Every year I make the promise to keep up with the blog, but every time I find myself spending any available time in the garden, sometimes from dawn to dusk. Many plants have not yet found their story and image on this blog, I am afraid. Hopefully this site is not your only source of ideas, because you only get a snapshot of the plant’s lifecycle at best. Of course you can always come by for a visit to take a look, or to see whether I can put some plant material aside in the fall (that is when I usually start envisioning the next growing season and try to find suitable homes for extras)
I would also take a look at what the county or your town has in terms of native plants. I have had great luck with the Master Gardner Association of Cape Cod (gardeners@barnstablecounty.org) – I obtained many young trees and bushes (i.e. hazelnut, sweet pepperbush, etc.) at very reasonable prices. They are not able to provide plant material at all times of the year, but with some advanced planning you can secure native plants for your garden.
There is also CL Fornari, who most of you may know from her Saturday morning plant show on one of the local radio stations. While CL does not focus on native plants (it is a call in show and most callers worry about their vegetables and flowering shrubs), I greatly appreciate the fact that she is chemical averse in her advice, and will do what’s right for pollinators. She also has great advice on trimming and cutting, and she has lived here long enough to know the impact of weather and salt on our plants, including the native perennials we have. When it comes to growing your arsenal of general gardening skills and knowledge, I would definitely give her a listen.
A few years ago I also met Rachel Goclawski – she is an avid forager and has given me great insight into the medicinal and culinary aspects of many of the native plants, as well as the invasives. She enourages wild plant conservation and foraging techniques that don’t deplete the wild populations. But more importantly, she has found great ways to deal with the invasives. For example, rather than trying to fight Japanese knotweed with chemical warfare or manual labor, why not eat them? She is on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cookingwithmrsg/
I know I am leaving out many other sources, groups and individuals, but I will add links or contact info as I think of it. Now it is time to go into the garden!
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