmland. To rectify
the situation there were upwards of 200 civilian conservation corps
that began working on site and it was a major undertaking. Without that
force we wouldn't have what is here today. Today there are a number of
restored prairies, totaling about 60 acres, some of which were largely
planted by hand. There are still some civilian conservation corps
buildings on site.
The concept of restoration always follows degradation. We're always
quick to point our finger at industry as the people responsible but
homeowners play an important role in this problem as well. A lot of
the runoff today is coming from urban settings, thus we all bear a
responsibility for better housekeeping and that housekeeping goes
beyond the inside of our house. In this garden we'll see examples of
rain gardens, which are 1 way homeowners can esthetically improve the
exterior of their house and at the same time perform a beneficial
environmental service.
Joe next meets Susan Carpenter, the Native Plant Gardener at the
Arboretum. It's safe to say most of us don't have a backyard this big
but there are elements in this vast expanse that can be applied to our
backyards. Susan is quick to say that she is only involved in about 4
acres which are centered around the Visitors Center. Thus her task is
manageable. The gardens here represent the different plant communities
of Southern Wisconsin. They have Savanna Gardens, Prairie Gardens,
Woodland Gardens as well as the aforementioned rain garden. These are
all relatively new, they've been here about 5 years.
Top
SUSAN FEELS IT'S IMPORTANT TO UTILIZE NATIVE PLANTS. They help increase
the diversity of plants which then increases the diversity of insects
and birds, etc. Native plants make an area a great place to learn more
about the natural world. As well they provide new and different
selections of plants and gardening options in general. Native plants
are suited to the site and the climate. Here they match community
gardens to native sites with native plants which means the plants are
very well adapted. One benefit is that one need not water as often as
would be necessary with ornamentals. Because these native plants are
more drought tolerant they're happier in their local environment thus
they're more pest and disease resistant. They grow well together in
communities and have over time.
Top
SUSAN AND JOE START IN A SAVANNA GARDEN. Savanna is a type of
vegetation. Many have heard of savannas in Africa but in Wisconsin they
also have savannas. In fact they were widespread before settlement and
agriculture came into the picture. This is a Quercus macrocarpa 'Burr
Oak Savanna'. It has basically prairie vegetation on the ground layer,
but with scattered trees. The trees can be far apart or closer together
thus there can be different levels of shade and light conditions. It's
a nice garden and similar to the conditions a home gardener might
encounter. Since this is a Quercus macrocarpa 'Burr Oak Savanna' they
have Burr Oaks in this garden. The Burr Oak is a member of the White
Oak group so it has rounded leaf tips and this tree has acorns starting
to form. One thing to note about the Burr Oak is that it is a fire
adapted tree. It has thick bark and even on a young tree with new
growth the twigs have very thick bark, it's rather leathery, helping
them be resistant to fire. Fire, a natural component of a savanna
ecosystem, can burn through the understory, burning off the ground
layer but leave the trees undamaged. The undercover is comprised of the
native plants growing underneath. They next look at some of those
plants. One sign a plant is happy is if it spreads rapidly. A Monarda
is doing just that. Susan has planted several Monarda didyma 'Adam Bee
Balm' plants. They seed themselves and spread by rhizomes. It's a plant
suitable for either full sun or under trees in a semi-shaded area. Most
of the plants here have that same range, they can grow under this range
of light conditions. Another example is Euphorbia corollata 'Flowering
Spurge'. It has delicate white flowers and is a member of the
Euphorbiaceae family and is strangely related to the Poinsettia. It can
grow with plants around it or by itself in very open conditions in very
dry, even poor soils. Many of these plants have a wide range and that's
why they're good for the home environment. They're easy to grow and
will be successful with a wide range of light conditions. Other plants
that are ideal for the shady home environment are Sporobdus heterolepis
'Northern Dropseed' which is a grass just now coming into bloom,
another plant Veronicastrum virginicum 'Culver's Root' is taller, has a
white spire, a kind of inflorescence, and it too is coming into bloom.
Another plant ideal for shady or semi-shady conditions is Lilium
michiganense 'Michigan lily' which is a beautiful Lily with curved
petals and a nodding flowering head. It's always nice to learn about
plants that flower in the shade, especially plants that are natives.
Solidago caesia 'Zigzag Golden Rod' is a nice plant for deeper shade,
maybe under a big tree, for example. It does bloom in the fall when
most woodland plants, that normally bloom in the spring, are done
blooming. The yellow flowers on the tall stalks again appear towards
the end of summer or early in the fall. Elymus hystrix 'Bottlebrush
Grass' is another shade loving plant. It has a delicate flower and
blooms in or around July. But it will stand on throughout the rest of
the season unless you pick the blooms.
Top
JOE WANTS TO SEE SOME SHRUBS AND SUSAN HAS VARIETIES THAT GROW IN SUN
OR SHADE. They start with shade shrubs. A lot of people complain they
can't grow much because they have too much shade but native shrubs are
a good example of plants that can grow in the shade successfully plus
one gets more than 1 season of interest. Hamamelis virginiana 'Witch
Hazel' has nice summer color with large leaves and spreading branches
but in the fall it turns yellow and has flowers. They're rather small
but still offer interesting flowers late in September. Another shrub
for shaded areas is Viburnum lentago 'Nannyberry'. It is a Viburnum,
has white showy flowers in the spring with green berries in the summer,
towards the middle to end of summer the berries turn black and are a
good source of food for wildlife in the winter. It also has lovely red,
purple fall color. Diervilla lonicera 'Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle' is
another shrub great for shaded areas, it is a little shorter and has an
arching habit. It must be distinguished from the invasive Honeysuckle
that no one wants in a native planting. Mid summer it has yellow
flowers, is attractive to pollinators and is beautiful year round with
its spreading, arching branches. Under story shrubs are a great way to
enhance a shady situation.
Prunus americana 'American Plumb' is well suited for a sunny
environment. It has little plums, gets quite tall, has beautiful white
flowers in the spring before the leaves come on and has a wonderful
fragrance and has great fall color. It forms a thicket and is very
attractive. The plums, however, aren't very tasty.
Top
SUSAN AND JOE NEXT LOOK AT THE RAIN GARDEN. The Arboretum has a number
of practices in place for ecological restoration. The Rain Garden is a
way of managing some of the water runoff on this property. A rain
garden is simply a way to capture and retain water on your property and
it is usually located at the lowest point on the property. Think about
the water that comes off your roof line, down the gutters, down the
walkway, down that part of your landscape that doesn't have a lot of
plants. That water is traveling downhill, taking with it chemicals,
fertilizers and a lot of things you don't want to ultimately end up in
the waterway. However, that is exactly what happens. By keeping your
water on your property, it is captured and it filters down into the
soil, where it percolates. Some of the water goes up through
transpiration but the bottom line is that plants take care of some of
the chemicals.
This rain garden is large scale compared to what is needed for a home
environment. Here they have a rather large building and the water from
the roof drains into this area from the downspouts. Additionally, the
water from the buildings air conditioner sump pump drains into this
area. This area is low. Because of the plants it's difficult to
determine just how low but even this area periodically fills with
water. It won't hold water long unless they've had a super wet year.
The plants here are planted along the moisture gradient. So in the
wetter areas and on the slope they've been able to see which plants do
well and in which areas. Again, the plants transpire, since there is a
lot of diversity of plant material, this allows the water to infiltrate
rather than running off into streams, rivers and lakes. Susan goes into
the rain garden. A shorter plant suitable for a home garden is
Asclepias incarnata 'Swamp Milkweed' which is a host plant for the
Monarch Butterfly. The Monarchs lay their eggs on it, they also feed on
the flowers and in the early spring the Cedar Waxwings come and strip
the fibers from the stems and use those in their nests. This is a good
plant for a wet spot, it seeds itself readily, thus is good for the
garden. Calamagrostis Canadensis 'Bluejoint Grass' is also good for wet
areas. It's tall, a vertical standing grass, and spreads a great deal
by rhizomes. It will spread through an area, has a natural drift and
manages to spread to dry areas, such as up the slope in this location.
It's not as tall in the drier spot and not as green especially so
because the weather has been very dry this year but it does well in a
range of conditions. Cyperaceae (Sedge) also does well with wet feet.
There are a number of Sedges that can be used, they grow in a nice
cluster and they have interesting fruit after they've flowered in the
spring.
Madison Arboretum - Rain Garden
Top
SUSAN AND JOE VISIT THE CURTIS PRAIRIE. Joe finds it fascinating to
look out and see the vast amount of land and know it's the oldest
prairie restoration in the world. Susan explains that a prairie is a
diverse grassland community with no trees. Instead it's a mixture of
grasses of various sizes as well as other plants that aren't grasses.
Thus all the flowers one sees, which are called forbs, are all mixed
together into various heights and different textures. These are now
just plants growing together in a community. They have 70 or so species
that they planted into this garden initially and they add more plants
as time goes on. This garden is somewhat shorter in stature at the top
of the hill, the soils are a little dryer and this is a south facing
slope, so it gets a lot of sunlight. As one goes down the slope they
have taller species and taller grasses and those plants are more
adapted for soil with more moisture. One of the things interesting
about the Prairie Garden, what makes it different from say, a lawn or
another kind of planting, is that these plants have 80% of their
bio-mass underground. So, the root systems are deep and the soils are
deep. Thus they can survive hot and dry conditions, like today, and
they do just fine. Some of the adaptations one sees on these plants are
vertical leaves or leaves with a kind of waxy quality to them to help
retain moisture. These leaves can survive really hot, dry conditions,
like we find in this prairie. One plant is Verbena Hori vervain and it
has a nice long bloom time. It has spikes. The blooms down the stem
have already bloomed yet it still has buds at the top. It blooms a long
time, stands up well and looks good. Asclepias tuberosa 'Butterfly
Milkweed' is the bright orange Milkweed that we've seen on dry sites.
It's related to the other Milkweeds but this is the one that grows best
in high sun and high light situations. And it too is a good host plant
for the Monarchs. Grasses should also be considered for these dry
sites. One really good grass is Bouteloua curtipendula 'Side Oaks Grama
Grass'. It is a small grass, grows to about one to one and a half feet
tall with leaves that are kind of spiky-looking clumps, then the
flowers rise above that and they have a reddish tinge on the stamens.
These plants are a good bit taller than those we've just viewed.
Top
THEY NEXT VISIT A MESIC MIX OF PRAIRIE SPECIES. Here one finds a grass
not commonly found in the Curtis Prairie nor other prairie areas. One
example is Adropogon gerardii 'Big Bluestem' it is beautiful, has a
reddish color with bluish stems, it develops flowers at the top and
grows fairly tall. Another companion to this is Echinacea paradoxa
'Yellow Coneflower', it is just coming into bloom in the middle of the
summer. It has drooping petals which is normal for a member of the
sunflower family and makes a really good, tall forb planting for this
type garden.
Joe is amazed at what we've seen and learned today. The diversity and
beauty is more than he expected. The message Susan would like all in
our audience to take from this show is that everyone, if they're using
appropriate regional plants and matching them up to a native type of
site, be it sunny or shady, can end up with a really nice, interesting
planting area. One can begin small. For example, start with a border,
don't try to turn your whole yard into a native garden at first. Plant
the appropriate plants, you'll find a lot of diversity, a lot of
beauty, then a lot of animal life will appear, a habitat will develop.
It's fun to work in these areas and one learns a lot while working in
them. Joe reminds everyone that your local county extension agent and
office should have plenty of information available about native plants.
County extension agents are a great resource for this type of garden.
Joe thanks Susan. This has been a learning experience for him. Susan
has been a wonderful tour guide and teacher and has introduced us to
many plants that we as gardeners should explore.
Top
LINKS:
University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
Mansion Hill Inn
Garden Smart Plant List
