PERENNIALS

Shrub

Lose The Lawn

By Andrew Kirkpatrick, Director of Stewardship

Earlier this year, the Trust received the exciting news that we had received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for their Lawn Conversion Program. This exciting funding opportunity allows the Trust to subsidize the cost of converting mowed lawn into meadow in our program area comprising Darby, Ridley, and Crum Creek watersheds in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. Our goal is convert 50 acres of lawn to meadow over the next three years. We are working with local government, homeowners associations, schools, churches, and private homeowners to achieve this ambitious goal.

Typical costs to convert one acre of lawn to meadow can run $4-5,000. The grant will cover the majority of this cost for the landowner. The landowner will then be responsible for the follow up annual maintenance, which includes mowing once in the early spring and removing any invasive plant species that might pop up. The Trust will be a partner in the long run providing monitoring for the health and success of the conversion project. Funds will be available for reseeding installations as needed.

The benefits of losing the lawn and adopting a meadow strategy are innumerable. Benefits include reducing air noise pollution from gas mowers, improving storm water infiltration of the property (mowed lawn is as about as permeable as pavement!), increased habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, cost savings from using less gasoline, water, and chemical fertilizers, and of course, knowing that you are contributing to combatting the effects of climate change.

Aside from all of those benefits, wildflower meadows are beautiful to look at in the summer and fall! Species like purple coneflower, mountain mint, New England aster, black-eyed Susan, ironweed, and goldenrod provide a rich tapestry of changing colors throughout the season. Watching a meadow change with the seasons also provides the opportunity to experience a greater connection to nature and instill a sense of place that a lawn cannot. We hope that our work inspires you to think about how you can improve your property for the benefit of nature, the community, and our planet.

Lose The Lawn Lecture

Wednesday, July 19 | 6:00-8:00 pm

Rushton Conservation Center

Have you heard the buzz? Lawns are out, meadows are in! Join us for a presentation highlighting the benefits of meadows and how WCT is leading the effort to convert 50 acres of mowed lawn into rich, diverse meadow habitats. We’ll provide an overview of the best plant species for the area, the process of removing lawns and installing a meadow, and what to expect for the next several growing seasons.

Native Alternatives To Invasive Species

By Andrew Kirkpatrick, Director of Stewardship

Every time I walk into a nursery or big box store I feel a great temptation to purchase the prettiest plants. However, sometimes the prettiest plants and the ones that stand up to deer are not the best selections available for local pollinators and wildlife. Native plants support local species better than exotic ones because they have evolved in the ecosystems where we live.

And while you will see bees and butterflies at non-native plants, these do not offer the same amount of nutritional content as their native alternatives. A blueberry is far more nutritious for a bird than a barberry. Birds have to eat more of the invasive species to get the same amount of benefits which in turn increases the spread of the invasive seeds in their poop.

With a little research and careful selection we can easily move away from invasive garden species to more beneficial native ones. Here’s a list to get started derived from the excellent book from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Native Alternatives to Invasive Species.

INVASIVE SHRUB: Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

Escapes into the wild and invades forests where it pushes out native shrub species plus it is a vector for ticks.

NATIVE ALTERNATIVES:

Witch Alder (Fothergilla gardenii)

-Small shrub with rounded to mounding form.

-3-5 ft tall and wide.

-Fuzzy white terminal flower clusters in early spring.

-Oval scalloped foliage.

-Orange to burgundy fall color.

New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)

-Mounding to spreading form.

-1-3 ft tall and 2-4 ft wide.

-Terminal white flower clusters in late spring and summer.

-Deep green foliage.

-Yellow autumn color.

INVASIVE SHRUB: Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)

Bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)

-See it at the Rushton Conservation Center (RCC) by the front door!

-Small shrub with arching vase-like form.

-2-4 ft tall and 3-5 ft wide.

-Yellow flowers all summer.

-Yellow to burgundy autumn color.

Despite the name, butterfly bush only supports adult butterflies with its abundant nectar but fails to provide for all of the other stages of life.

NATIVE ALTERNATIVES:

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

-Rounded, irregular form.

-6-10 ft tall and wide.

-Attractive winter silhouette.

-Fuzzy white summertime flowers.

-Deep glossy green foliage.

-Yellow autumn color..

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)

-Upright to irregular form.

-4-8 ft tall and wide.

-Tawny to chestnut-colored bark.

-Deep green quilted foliage.

-Spikes of sweet-scented white flowers in summer.

-Yellow autumn foliage color.

INVASIVE GROUNDCOVER: Japanese Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) Aggressive spreader, easily escapes into adjacent natural areas.

NATIVE ALTERNATIVES:

Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens)

-Dense, slow-spreading groundcover.

-Paddle-shaped evergreen leaves.

-Fuzzy spring flowers.

-Rich winter foliage.

-Not deer resistant!

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

-Climbing vine with holdfasts.

-Palmate leaves with five leaflets.

-Smoky-blue berries on red stalks.

-Flaming autumn color.

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)

-Deer resistant.

-Delicate blue star shaped spring flowers.

-Grass like foliage.

-Grows in dense, tufted clumps.

INVASIVE VINE: Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) Aggressive vine that will smother trees and shrubs.

NATIVE ALTERNATIVE:

Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

-Well-behaved deciduous vine.

-Scarlet flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

-Small red berries.

-Gray-green leaves.

-Exfoliating winter bark.

INVASIVE GRASS: Chinese Silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis Anderss.)

Very aggressive and deep rooted ornamental grass that is sold as sterile but tends to reproduce anyway. A serious threat to meadows and natural grassy areas.

NATIVE ALTERNATIVE:

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

-Clumping grass with ascending, tufted foliage.

-Silky golden plumes.

-Red to russet autumn color.

INVASIVE GRASS: Fountain Grass (Pennisetum)

Escapes into natural areas forming dense stands, prolific seeder spreads by wind.

NATIVE ALTERNATIVE:

Pink hair grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

-Clumping grass with a rounded crown.

-Low tufts of arching blades.

-Airy red plumes.

-Russet to tawny autumn color.