Wild Yards
Our Wild Yards program is designed to focus attention on local properties and property owners who have decided to encourage native biodiversity through their landscaping choices. The Wild Yards concept can help transform our suburban environment by providing plants that provide food and shelter for native butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, songbirds and other species. These local gardeners have made a commitment to biodiversity--and we applaud them for it. Check out annuals and perennials for attracting pollinators to your Wild Yard, shrubs for attracting pollinators, and learn more about butterflies.
Former Bear Path Student Kyle Driebeek
Bear Path Elementary School Super Science Garden
The Super Science Garden at Bear Path School was conceived by HLCT President Jim Sirch, when his daughter Linnea was a student there. Jim wrote and was awarded a Lowe’s Toolbox For Education grant in 2008 to create the garden. Expert moss gardener Christine Cook designed the garden in the shape of a teddy bear with six garden plots to attract pollinators and birds. A host of parents, students and teachers pitched in to break ground and then install the plantings according to Christine's plan with Jim's help and supervision.
In spring, some of the students studying plant growth sow and plant annuals to compliment the perennial beds. Each summer, parent volunteers take turns watering the garden for a week at a time. The native plantings, mostly perennials, require minimal maintenance. Usually the garden requires one or two work parties in spring and another in fall to put the garden to bed. Jim arranged for permanent labels to identify the plants. “Through the hard work of Bear Path parents, teachers and students planting and maintaining perennials and annuals each year, the garden continues to be alive with bees, butterflies and birds in spring, summer and fall," said Jim.
The Super Science Garden at Bear Path School was conceived by HLCT President Jim Sirch, when his daughter Linnea was a student there. Jim wrote and was awarded a Lowe’s Toolbox For Education grant in 2008 to create the garden. Expert moss gardener Christine Cook designed the garden in the shape of a teddy bear with six garden plots to attract pollinators and birds. A host of parents, students and teachers pitched in to break ground and then install the plantings according to Christine's plan with Jim's help and supervision.
In spring, some of the students studying plant growth sow and plant annuals to compliment the perennial beds. Each summer, parent volunteers take turns watering the garden for a week at a time. The native plantings, mostly perennials, require minimal maintenance. Usually the garden requires one or two work parties in spring and another in fall to put the garden to bed. Jim arranged for permanent labels to identify the plants. “Through the hard work of Bear Path parents, teachers and students planting and maintaining perennials and annuals each year, the garden continues to be alive with bees, butterflies and birds in spring, summer and fall," said Jim.
Bill Doheny in his Wild Yard
The Wild Yard of Barbara and Dr. Bill Doheny
For many, a cliff side with an old barn, a small cabin and no level area would probably not be at the top of their wish list. But for Barbara and Dr. Bill Doheny, it was an opportunity to create a paradise. They purchased such a lot in 1970. The first order of business was to create a level spot on which to build a house. Bill used an electric tractor and fashioned "stone boats" to build the stone walls. These walls, necessary to achieve the proper grade were built from behind and began at the base of the large hill. The "stone boats," were fashioned from six car hoods found at local scrap yards. They were used for rolling the huge rocks to be used at the base of the house. From that base, Bill created terraces, steps and walkways. These walls and walkways also serve as curtain drains which shunt water away from the house and into a man-made pond. As this work was being done, the family was scouring nurseries and plant sales for trees and shrubbery that would eventually be planted on the hillside.
The blooms in this garden begin on the solar south-facing hill in February with snow drops, followed by early and late crocus, twelve varieties of daffodils, Scylla, bleeding heart, sweet woodruff, wisteria, Chinese and Japanese lilac, vinca major and three colors of vinca minor, laurel, day lilies, mountain Andromeda, flowering crabapple, dogwood, red bud, a group of azaleas (Korean in March and finishing in June with several hybrids), rhododendrons, an halesia Carolina tree which must be planted on a bank as its bell-shaped flowers hang down and crepe myrtle. For winter accent, there are two kinds of holly trees. The verticillata is a deciduous variety which has no leaves but has a mass of red berries and is very showy. Pyracantha also adds spectacular color in winter. For all the work needed to create this magnificent space, maintenance is very low, thanks to careful planning. Mulching in fall is done with leaves from the property. This Wild Yard is truly a labor of love.
For many, a cliff side with an old barn, a small cabin and no level area would probably not be at the top of their wish list. But for Barbara and Dr. Bill Doheny, it was an opportunity to create a paradise. They purchased such a lot in 1970. The first order of business was to create a level spot on which to build a house. Bill used an electric tractor and fashioned "stone boats" to build the stone walls. These walls, necessary to achieve the proper grade were built from behind and began at the base of the large hill. The "stone boats," were fashioned from six car hoods found at local scrap yards. They were used for rolling the huge rocks to be used at the base of the house. From that base, Bill created terraces, steps and walkways. These walls and walkways also serve as curtain drains which shunt water away from the house and into a man-made pond. As this work was being done, the family was scouring nurseries and plant sales for trees and shrubbery that would eventually be planted on the hillside.
The blooms in this garden begin on the solar south-facing hill in February with snow drops, followed by early and late crocus, twelve varieties of daffodils, Scylla, bleeding heart, sweet woodruff, wisteria, Chinese and Japanese lilac, vinca major and three colors of vinca minor, laurel, day lilies, mountain Andromeda, flowering crabapple, dogwood, red bud, a group of azaleas (Korean in March and finishing in June with several hybrids), rhododendrons, an halesia Carolina tree which must be planted on a bank as its bell-shaped flowers hang down and crepe myrtle. For winter accent, there are two kinds of holly trees. The verticillata is a deciduous variety which has no leaves but has a mass of red berries and is very showy. Pyracantha also adds spectacular color in winter. For all the work needed to create this magnificent space, maintenance is very low, thanks to careful planning. Mulching in fall is done with leaves from the property. This Wild Yard is truly a labor of love.
Tom and Maura Stavovy
The Wild Yard of Tom and Maura Stavovy
Tom and Moira Stavovy use native plants in their yard for their esthetic beauty and value as a wildlife habitat. In this way they can compensate for habitat loss in the wild. The land on their property available for native plants is about .02 of an acre, or 9,200 square feet – equivalent to 58 asphalt parking spaces. The Stavovys look for ideas about how native plants grow together by taking guided walks at Brooksvale and Sleeping Giant parks and land trust properties. Their goal is to represent all levels of the forest from tall tree to under story to ground cover. Of course, the oaks planted today will not reach maturity in our lifetimes but are planted for the future. The native landscape is a work in progress.
An important goal in planting native species is to provide a complete food supply for birds. The food types include berries, seeds and nuts, as well as insects. Tall oaks not only provide acorns but also support more different types of insects in their wood and canopies than any other North American tree genus. Migratory birds need the plentiful insect food provided by oaks to survive. In response to climate change, the Stavovys planted the sourwood tree which is common in the southeastern United States and has a distinctive summer bloom and fall foliage. To diversify the population of oaks, a swamp white oak, which does well in or wet or dry soils and has an interesting bark and leaf, was also planted. The native species enhance the habitat and esthetic interest.
Certain invasive species which had crowded out native plants and reduced plant diversity were removed when the couple purchased the house. The most damaging of these were Norway maple, Japanese barberry, and Asiatic bittersweet. Keeping these species at bay is an ongoing effort. But as the diverse population of native species becomes more firmly established, the invasive plants cannot take root so readily. This is a partial list of trees, shrubs and ground cover providing shade, flowers, fruit, nuts, insects, nesting sites and fall color. Particularly useful attributes are shown in parenthesis:
Tallest: Oak (acorns and insects), Pine Hickory (nuts), Red Maple (spring color), Sugar Maple (fall color);
Mid-Story: Sassafras (spice bush, swallowtail butterfly), Green Ash, Yellow Birch;
Under-Story: Hackberry (foliage, insects), Redbud (flower), Sourwood (flower, fall foliage), Leatherwood, Witch Hazel (early flower), Mountain Laurel (flower), Rhododendrum (flower), Azalea (flower), Dogwood (flowers and berries), Persimmon (fruit), Serviceberry (flowers and berries), Filbert Viburnum (berries), High-bush Blueberry, Native Holly (berries);
Ground: Wild Ginger, Allegheny Spurge, Low-bush blueberry, Huckleberry, Woodbine, Bugbane, Fern.
Tom and Moira Stavovy use native plants in their yard for their esthetic beauty and value as a wildlife habitat. In this way they can compensate for habitat loss in the wild. The land on their property available for native plants is about .02 of an acre, or 9,200 square feet – equivalent to 58 asphalt parking spaces. The Stavovys look for ideas about how native plants grow together by taking guided walks at Brooksvale and Sleeping Giant parks and land trust properties. Their goal is to represent all levels of the forest from tall tree to under story to ground cover. Of course, the oaks planted today will not reach maturity in our lifetimes but are planted for the future. The native landscape is a work in progress.
An important goal in planting native species is to provide a complete food supply for birds. The food types include berries, seeds and nuts, as well as insects. Tall oaks not only provide acorns but also support more different types of insects in their wood and canopies than any other North American tree genus. Migratory birds need the plentiful insect food provided by oaks to survive. In response to climate change, the Stavovys planted the sourwood tree which is common in the southeastern United States and has a distinctive summer bloom and fall foliage. To diversify the population of oaks, a swamp white oak, which does well in or wet or dry soils and has an interesting bark and leaf, was also planted. The native species enhance the habitat and esthetic interest.
Certain invasive species which had crowded out native plants and reduced plant diversity were removed when the couple purchased the house. The most damaging of these were Norway maple, Japanese barberry, and Asiatic bittersweet. Keeping these species at bay is an ongoing effort. But as the diverse population of native species becomes more firmly established, the invasive plants cannot take root so readily. This is a partial list of trees, shrubs and ground cover providing shade, flowers, fruit, nuts, insects, nesting sites and fall color. Particularly useful attributes are shown in parenthesis:
Tallest: Oak (acorns and insects), Pine Hickory (nuts), Red Maple (spring color), Sugar Maple (fall color);
Mid-Story: Sassafras (spice bush, swallowtail butterfly), Green Ash, Yellow Birch;
Under-Story: Hackberry (foliage, insects), Redbud (flower), Sourwood (flower, fall foliage), Leatherwood, Witch Hazel (early flower), Mountain Laurel (flower), Rhododendrum (flower), Azalea (flower), Dogwood (flowers and berries), Persimmon (fruit), Serviceberry (flowers and berries), Filbert Viburnum (berries), High-bush Blueberry, Native Holly (berries);
Ground: Wild Ginger, Allegheny Spurge, Low-bush blueberry, Huckleberry, Woodbine, Bugbane, Fern.
Barbara Schlein
Barbara Schlein's Wild Yard
Reduce, reuse and recycle are not just a catch phrase for recycling advocates. They are words by which Barbara Schlein lives her life and educates others to do the same. A member of Hamden’s Clean and Green Commission, Schlein has created a lovely patio on her property using stones given to her by friends over several years. This patio grows annually and with each growth spurt, eliminates a little more grassy lawn which is a strong desire of the gardener.
All of Schlein’s property’s hardscape is designed to be permeable. Rainwater doesn’t run off the land but is absorbed into it. The water conservation idea is carried further with the use of 55-gallon barrels for rain collection and eventual distribution to gardening beds. The barrels can be acquired for free from local arborists. The barrels contained dormant oil used for the elimination of the woolly adelgid. Outfitted with a diverter ordered online from SavetheRain.com and a hose attached to the bottom where a hole has been drilled, this device saves lots of water each year.
Filled with native plants, this Certified Wildlife Habitat, is chemical free; only certified organic products are used. From the vantage point of the house, you would not think you were in a residential neighborhood. The terraced rear yard with fish pond (dug by the homeowner) stepping stone side yards banked with foliage plants and front yard filled with trees and shrubbery (but without a blade of grass) block signs of traffic and the real world. Some the othe homeowner’s favorite plantings are a “Winterthur” Viburnum Nudum whose foliage is the fall is deep red and has berries which turn many different colors and a Mt. Cuba Estate selection, a yellow twig dogwood “gold and silver.” The plantings selected here are testament to the glories of autumn in Connecticut. In addition to saving water, this thoughtful homeowner also makes use of a large mulch pile and saves 30 percent on her electric bill with the use of 29 kilowatt rooftop solar panels.
Reduce, reuse and recycle are not just a catch phrase for recycling advocates. They are words by which Barbara Schlein lives her life and educates others to do the same. A member of Hamden’s Clean and Green Commission, Schlein has created a lovely patio on her property using stones given to her by friends over several years. This patio grows annually and with each growth spurt, eliminates a little more grassy lawn which is a strong desire of the gardener.
All of Schlein’s property’s hardscape is designed to be permeable. Rainwater doesn’t run off the land but is absorbed into it. The water conservation idea is carried further with the use of 55-gallon barrels for rain collection and eventual distribution to gardening beds. The barrels can be acquired for free from local arborists. The barrels contained dormant oil used for the elimination of the woolly adelgid. Outfitted with a diverter ordered online from SavetheRain.com and a hose attached to the bottom where a hole has been drilled, this device saves lots of water each year.
Filled with native plants, this Certified Wildlife Habitat, is chemical free; only certified organic products are used. From the vantage point of the house, you would not think you were in a residential neighborhood. The terraced rear yard with fish pond (dug by the homeowner) stepping stone side yards banked with foliage plants and front yard filled with trees and shrubbery (but without a blade of grass) block signs of traffic and the real world. Some the othe homeowner’s favorite plantings are a “Winterthur” Viburnum Nudum whose foliage is the fall is deep red and has berries which turn many different colors and a Mt. Cuba Estate selection, a yellow twig dogwood “gold and silver.” The plantings selected here are testament to the glories of autumn in Connecticut. In addition to saving water, this thoughtful homeowner also makes use of a large mulch pile and saves 30 percent on her electric bill with the use of 29 kilowatt rooftop solar panels.
See more Wild Yards here.