Patty Iverson - Native Landscaped Gardens

Written By Derek Eder

Patty Iverson from The Climate Reality Project Chicago Metro Chapter joined OPCAN for our April 2024 monthly meeting to discuss regenerative agriculture, its impact on the climate, and how to do your part by starting your own native garden.

Here are the slides from her presentation.

Patty has also put together a comprehensive resource guide for native gardening, which we’ve shared below and also available as a PDF.

Native Gardens Landscaping Guide Resources for Illinois

Why Plant Native Plants at Home?

  • Native prairie, woodland and wetland plants have evolved to thrive in our natural conditions and, after the first two or three seasons of establishment in your yard, typically require less maintenance than a conventional lawn or garden.

  • Native plants do not require chemical fertilizer or pesticides as they are less prone to disease and pests, and can save you money in the long-term, while helping the environment and creating a healthier place for yourself, your family, and your community..

  • Native plants can be quite beautiful and lend your backyard a sense of place rooted in natural history, while providing food and shelter to support birds and beneficial insects (e.g. dragonflies that eat mosquitoes) and keystone pollinators essential for healthy ecosystems.

  • Native and other deep-rooted plants help direct rainwater into the soil and if planted in a rain garden in conjunction with a disconnected downspout, native plants are especially effective for managing stormwater. Deep root systems absorb more carbon than non-native species and help prevent flooding.

  • Native plants provide nature corridors enabling species to move between naturalized areas.Most native bees have a range of about 750 meters, so the goal is to connect properties that are no farther apart than that have established pollinator-friendly habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinating insects and wildlife.

How Do I Create a Native Garden?

  1. Select a type of garden: rain garden, songbird, butterfly or pollinator garden
    Resources:
    National Audubon Society - Chicago Region
    The Monarch Prairie Kit - Create a Natural Place to Learn

  2. Choose native plants to fill your garden based on whether your garden gets full sun, partial shade, or complete shade.

    Resources:
    Conservation@Home
    Wild Ones
    The Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee

  3. Find plants uniquely suited to supporting wildlife (monarchs etc) in your region (Keystone plants)

    Resources:
    Keystone Plant by Ecoregions
    Shedd Aquarium: Keystone Native Plants
    Homegrown National Park: Native Plant Resource Directory

    Doug Tallamy: The keystone is that stone in the middle of the Roman arch and if you take it out, the arch collapses. If you take keystone plants out of your local food web, the food web collapses, because they are producing most of the caterpillars that run that food web. There is a lot of buzz about keystone plants. Here is a handy list of some of them from the National Wildlife Federation.

Water Conservation: follow your water

It’s easy to keep rainwater on your property so you can use it or let it soak into the ground. Here are some ideas:

  • Redirect downspouts to gardens and plant sedges to sequester water.

Eco-friendly lawns and chemical use

“The positive effect of soil carbon sequestration on the climate footprint of intensively managed lawns was found to be negated by greenhouse gas emissions from management operations such as mowing, irrigation, and fertilization...The short uniform lawn through its monoculture and intensively managed lawnscapes has dislodged the majority of native zonal plant communities in urban environments.”So...

Native Garden Landscapers

Where can I buy native plants, trees, and shrubs?

Landscaping HOA Properties

“If you decide to develop a landscape plan for your entire property, get photos of nicely designed yards in your community with wildlife gardens or native plants to show members of the board what your yard is going to look like,” she says. “This makes a world of difference in getting the plan approved.” Hansen also suggests including photos of native plants you intend to use. “It helps the members of the board visualize the yard” and shows them that the new plants will be attractive, especially if you use varieties with colorful blooms and berries.” Gail Hansen, an associate professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Environmental Horticulture

The National Wildlife Federation last May published a Guide to Passing Wildlife-Friendly Property Maintenance Ordinances, which provides model ordinances as well as landscape plans. “There’s no need to reinvent the wheel,” says Patrick Fitzgerald, NWF’s senior director of community wildlife. “Take these model plans and adapt them to your community.” The guide also includes advice for adding natives to an HOA’s list of permissible plants, especially the milkweeds that sustain monarch butterflies, too often classified as noxious or nuisance plants.

Save money by taking out the dated landscaping and replacing it with native plants that require less water and can thrive without expensive fertilizers and pesticides.

National Wildlife Association: Greening Your Homeowners Association, Doreen Cubie

Design Tips to Please Your HOA, Carol Bornstein, horticulturist, garden writer, educator and designer. California Native Plant Society

  • Start by analyzing your site’s soils, exposures, microclimates, topography, etc

  • How much time or money will you devote to tending your garden?

  • Decide what you want from your new garden: Habitat for wildlife?

  • Choose a color scheme.

  • Strive for a simple, harmonious composition of repeating forms, colors, and textures.

  • Emphasize foliage.

  • Focus on form.

  • Limit the use of plants with a scruffy dormant phase — or plan for it.

  • Incorporate some formality into the design,

  • Use a garden ornament — bird bath, sundial, a colorful pot

  • Are there any exotic plants in the HOA common areas that might fit in?

  • Know your plants.

Toward a Native Plant Friendly HOA, Indiana Native Plant Society

Additional helpful resources

How to Start a Native Garden From Scratch (Growit Buildit)
This is a beginners guide to start a Native Plant Garden. In this article I will go through all the steps you need to know to make a Native Plant Garden from scratch.

EPA: Landscaping With Native Plants

This whole document is awesome from defining a native plant and a non-native and invasive plant to a list of natives and then which natives will attract what wildlife and also a chart for where to plant natives - sun, shade,.. It also gives examples of native gardens created throughout Northern Illinois.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources: For Your Garden

This site gives a wealth of information on Illinois native species which you can access by scrolling through the list alphabetically or accessing species by garden type.

Chicago Wilderness: Native Landscaping Guide

NATIVE LANDSCAPE & ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION GUIDE Recommendations for Contractor Selection, Project Specifications, Performance Standards, Monitoring and Management Guidelines, and Institutional Arrangements Prepared by the Native Landscape & Restoration Contractor Selection Guide Working Group

Under Native Plant Garden you can read about the ideas behind plantings for Native, Woodland, Prairie and Pollinator sections of the garden.

Sourcebook on Natural Landscaping for Local Officials, Northeastern Illinois University
Natural landscaping minimizes the environmentally detrimental effects of pesticides and fertilizers, as well as the noise pollution and the emission of air-polluting substances from lawn maintenance equipment. It virtually eliminates the need to use water for irrigation, as is required for turf grass lawns. While not maintenance free, natural landscaping requires less time and money for ongoing maintenance than conventional landscapes.

Field Museum: A Selection of Native Shrubs and Noteworthy Non-native Shrubs

Great resource of mostly native shrubs (non-native shrubs are indicated in red ink) of the Chicago area. It provides pictures, information about the size and flowers, and preferred soil/sun for each species. 2008

Wild Ones - West Cook: Wildlife Corridor

West Cook Wild Ones engages residents and organizations in creating landscapes that feature native shrubs, trees, plants, and grasses as a way to increase biodiversity in the Oak Park/River Forest area (including Chicago, Berwyn and other surrounding towns). We hope that with enough yards acting as habitats for wildlife, we can support populations of beneficial species who are here either as year-long residents or as migrants.

Corridors work by increasing connectivity between patches that are isolated because of habitat fragmentation, due primarily to urbanization, agriculture, and forestry (Conservation Corridor). Habitat fragmentation impacts animal and plant populations because they are not able to rebound from habitat disturbance (e.g., fire) or disease since the organisms cannot move easily from one area to another. Since populations are cut off from each other, reduced genetic diversity is another result. Habitat fragmentation due to human activity is an ever-increasing threat to biodiversity, so habitat/wildlife corridors are a possible mitigation.

Landscaping With Native Plants to Ward Off Invasives and Benefit Wildlife: A Homeowners Guide.

Native plants evolved over thousands of years in a particular region or ecosystem. They are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions, and often require fewer inputs like fertilizer and irrigation compared to nonnative plants. Properly selected and installed native plants are highly competitive, ornamental without being weedy, and attract beneficial insects and pollinators. Dense, native-forward landscaping is the best protection against invasive plants taking hold. Invasive plants are non-native, able to thrive in a variety of conditions, grow quickly, and spread to the point of disrupting plant communities or ecosystems. When planning your landscaping, if you cannot work entirely with native species, it is critical that you avoid the dozens of invasive plants that are still popular in trade, such as burning bush, Callery pear, and wintercreeper.

Xerxes Society

A great resource for native plant gardens and everything you need to know to establish one. “Native plants are the foundation of diverse habitats that support pollinators, beneficial insects and other wildlife. This searchable database will help you find businesses, organizations, and networks in Canada, the United States, and Mexico that supply native plants, native seeds and related services. Find local native plant nurseries, nearby plant stores, seed retailers, landscapers specializing in native gardens, and more using our filterable tool.”

Derek Eder
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