Marti wrote: “I began planting my garden in 2014. I had attended a presentation and field trip led by Amy Heilman and Mike Bruggink on the role of native plants in the ecosystem. I was so inspired that I made the decision that I would change the way I was gardening and began a journey of learning and gardening that I want to continue to do as long as I can.
I would love to tell you that I planned ahead and followed a design plan, but that isn’t what happened. I’ve gradually planted, made mistakes, removed things, moved plants around and continued to plant more varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers.
I think of my gardens as a living “being” that changes, grows, and even dies in places. My urban space is rather compact, but it keeps evolving and getting more interesting all of the time.”
Event Recap: Thank you to our former president, Marti MacArthur, for hosting a Walkabout at her home in Grand Rapids on Aug 2.
Marti’s urban front yard showcases sun-loving plants such as black-eyed Susans, wild petunia, gray-headed coneflower, swamp rose mallow, shrubby St. John’s wort, wild strawberry and others—all in a small space! Walking to the backyard, visitors were greeted by a huge beautiful display of Joe Pye weed in an area which receives more sun, now that her neighbor has cut down an ash tree and a Norway maple. In the more shady areas, we saw bottlebrush grass, wild ginger, twinleaf, bloodroot, Jack-in-the-pulpit and Canada anemone. Virginia waterleaf and violets serve as ground covers.
Marti has made good use of native shrubs and trees, including a hazelnut, several American cranberry, New Jersey tea, witch hazel, red twig dogwood, and a hawthorn tree. Behind the garage is a steep hillside where she has continually been removing English ivy and the invasive non-native lesser Celandine poppy and has planted a hemlock, a basswood and many sedges. Marti said she planted native trees and shrubs with the thought that some day when she moves, the new owners would be more apt to leave trees and shrubs than native forbs.
Kudos to Marti—her diverse native garden has created a haven for pollinators and birds and a tranquil place for humans—right in the city!
