Native
plant expert Jan Newton has
been creating
a native plant habitat garden at Stonehouse Elementary School
in James City County. It's
now been certified by the National Wildlife Federation.
A monarch butterfly pupa hangs under a leaf in the
garden.
Summary: A certified wildlife habitat is not only
beautiful, it gives critters a home.
Jan
Newton used to spend her time with ballet
and modern dance. When her knees wore out, she delved
into native plants.
"Now I have fun digging instead of jumping," says the
Williamsburg resident and member of the John Clayton
Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society.
Lately,
her digging has been in the form of a 5,900-square-foot
habitat garden with more than 70 species of native
plants at Stonehouse Elementary School in James City
County. The National Wildlife Federation recently
approved the space as a certified habitat garden.
"With so
much development destroying natural habitats, planting a
native, wildlife habit is not only beneficial to
wildlife, but it's become a necessity," says Jan.
"Creating
a wildlife habitat with beautiful flowers, fruits,
berries and leaf shapes also brings enjoyment to humans.
You also enjoy watching the wildlife that visits and
lives there."
Jan
says it's easy and beneficial to create your own habitat
garden at home and shares these tips on how to make it
happen:
Best
fall-blooming plants for a home garden?
Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba). I love brown-eyed
Susans because their shape is nice, compact and round
and, being perennials, they come back year after year.
They bloom summer into fall with golden yellow petals
with brownish- black centers. Butterflies like them and
birds eat their seeds. They grow to 2 to 31/2 feet tall
and prefer sun to part sun with average soil and
drainage. They are easily grown from seed.
Joe-Pye
weed (Eupatorium fistulosum). Joe-pye weed is a magnet
for butterflies and, if planted near a milkweed plant,
monarch caterpillars will often make their chrysalises
on the undersides of its leaves. It is a sturdy plant
that forms a clump around 3 to 5 feet wide and reaches 3
to 6 feet in height. Joe-Pye weed has pink to pale
lavender clusters of flowers July to September and
prefers full sun, rich soil and moist drainage, but
tolerates part sun, clay soil and average drainage.
Coral
honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). Hummingbirds like
coral honeysuckle nectar and birds adore the fruits
which come in the form of red berries that start in
August and last into March. Coral honeysuckle, also
called trumpet honeysuckle, is a vine that grows to 15
feet and produces coral to red trumpet- shaped flowers
with yellow centers April through October. It grows in
sun to part-sun, average to moist drainage and in,
basically, any soil. Coral honeysuckle's leaves are
semi-evergreen. This vine is not invasive or aggressive
like the Japanese honeysuckle vine (L. japonica) that
most people are familiar with.
Green-headed coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata). From
summer to fall green-headed coneflowers produce bright
yellow flowers with green centers. The flowers are quite
showy as they can be up to 5 inches across in size. The
coneflowers grow 2 to 10 feet tall and love full sun and
moist soil, but often tolerate dryer soil. Butterflies
and birds like this plant and it doesn't need
deadheading to keep it blooming.
New York
ironweed (Vernonia noveborareasis). Butterflies are
often seen on the purple flowers of New York ironweed
August to September and sometimes in October. New York
ironweed has sturdy stems and reaches 31/2 to 8 feet
tall. It prefers full sun and moist soil, but does fine
in part-sun and average soil.
Boltonia
or false aster (Boltonia asteroides). It grows to 2 to 6
feet tall (ours grew to 5 feet its first year!) and
offers delicate and wispy leaves with dainty, small
daisy-like white (can be pink or lavender) flowers with
yellow centers; bloom time is early fall to frost.
Boltonia requires full sun, moist to dry drainage and
tolerates dry summers and wet winters. Butterflies like
the nectar.
Tips for
making a habitat garden function properly?
Use
native plants. Add compost to improve poor soil. Select
plants for a variety of food sources - flowers, seeds,
berries, fruits, nuts, leaves and stems. Consider
evergreens and plants with berries for winter interest,
food and shelter. Group plants according to their light,
moisture and soil requirements. Place plants so they
have room to reach maturity.
In
summer, fall-blooming plants often get leggy, so cut
them back about one-third to half their height around
July 4 they stay shorter and bloom later. I usually cut
back only half of these particular plants, leaving half
to bloom as normal. Doing this extends bloom time in
your garden and allows wildlife to have nectar and seeds
for a longer time period.
Also,
stepping stones make a garden inviting, so place some of
those where you want them.
How does
the school use the garden?
It's an
outdoor classroom that teaches lessons in habitat, soil,
native plants, life cycles, conservation and other
Standards of Learning subjects.
Things to know
What does
a certified habitat garden need? Food, water, shelter
and nesting places.
How do
you get a habitat certified? Through the National
Wildlife Federation at
www.nwf.org
Want to see the habitat garden at Stonehouse? Visit the
site during non-school hours (after 3:15 p.m. weekdays
or all day weekends) at 3651 Rochambeau Drive at Toano
in James City County; for a guided tour, contact
Jan Newton at 757-566-3646.
