RE: NANFA-- Re: NANFA-Backyard Fun

Crail, Todd (tcrail_at_northshores.com)
Tue, 21 May 2002 17:41:48 -0400

Hi Jeff,

Sounds like you have a pretty neat setup too. I may do a bog down the
road too, because that is a habitat that was close by here (again up in
Ann Arbor), so I may look you up on that one.

L. spicata was the (1) native plant that the Sellers had left me.
Fortunately, she really liked it and I had 4 big clusters to break up.
I do look forward to getting it as tall as it should be in the wetter
soil tho.

I've already obtained Queen of the Prarie, Obedient Plant, Riddels
Goldenrod, Prarie Cord Grass, and some different Asters that are sitting
(and growing) in 20 liter tubs out on my driveway. Plans are for a
large scale invasion of Blue and Cardinal Lobelia, Swamp Blazing Star,
Swamp Milkeweed, Turtlehead, Mountain Mint, Golden Alexander, etc etc.
Should be a pretty good collection of everything nearly extirpated from
Ohio :( There's a couple awesome native nurseries close by in
Michigan (Ann Arbor and Lansing) as well, the Nature Conservancy
Preserve here in Toledo sells plants they've germinated from their seed
collection. So I'll try and support them financially and leave the wild
seeds to sow their own :)

Now if you want to hear about my dune/sand barrens project.... Prolly
should quit buggin all these nice fishheads with this plant stuff ;)

Todd
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeffrey Fullerton
Sent: Tue 5/21/2002 12:03 AM
To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
Cc:
Subject: NANFA-- Re: NANFA-Backyard Fun


> Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 11:08:30 -0400
> From: "Crail, Todd"
> Subject: NANFA-- backyard fun...
>
> Welp, now that we're homeowners and have a whole backyard with
a 5'
> privacy fence around it... I have 1/6 of an acre to tear out
all the
> boring euro-grasses you have to fertilize and water (just so
you can mow
> it more) and put in something fun and restorative to the local
ecology
>
Todd

Looks like you are on your way to a cool setup.

I like the wetland garden you are starting. I have yet to devote
an
entire space to such but have three "bogs" attached to my ponds.
They
are underlaid by a flap of extra liner and filled with sand and
quartz
gravel that is topped with a layer of sandy peat and live
sphagnum.
These are acidic bogs that support a variety of shrubs,
carnivorous
plants, orchids and other bog flora.

>
> The first step was to rip out all the Asiatic ground cover and
wiley
> juniper bushes and get some All-American gold like
coneflowers, black
> eyed susans, bergamont and big bluestem in the front beds.
>
You should try some Marsh Blazing Star- Liatris spicata. They do
well in
both moist and mesic conditions- you can get them as corms at
Walmart or
KMart or maybe even get locality matched genotypes from mail
order
nurseries that specialize in native plants- or collect wild seed
locally
if you really want to get fussy about it. Same for many native
plants.

Good luck with your endeavor.
Also I hope you get a spotted turtle some day. They are one of
my
favorite herps.

Jeff

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