Practicing What She Preaches

Denise Sandoval’s Sustainable Garden

Practicing What She Preaches

Nina A. Koziol

Editor’s Note: This is another in a series of articles that feature the home landscapes of green industry professionals—ILCA members, plant breeders, nursery owners, public garden staff and educators. After all, who wouldn’t like a little peak at what peers are doing around their own homes?

When Denise Sandoval bought her Naperville home on a corner lot in 1993 she was working as a software engineer. “I landscaped for about six years, mostly vegetable gardening before deciding to take a landscape design course at the College of DuPage (COD).” She fell in love with design, took more courses and eventually left her tech career. In 2003, she received a horticulture degree but continued to take ecology and naturalist courses.

“The natural world is my greatest teacher and inspiration. When I have free time, I hike natural areas and volunteer at restoration sites.” In 2005, she started her company Good-Natured Landscapes. Going Native

Beginnings

When she moved in, the one-third acre property was mostly lawn, a few shrubs, several mature silver maples, a patio and fencing. “My goal was to provide wildlife habitat and keep most of my property run-off from flooding waterways and neighbors.”

Out went the burning bush, barberries and Japanese honeysuckle after she observed their spread in natural areas. The side yard was her first big project — a prairie. “I started with

plugs, then added some seed since I worked at The Natural Garden at the time, but I wish I would’ve started with seed first. I started my front garden from a native seed mix, which I developed myself, then added some plants.” She installed the first of many rain gardens in 2004, using native plants that would grow well, look good and benefit wildlife. “My landscape is pesticide free, so I have a diverse lawn. I had an organic vegetable garden for many years, but now I participate in a local CSA.” Besides composting, she has permeable walkways and various structures made from local recycled or reclaimed materials, like the deck and walkway she designed for her front entrance. Sandoval did all of the landscaping herself except the newer hardscape and front deck. “I oversaw the installation of permeable areas since this was a new technique at the time.” Sandoval discovered the beauty and benefits of native plants while volunteering at COD’s Russell Kirk Prairie. “It was then I decided to feature native plants in my landscape designs when I finished school. I used to incorporate a lot more species diversity but now I use fewer species to make the landscape more legible and the plants easier to learn.” Many of her clients are new to native plant Sandoval did all of the landscaping herself except the newer hardscape gardening and have and front deck. small or medium size yards. “I have a better understanding now of how many native plants look and behave long term in a designed landscape, their wildlife interactions, and various run-off infiltration (continued on page 40)

(continued from page 38) techniques compared to when I first started gardening with them, so this has changed how I approach garden design.”

Maintenance

Her garden is maintained with prescribed burns, rotating sections of the property each year. “I also maintain my yard using stewardship, minimizing harm to wildlife and the environment.” She keeps fallen leaves and dried plant stems around during spring cleanup, creating log piles and not mulching bare areas of soil that may be used by ground-nesting bees. “I enjoy learning something new from nature and others, and applying this information to my designs.” Although she’s never kept a list of plants in her garden, she says, “I do have more plants than what I would put in a design, because I use my landscape to learn about them.” Spring is her busiest time, preparing for the prescribed burn and stewardship.“Then I spend one to two hours over the weekend or sometimes 15 minutes each day depending on my schedule.” She currently has a wait list of clients because of the demand. (continued on page 42) TOP: One of Sandoval’s goals was to use native plants to capture rain water and keep it on her property.

BELOW: Joe Eye Weed, Agastache, bluestem, mountain mint, cup plant and coneflowers draw pollinators into the summer garden.

(continued from page 40)

Plant Performers

Ask her about her favorite plant and it changes from day to day. “I think it’s not so much an individual plant but the plant-wildlife interactions that are my favorite. Shooting stars are one of the first to bloom in my prairie and they support early pollinators like queen bumblebees. Mountain mint—I love the scent of the leaves, plus it attracts so many pollinators, especially solitary wasps. Native asters and goldenrods – they attract so many insects and birds to their flowers, leaves and seeds, especially those preparing for winter or migration.” She also likes Blackhaw viburnum, elderberry, musclewood and spicebush as well as gentians, bloodroot and indigo bush. Who Do You Admire?

“Mother Nature is my favorite designer, and natural areas — restored or remnants — are the public “gardens” I love to visit. I admire these early native plant designers, gardeners, advocates, and many more: Patricia Hill, Patricia Armstrong, Art Gara, Jack Pizzo, Marcus de la fleur, authors Sara Stein, Jens Jensen, and Doug Tallamy to name a few, and members of the Wild Ones’ Native Plant, Natural Landscapes and Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee. Recently, botanist, author, professor and Citizen Potawatomi Nation member Robin Wall Kimmerer has significantly changed my perspective on gratitude, reciprocity, gifts, and honorable harvest when relating to the natural world.”

What do you like best about your garden?

“The inner and outer beauty of nature’s gifts — I get to experience and learn from them every day. And, being able to give back to all those who share the garden and Earth with me — other humans, water, wildlife, plants, air, and soil, to name a few.”

See more of Sandoval’s work at: https://goodnaturedlandscapes.com

A host of bees and butterflies visit these sun-loving native prairie perennials in search of nectar and pollen.