Sustainable Landscapes —

and city officials. These can be beautiful landscapes and my clients fall head over heels in love with them.”

Make the Landscape Intentional

Naturalistic landscapes may often run up against expectations of a neighborhood or homeowner’s association. There are plenty of stories of prairie landscapes being cited by village and city officials as homeowners try to create habitat for wildlife on their properties. How can landscapers and designers respond to these concerns?

In his designs, Vogt intentionally plans for massing and drifts of plants with repetition of species to demonstrate intent. This is a landscape that may be naturalistic, but seasonal interest, companion planting, and floral display are all important elements. He often incorporates mown paths, sets planting areas back from property lines, includes benches and seating, or features pieces of art so that the spaces read as intentional.

“My advice for dealing with inspec- tors and village officials is to be on their side and communicate,” observed Vogt. “Act grateful for the opportunity to talk about and educate about the project. I’ve also found commiserating with folks can go a long way towards understanding. It’s not easy dealing with angry phone calls from residents. I’ve found it also helps to break out the botanic names when talking about the plants, because it demonstrates your knowledge. Have answers for common questions about wildlife like ticks, snakes, coyotes, or what have you. It smooths the way and gives that inspector tools when they have to report back.”

Vogt has found most of his clients are already on board with welcoming wildlife back to their properties and are excited to be a part of building habitat. Probably the most asked about concern is ticks. Vogt’s experience has been, “For ticks it’s about awareness and spraying yourself with repellants and checking yourself. One reason we have ecosystem collapse is because we are afraid of nature and bugs, etc. With that ecosystem collapse comes a loss of trophic balance. For example, white-footed mice carry Lyme disease. Ticks pick it up from the mice and spread to other animals. In habitats with a lack of mouse predators such as coyote, fox, and owls there will be an increase in Lyme disease. More predators equal fewer mice and fewer ticks. Ticks don’t stay in thick brush either – they hitch rides and can be found on concrete patios, wood decks, and everywhere, so there’s no ‘safe’ place. The more diverse and denser habitats we have the better.”

As more and more people request naturalistic landscapes or their own patches of prairies, we can work together to build lasting habitats for everyone – people and wildlife. These prairies are beautiful four-season landscapes that speak to our Midwestern heritage, offer numerous ecosystem services, and invite us to connect with our sites. “Natural gardens provide beauty in surprising angles at different times of year,” commented Vogt. Let’s embrace how stunningly gorgeous they can be and discover how offering habitat in turn enriches ourselves.