On Earth Day : Curb Appeal and Earth Care Go Together
Phyllis Sickerman, a long term gardener and resident of Port Washington, NY, who started gardening 26 years ago primarily for nice curb appeal on her beautiful prominent front yard. Over time, she realized there was much more and moved on to perennial gardening. She says, “Gardening has become an Important part of my life providing me with an opportunity to bond with Mother Nature as well as helping and preserving Mother Earth!” Over time, she moved on to perennial gardening including native plants, added a vegetable garden, and is now adding composting and Bokashi to complete the process. She donates extra food to Plant a Row, an organization devoted to growing fresh local food for families in need. Phyllis was a ReWild Pioneer last year, and loves the biodiversity this brings in.
On the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22nd, Phyllis shares her rewilding experiences so that those starting out can be assured that earth care and curb appeal can definitely go together!
Today I went outside to see how my garden was growing and saw my first bee buzzing around the plants. Now I am looking forward to seeing more pollinators, birds returning home, and plants sprouting up. Everyday I go outside, I see something new growing. I eagerly wait for my next surprise.
The front garden is divided into different areas with names, so my husband knows what I am talking about. This area was designed using mainly perennial flowers,(echinacea, knock out roses, astilbe,hydrangeas, love, and lots of luck. Looking back, I realized that subconsciously, that I did not want a well manicured perfect garden, as it did not fit my personality and I wanted to respect nature and mother Earth. As a result of rewilding, this organic area did not change that much. A few native plants were added but the results remain to be seen. My favorite new addition is a small prickly pear cactus plant.
The next area is the Arc, and that is closest to the walkway. This area also had perennial plants but was overgrown with lilies. I do like lilies but enough is enough. My husband cleared out parts of this area leaving room for native plants. We planted and when they bloomed they were beyond amazing. Unfortunately, they were one hit wonders and died.Now, other colorful native plants, asters and others are starting to bloom. Not quite sure what they all are, but still enjoy them and so far have been pleasantly surprised, and know this will continue. I did add multi colored coneflowers as needed a burst of color.
The third area is around the cherry tree. Hostas surround the tree and always continue to flourish. It was suggested I add some additional native plants and some are starting to return. Although I was unsure whether to do it at first, by the time they were all planted I was sure it was the right decision. Now, I have some color although many did not survive. I will continue to plant additional native species in this area to attract more birds and butterflies
The last area is by the bay window and this was the big project as we had cleared out a lot of space to make room for an abundance of new native plants I wanted to change the landscape but was experiencing gardeners block. Along came Rusty and the ReWild Long Island team with suggestions. The area was totally cleared, cardboard was laid down and then covered with mulch. A blank slate, tabula rasa. This was the area that was most important and also the most disappointing. It still looks like it needs more plants-as it lacks color, variety, scent and flowers. It has a border of Aquilegia Canadensis (columbine)and I am not convinced a border was the way to go. Many rewilders came home from vacations and found their gardens overgrown and flourishing. I wish I had the same experience but each day I find more plants not surviving. I know I need to be patient and think of this area as a work in progress. As of now some plants are returning. I will continue to add native plants to this area.
There is one more area which remains nameless and that is my favorite spot. It is a small pagoda surrounded by sea glass and glass beads surrounded by slate stones, found in my backyard. Originally, I used sea glass collected at various beaches but found it was more difficult to find, perhaps the positive effect of recycling. The squirrels also liked hiding them. So colored beads were added. To me, It brings the element of water into my garden.
Last but not least, the driveway is flanked by two recycled tires, now my favorite planters. The project was done with my daughter when she was in high school. We had fun sawing, turning the tires inside out, and cutting them to resemble flowers. It reminds me of days past but still puts a smile on my face. Years later, my husband helped me to paint the tires for the final touch.
I will now comment on the overall project and I will be brief. I found it very difficult to chose which plants to use even with the help of the wonderful master gardeners. In addition, it took four intelligent adults to interpret the master plan to figure out the proper placement of the new plants. Then the task of planting was overwhelming and stressful. Everyone was planting at the same time as well as many community projects occurring.
Was it worth it. Yes!
Will I continue? Definitely!!!
And I am continuing to work with the ReWild team and adding more native plants to my garden daily. The spirit continues!