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| Fringecup, a relative of Coral bells, grows "wild" in wooded areas all around Cedar Mill. It is used in this naturescaped garden along with a moss-covered stump. |
Naturescaping—not just for birds, bees and rivers
By Gretchen Vadnais, Landscape Architect
Naturescaping provides many benefits to humans and animals. Birds and bees need food and shelter. You might walk past a yard in your neighborhood that is alive with bird song and activity and another yard that is mostly silent. The lively yard has trees, shrubs, and groundcovers that the birds recognize and use. It has tasty bugs for Chickadees and leaf litter for Towhees to scratch in.
Naurescaping offers us a chance to replace some of the habitat that is lost when we build and pave. It also means using less water in the summer, since our Northwestern natives are adapted to the summer drought, once they are established. And since native plants have evolved within the ecosystem, they’re not usually bothered by insects, diseases, and other problems, so they don’t require a lot of chemicals.
It is not necessary to use native plants exclusively to achieve good results. There are ornamental plants that are disease resistant and adapted to low water use. But once you start to investigate natives, you’ll be amazed at the number of flowers and the long bloom time among the natives. Oregon grape, Douglas Iris, Camas, Flowering Currant, native roses, Fringecup, Mock Orange, Ocean Spray, and Serviceberry all grow naturally in the Cedar Mill area, and provide blooms from February until almost July.
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District offers free Naturescaping workshops in east Portland—you don’t have to be a Portland resident to take the day-long session. I am part of a team that is planning to offer shorter introductory sessions in the Tualatin Valley, beginning later this year. Please contact me if you are interested and we’ll be sure to let you know when we begin to schedule the sessions. Email me at gretchen@gvla.net
More information about native plants is available from the Native Plant Society of Oregon.
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