Designing Gardens With Flora of the American East

by Summers, Carolyn

• ISBN13: 9780813547077
• ISBN10: 0813547075
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-01
• Publisher: Rutgers Univ Pr

Summary

Gardeners, with all good fortune and flora, are endowed with love for a hobby that has profound potential for positive change. The beautifully illustratedDesigning Gardens with Flora of the American Eastapproaches landscape design from an ecological perspective, encouraging professional horticulturalists and backyard enthusiasts alike to intensify their use of indigenous or native plants. These plants, ones that grow naturally in the same place in which they evolved, form the basis of the food web. Wildlife simply cannot continue to survive without them-nor can we. Why indigenous plants, you may ask? What makes them so special to butterflies and bees and boys and girls? For Carolyn Summers, the answer is as natural as an ephemeral spring wildflower or berries of the gray dogwood, "As I studied indigenous plants, a strange thing happened. The plants grew on me. I began to love the plants themselves for their own unique qualities, quite apart from their usefulness in providing food and shelter for wildlife." Emphasizing the importance of indigenous plant gardening and landscape design, Summers provides guidelines for skilled sowers and budding bloomers. She highlights . . . "The best ways to use exotic and nonindigenous plants responsibly "Easy-to-follow strategies for hosting wildlife in fields, forests, and gardens "Designs for traditional gardens using native trees, shrubs, groundcovers as substitutes for exotic plants "Examples of flourishing plant communities from freshwater streams to open meadows "How to control plant reproduction, choose cultivars, open-pollinated indigenous plants, and different types of hybrids, and practice "safe sex in the garden" From Maine to Kentucky and up and down the East Coast,Designing Gardens with Flora of the American Eastlays the "gardenwork" for protecting natural areas through the thoughtful planting of indigenous plants. Finally we can bask in the knowledge that it is possible to have loads of fun at the same time we are growing a better world.

Author Biography

Carolyn Summers is a landscape architect and an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
List of Abbreviations	p. xv
Why Should We Garden with Indigenous Plants?	p. 1
Wildlife in Field, Forest, and Garden	p. 13
Hosting Butterflies
Hosting Bees and Moths
Bringing Up Birds
The Aquatic Food Web
Practicing Science in the Garden
Maintaining Wildlife in Your Garden
Uninvited Guests
The Wild Flora Sanctuary
"Safe Sex" in the Garden	p. 39
Understanding Scientific Names
Reproductive Processes in Plants
Cultivated Plant Varieties
Choosing between Cultivars and Open-Pollinated Indigenous Plants
Choosing between Different Types of Hybrid Cultivars
Choosing between Indigenous and Nonindigenous Plants
Principles of "Safe Sex" in the Garden
Maintenance: Preventing Reproduction in Nonindigenous Plants
Showy substitutes for Common Invasive Plants	p. 59
Trees
Shrubs
Vines
Groundcovers
Perennials and Grasses
Invasive Nonindigenous Plants You Won't Find in a Nursery
Designing Traditional Gardens with Indigenous Plants	p. 95
Americans Abroad
Americans at Home
Basic Design Considerations
Elements of Style
Functional Design
Designs Drawn from Indigenous Plant Communities	p. 128
Habitats or Plant Communities
Forest Fragments and Woodland Edge
Successional Plant Communities
Freshwater Streams, Ponds, and Other Wetlands
The Seashore
Shopping for Indigenous Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials	p. 164
Find Trusted Sources of Information
Visiting Nurseries
Deciding Haw Many Plants to Buy
Fruiting Plants
Afterword	p. 177
Appendixes
Circumboreal Plants	p. 179
Nectar Plants That Serve as Hosts	p. 180
Berries for Birds	p. 181
Dioecious Plants	p. 182
Invasive Nonindigenous Plants to Avoid	p. 183
Indigenous Heirlooms	p. 185
Indigenous Plants Suited for Japanese and Chinese Designs	p. 190
Indigenous Plants Suited for Formal Gardens	p. 192
Street Trees	p. 194
Fragrant and Aromatic Plants	p. 196
Indigenous Annuals and Biennials	p. 199
Suggested Sources of Indigenous Plants	p. 200
Indigenous Plants Commonly Sold in Nurseries	p. 202
Bibliography	p. 205
Index	p. 211
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