July 2011
Pickaway to Garden
Going Native
By Paul Hang
July will bring the Full Buck Moon so named by Native Americans because it is the month when bucks begin to grow their new antlers. Also called the Thunder Moon for obvious reasons, it will occur on the 15th. July gives us those exhilarating intense storms common in mid-summer brought on by those warm humid days for which the month is famous.
The weather will be warm enough to “go native.” I’m not talking about stripping down to your skivvies, or less. I’m not talking about living in a grass hut and eating coconuts and papayas. It does sound nice though doesn’t it? No. I’m talking about planting more native plants in our gardens and landscapes. I am as guilty as anyone for being tempted by the newest exotic looking plants. However as I learn more about plants and their role in our world I am more convinced that as gardeners we have a unique responsibility to protect our environment.
I am currently reading “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants.” By Douglas W. Tallamy. The gist of his message, as I interpret it, is that our native wildlife, from micro-organisms to insects, birds and mammals, evolved with our native plants. As with most things, the more we investigate it the more complicated things appear. As you know by now I try to keep it simple. For the most part our native wildlife depends on native plants for their food, most cannot eat non-native plants. As the number of native plants has declined so has the number of native wildlife.
What is a native plant? The names of some plants can sometimes clue us in to their origin. Japanese maple and Norway maple did not evolve here and are clearly not native. Where is here? Colorado blue spruce did not evolve here but in the Rocky Mountains hundreds of miles from here in Ohio east of the Mississippi River. And east of the Mississippi River covers a large area. Can a plant native to south Florida be called a native here in Central Ohio? Tallamy says that the terms “native” and “alien” are best defined by nature herself. A plant “can only function as a true ‘native’ while it is interacting with the community that historically helped shape it.”
Most of our non-native plants have been innocently brought here by the ornamental plant industry. The “aliens” have also brought alien insects and diseases with them. Alien plants often escape from our gardens to become invasive species crowding out our natives and depriving them of sunshine, space and nutrients. They do not provide food for native wildlife, affecting their numbers and ultimately decreasing their role in our ecosystem. Now that we know about aliens we can encourage the industry to act more responsibly by not importing so many aliens, not recommending so many aliens and labeling plants accurately as to their native status. We do that by buying more native plants and fewer aliens.
Tallamy’s book is scientifically researched and packed with fascinating explanations, lists of plants, pictures and more. The message is simple and clear, we can make a difference by planting more native plants and their cultivars in our gardens. One doesn’t have to be a purist about this. We can simply plant fewer alien species and more native ones in our gardens.
Good examples of native plants and their role can be found at the butterfly garden and the developing prairie at MVCH Park on Rte.188. The native plants there act as hosts and food sources for native butterflies, birds and mammals. Visit and you will see how beautiful native plants can be.
In addition to improving our ecosystem, immediate benefits of planting more natives are: less maintenance, increased property values, reduction of herbicide, pesticide and fertilizer applications. Oh, and you will also be visited by more songbirds and butterflies.
For more information read Native Landscaping – Extension Fact Sheet W-13-2002 available at www.ohioline.osu.edu, other resources are www.for-wild.org and www.ohiodnr.com/dnap.
Want to cross being a Master Gardener off your bucket list? The Pickaway County Master Gardener Volunteers are planning a training program. The course is 50 hours of training to begin becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer. I emphasize Volunteer because Master Gardener has always seemed a bit pretentious to me. No one, in my experience, masters gardening. The vagaries of Mother Nature always seem to throw a wrench in the machinery of our plans. But if you’d like to help educate others as well as yourself about timely researched based gardening information, come to an information session at the Pickaway County Library on N. Court St. at 7pm Thursday July14th. We will meet in the Mary Virginia Crites Hannan Meeting Room. Our Gardening Helpline can also be reached at 740-474-7534 or PCMGVhotline@yahoo.com.
Please support the Farmers Market on W. Main Street Saturdays 8:30am to 12:30pm. The wet spring has delayed the local produce. The market is trying to balance more vendors with more customers. One affects the other. You can tip the balance by continuing to show up to see what is offered. It is also a great way to run into old friends and meet new ones. It is a real social event, a market in every sense of the word.
Things to do in the garden:
The gardening season is in full swing. Weeding, deadheading and watering are high on the list of routine activities. If July turns out to be bone dry water the equivalent of at least one inch per week, if we don’t get that much in rain. Mulch to conserve moisture and keep down weeds. If you haven’t mulched yet do so after a soaking thunderstorm or a good watering. Vegetables higher in water content need more water e.g. watermelons vs. green beans.
Fall gardens can be planted towards the end of the month and into August. Read your seed package for the number of days from planting to maturity and count back from October 15th our average first frost date. (Didn’t I just warn you about the last frost being May 15th?) A problem with starting seeds outside in hot dry weather can be addressed by starting them indoors or on the porch where you can keep them watered. Acclimate the seedlings to the sun before planting. Root crops are best started outside. Water well before planting and then don’t let the soil dry until germination then water as usual.
This is the time to dry herbs. The best flavor is to harvest just before they flower. Pick a sunny dry day and pick in the morning, if dry weather is forecast, so much the better. Hang them upside down in a hot, dry, dark, well ventilated spot in an attic, barn or shed.
July is also a good time to pick up bargains on plants. Keep the seed pods picked to encourage continued blooming. Keep the lawn cut at 3 inches. Keep deadheading flowers. Whew! Let’s go native!