Eileen M. Stark - Real Gardens Grow Natives: Design, Plant, & Enjoy a Healthy Northwest Garden

REAL GARDENS GROW
natives

REAL GARDENS GROW
natives

design, plant & enjoy a healthy northwest garden

EILEEN M. STARK

for the wild ones

CONTENTS

Black-tailed bumblebee on seashore lupine (Lupinus littoralis)

ANIMALS, NO MATTER WHAT FORM THEY TAKEFROM adorable frogs, charismatic owls, and little pussycats to slippery slugs and tiny spidershave been my passion for as long as I can remember. I find the wild ones particularly fascinating, and knowing what enormous stresses and threats they face has only heightened my reverence; ironically but unsurprisingly, our appreciation for biodiversity tends to grow with an increased knowledge of habitat destruction and tragically high extinction rates. My infatuation with native plants came a bit more recently, since growing up in a Midwestern city, surrounded by mostly alien species, limited my exposure. But I did spend time exploring our yard as a child, squishing snowberries between my fingers for the popping sound they made, tasting the nectar of phlox flowers, and playing in the birdbath, much to my mothers dismay (and no doubt the birds).

Occasional visits to nearby natural areas and annual treks through northern Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where my maternal grandmother lived, provided fodder for a growing respect for wild places. In high school I devoured biology lessons and read John Muir, and in college that first ecology course felt so right. It would be a little while, though, before I would fully grasp the facts: That native plants are entirely inseparable from native animals, and that too many people using too much spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.

Humans want the entire planet to themselves. The small percentage of land that is not developed, fragmented, or otherwise degradedprotected areas, national parks, and other conservation areassimply cannot save the wild species that are disappearing at alarmingly fast rates. At the root of the current extinction crisis is the burgeoning human footprint. When our population was a mere five billion in the mid-1980s, it was estimated that our resource depletion was more than the planet could take; now at seven billion, we are far beyond what the earth can possibly sustain without calamitous repercussions. Studies predict that, by 2050 and at current consumption levels, ten billion people will require the equivalent of up to twenty-seven planet Earths. I firmly believe there is not one wild plant or animal that would not breathe a sigh of relief if humans were to vanish tomorrow.

We all bring pollution, pipelines, climate change, and other unnatural damage to the planet, and weespecially those of us in affluent countriesneed to change nearly everything about the way we live. That task is unimaginably immense. Considering the magnitude of our global ecological problems, is it futile to try to make our local ecosystem more diverse and attractive? A drop in the bucket? Probably, but if the thought of extinction due to our actions is horrifying, or at least shameful, consider doing a bit of local conservation work at home, where you can garden more empathetically and effectively, but no less enjoyably. Real Gardens is about bringing life to places where it once thrived and providing vulnerable creatures what they need to survive and raise young, all while giving you the nature fix you need. It may not offer instant gratification (although its amazing how quickly pollinators will find flowers!); for this you will need a little time and patience, because decades of damage cannot be undone overnight. But your actions will have lasting effectssome of which youll never witnessdown the road and downstream.

This book is not about me and my garden, although I share the personal and practical experience Ive gained in twelve years of turning my mundane Portland yard into a humane and sustainable one, and from my work on clients gardens as well. As you might expect, designers do not always practice what they preach, and Im no exception, so learning from my mistakes will hopefully prevent yours, as you learn what works best in your unique site. The goal is to help you consider the ecology of your site, and then design, implement, and sustain a garden that enhances the immediate environment and results in tangible benefits. For larger landscapes there is additional advice gleaned from the principles of restoration ecology.

But this is not a restoration manual. In many ways, it is a be-kind-to-animals book. After working in the animal protection field for many years, I can tell you that ignorance is often the root cause of mistreatment of animals (when its not greed), whether intentional or not. Usually, the more we know about something, the more respect and compassion we will develop for it. Authors such as Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods) have articulated the profound lack of nature in our lives, especially in childrens lives. Besides being linked to attention disorders, depression, and obesity, nature deficit disorder is a real danger to the future of the natural world. Without the compassion that comes with understanding, future adults will have little respect for other species.

Young children do not have an innate fear of naturethey learn that wild things are scary or creepy. Negative responses to insects or spiders, or anything else, are passed down by example. I once volunteered with educators at the Denver Audubon Society who sought to teach inner-city children to respect and value wildlife. Aged approximately four to seven, they had never been to the nearby Rocky Mountains, let alone out of the city. The initial angst I felt about trying to reach kids I expected would fear or be repulsed by the neighborhood insects I would introduce them to turned out to be completely unwarranted. To my surprise and delight, they were intensely interested and seemed to be charmed by the insects, not the least bit afraid or squeamish. Clearly, teaching little ones to be kind and gentle to creatures they may meet while playing not only prevents unnecessary harm, but possibly also future cruelty to animals, which often begins in early adolescence. If fear can be learned, so can compassion, which will lead to a more protective attitude toward wildlife conservation in adulthood.

Writing this book has strengthened my relationship with the natural world and reminded me how intimately our choices affect intensely vulnerable flora and fauna that provide the essential ecological services and quality of life upon which we depend. I fought back tears while researching the disturbing extent to which biodiversity is quickly fading, trying not to imagine the world without so many wondrous life forms that have flourished for eons, only to be extinguished in an evolutionary minute. Having an awareness of the things we do wrong can help us do them rightat least in our neck of the woods. Although modern life doesnt require an understanding of and appreciation for wild things like other eras and cultures did, we are all deeply dependent on the natural world, and that cannot be ignored. Opening our eyes and hearts to the plight of wild ones reveals a whole new world.