Designing the Politically Correct Garden

Guest Post by Marie Viljoen of 66 Square Feet 

I have recently completed the design of a park for a long strip of abandoned earth on the Lower East Side of New York City. How that came to be is another story. This post is more a question of why it turned out the way it did.

Directly to the north of the proposed park is an exposed house foundation, open to the New York sky. On it rests a score of tall columns, stone nymphs  and ornate friezes. It belongs to an antiques dealer whose repository of artifacts collapsed because of an overload of weight on all its floors. So a sense of Arcadia pervades the entire, now iconic corner on East Houston Street and 1st Avenue. Tall London plane trees stand in two rows down the length of the lot, and the rest is grass, violets and waldsteinia. It has been unused and sequestered behind a wrought iron fence since the '70s, when the city closed the existing old park because of neighbors’ complaints about the over-prevalent homeless who lit bonfires there in the winter of New York’s discontent, to keep warm.

It was the theme of Arcadia that first inspired me to base my design on a collection of plants that might have been there a long, long time ago. So, native. Or native-ish, as I was not restricting myself to natives of New York State. And I wanted as many of the plants as possible to be edible. At least in theory. And scented. And interesting in all seasons. I wasn’t asking for much.

I would concentrate on shrubs with some punctuation marks of smaller trees, such as dogwoods, witch hazel, pawpaw, amelanchiers, with some not-so-small American persimmon and one sassafras thrown in for good measure in sunnier spaces.  For the shrubs, I wanted to recreate, in part, a beautiful rhododendron walk in Vancouver, B.C.’s Stanley Park.  Rhododendrons would serves as orange and pink foils.  Black haw, Possum haw, and American cranberrybush were added. So were Carolina allspice,  spicebush, mountain laurel, fothergilla, beautyberry, button bush, elder berry, blueberries and oak leaf hydrangea.  All good American citizens. 

Then I hit the brick wall.

Of desire. Scent: OK, fine, I had the allspice. And rhodi’s can smell pretty good, but...I wanted Impact. I wanted people on the sidewalk  to stop and smell, not the roses but...the scented viburnums: specifically  V. x burkwoodii ‘Mohawk’, and V. carlesii (Korean spicebush). Two immigrants. I had already ditched V. dilatatum and its stunning berries after learning  that is has invasive tendencies. But I am a sucker for scent. Then there was the sasanqua camellia “Winter’s Snowman,”which blooms profusely in early December...

That’s when I had to ask myself:  Why do we make gardens?

Back in the day, it was the educated, informed  gardener who showed off the plant collections that boasted representatives from every continent, who cosseted a fragile plant through winter, fanned a hot plant in summer and coaxed a reluctant, alien tree into bearing fruit.

Now? Where does it come from?! Where are its papers? ! How did it get here?! Where are its offspring?!

What is a garden designer to do in this age of It’s Local or your Life?

Hm. I have no consistent answer to this. And the three Asian imposters remain on my plant list and in the layout. I design gardens because I adore plants. And flowers. And fruit. And their combination is a heady one. I try to design gardens for the senses. I want as much as I can get. And, very much, I want those plants to speak to the people who come near them. Even if no one is consciously aware of their transparent voices. I believe that beauty is influential. I believe that scent transports, that color affects.

How do you feel about the exotics when you plan gardens? Guilty? Defiant? Do you think about them at all? Or all the time? Do they have a place in our garden designing (and gardening) lives? Or must we live on the straight and narrow, and not raise our eyes to the distant botanical horizon, and all that it might contain? Or is it a question – with apologies to TS Elliot - of arriving where we started, and knowing the place for the first time?

(Photos by Marie Viljoen.  Top: Houston Street lot.  Middle: Stanley Park in Vancouver.  Bottom left to right: Camellia 'Winter's Snowman', Amelanchier canadensis, Hamamelis virginiana,Viburnum prunifolium.  More Latin names provided below the jump.)

Rhododendrons austrinum, catawbiense and periclymenoides
Black haw (Viburnum prunifolium)
Possum haw (V.nudum),
American cranberrybush (V. trilobum)
Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) 
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) 
Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) 
Elder berry (Sambucus canadensis)
Blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium)
Oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia).

Comments

[how it grows]

I see a lot of people commenting about the pressure to use natives, but frankly, I'm a little perplexed. Go to the local nursery and it's almost all non-native exotics. Many times clients say they want natives, but they immediately lose interest when they start looking at plant choices. They like to stick with the non-native ornamentals they're familiar with. Many times, homeowner associations have have height and spacing requirements that almost require the use of non-native foundations shrubs. It seems to me that the pressure is to use non-natives.

[naomi]

I moved to New Orleans about 10 years ago, and I can't figure out what are natives. Additionally, what grows here on this side is completely different from the North shore, as we're alkaline and usually 5-10 degrees warmer. At the LSU library in Baton Rouge, there are some amazing botanical drawings of state plants, but they are not all natives. I'm making decisions next week about plants, as I'm not sure what of my garden of semi-tropicals will make it after temperatures below freezing for over 10 hours, perhaps as low as 18. AAAAHHHHH! Of course, nothing will kill the monster bougainvillea.

[SteveP]

I know the space you're talking about--I worked in Soho for many years. In it's tumbled-down state, it reminded me of a forgotten garden--congratulations on rescuing it before someone turned the space into a parking lot.

[Risa Edelstein]

I understand the dilemma. As a landscape designer, I adore all kinds of plants and do not want to be limited with my palette. Yet I also want to be eco-friendly and use natives as much as possible (which luckily I do adore). In an attempt to be practical combined with my notion that being a purist is way too limiting, my solution is to try and use 1/3 natives in all my plantings. This has been a pretty good guiding principle for me plus it is really more natives than you find in the typical yard anyways.

[how it grows]

I forgot to add...your project looks great! I hope I get to see it sometime.

[Scott Hokunson]

Marie, Your question, "How do you feel about the exotics when you plan gardens? Guilty? Defiant?", is surely becoming one of the hottest topics in horticulture. It rivals some of the most difficult political issues of the day in some circles. We design with natives and non-invasive exotics, sometimes with defiance, sometimes with guilt, but always with the clients wishes foremost in our minds. I'm afraid there is no simple resolution to the issue of natives vs. exotics, but maybe that is a good thing. We're all better off when we have to think a little. Thanks for your thoughts!

[Melody]

I only garden for myself, but I grow native and non-native plants. I do refrain from growing plants that are invasive or even aggressive. Not all "invasive plants" are invasive in every climate, so I try to use my best judgement. I have gotten rid of plants - even ones I like - if they tend to get out of hand too bad. Some people don't realize that plants they consider native, actually aren't - like many roses and azaleas.

[Michele Owens]

Marie, what a fantastic post! Thank you! And what an amazing space in which to make a garden.

I'm a complete libertarian on the natives versus exotics question: If the exotic in my yard is not threatening your yard, nobody should have anything to say about it.

I had a young gardening friend who was discouraged from using lilacs, for God's sake, in her Hudson Valley yard by a "natives only" person. Lilacs--an essential part of the culture and landscape of the Northeast for eons! "Natives only" people are a bit like PETA--so extreme, they undermine their own cause.

I'm also pretty sure that on the environmental front, we have bigger problems to worry about. Way bigger. I promise to banish all my exotic plants once we've addressed climate change and rid the world of asphalt.

[Joseph Tychonievich]

I personally am totally over the natives thing -- Plant things that are well adapted to your climate, wherever they are from. And given New York city is a radically different environment than what it was before it was a city, it only makes sense that some of the best adapted plants are NOT native.
Also: My favorite thinking on this topic I've seen in a long time is this post by Bert Cregg of The Garden Professors: https://sharepoint.cahnrs.wsu.edu/blogs/urbanhort/archive/2009/12/14/are-natives-the-answer.aspx

[Michelle]

"How do you feel about the exotics when you plan gardens?" It depends. Because my yard backs up onto a largely undisturbed piece of wetland, I feel that I have the responsibility to keep it undisturbed. To that end, I am very cautious about what goes into my yard. As far as possible, I stick with natives. However, if I were on a lot deep in a city, I wouldn't feel the need to be so stringent with my plant choices.

Please don't let the few obnoxious natives-nuts at the end of the spectrum give you the impression that we're all jerks.

[susan morrison]

No question the natives vs. non-natives debate has a tendency to suck all the joy of gardening. But I believe the evolution of our relationship to the natural world is entering a new phase and the passion so many native plant enthusiasts display is a part of it. If you study the history of the built environment, you’ll find that the human race has gone from millenniums of fearing nature to centuries of barely subduing it, to almost wiping it out in the last 150 years. I think it’s exciting that we are finally realizing there is another option – to live in harmony with the world around us. And to interpret that in part as meaning relying less on exotics that must be coddled and more on native plants that actively benefit the soil, create habitat, etc., well, that doesn’t seem so crazy to me.

So to answer your question, what is a garden designer to do in this age of it’s local of it’s your life, I suggest we remind ourselves that we’re not the outdoor version of interior decorators – our job is more than creating attractive outdoor rooms. Even the most modest gardens that we help create impact the environment. The designers I admire most are the ones who use their education, experience, plant knowledge and eye for beauty to create spaces as lovely as your vision of Arcadia, but manage to do it in a way that respects that natural resources of whatever area they practice in.

I participated in a Garden Designer’s BlogLink yesterday on the topic of celebrating regional diversity, and one of the participants, The Germinatrix http://thegerminatrix.com/?p=719 wrote a delightful post on how she came to grips with this in her own garden.

[Foy Update - Cook. Garden. Write. Repeat.]

I look at my vegetable garden and see many places represented.

Americas: beans, squash, potato
Mediterranean: lettuce, garlic
Africa: Okra
Asia: eggplant, cucumbers

I doubt anyone feels guilty about these plants being none natives.

[Susan Tomlinson]

Depends on the exotic.

[Judybusy]

I would never give up all my poppies, lilies, hybrid columbine, dianthus, etc, etc. Also, exotics aren't necessarily less hardy. These, for example, just happened to have evolved in a different, equally harsh climate!

I agree with the commenter who noted we wouldn't want to give up all those vegetables. I would add herbs to that list. Summer without basil? No way!

I think it matters more _how_ one gardens rather than _what_. If I grew all natives, but didn't compost, used artifical fertilizers, pesticides, etc, that would be much more harmful than gardening with exotics in an organic manner.

[Michelle D.]

Diversity. It's a good thing.
But if you live in an eco sensitive area then by all means profile who you let in.

[donna]

If you're on the WUI then planting natives is more important. In a city, who really cares?

[Rebecca Sweet]

Wow - what a beautiful post, with even more beautiful photos. Lovely design - all the way around!

I participated in yesterday's Garden Designer's Blog Link (that Susan M. referred to, above)...and one of the main concepts that so many of us from around the country spoke of was the importance of creating a garden that reflects not only one's personal style (or the client's style, for that matter), but doing so in a sensitive manner.

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong if a person wants to include an exotic plant or two - if it gives them great joy, reminds them of their 'home', whatever the reason. But planting masses of them - in a water restricted area? - may not be the best thing...

It's a delicate balancing act between Culture and Climate, and one that a Designer who's sensitive to their environment can accomplish.

p.s. I love the scent of Camellias - they smell so earthy...like beets! I say go ahead and plant a few!

[Shirley Bovshow "EdenMaker"]

ANY plant is welcome in my garden if it is:

1.Non invasive
2. Adapted to the garden in questions' climate
3. Is not a "water hog" (as compared to my Mediterranean plants, succulents, natives, etc.
4. Legal
5. Low maintenance. Does not require lot's of fertilizing
6. Provides a multi purpose besides beauty- feed me, envelope me in fragrance, feed or shelter wildlife

Plants are like people, if they can live and thrive within the "law of the land" (see above), they are welcome and free to move about my gardens.

All other's require a special Visa and are granted on a very limited basis. Very limited.

Shirley Bovshow
Garden World Report

[zone 9 gardening]

I must admit, I am not 100% native in my yard... But my brother-in-law is. His entire landscape is native to Arizona and is quite drought tollerant! Good for him!

[Town Mouse]

Oh please! Haven't we been down this rabbit hole before? Multiple times? Noone I know believes you must exclude exotics unless there might be troublesome environmental impact.

I plant and encourage CA natives not because I want to be politically correct (hate that term) but because they are beautiful and have great wildlife value. And I do have quite a few non-invasive exotics in my garden, and a few invasives that come over from the neighbors.

[Marie Viljoen]

Insightful and helpful and opinionated comments as always on Garden Rant!

@ How It Grows: the pressure is certainly not from most nurseries and middle-of the road home owners associations, who need more, rather than less education... - it is more in the new-thinking, unwritten 'Constitution' of how we ought to design and garden in principle. Thou Shalt Not, etc etc etc.

And, like everyone else, I hate being told what to do!

A response for Donna and the question of, If it's in a city, who cares?

One of my goals is to garden for the birds. Literally. And New York is on their migratory flight path. Basically, I'd like to help them out with a snack bar. If they are snacking on barberries or 'invasive' viburnums, they're also depositing those seeds on their way south. So the damage, such as it is, travels beyond Manhattan.

To Town Mouse - how I loathe the PC concept and term, too.

[jodi (bloomingwriter)]

I'm seriously allergic to anything smacking of political correctness, and that includes in the garden. Ours is a mixture of natives and new-to-this-region, heritage and funky hybrids. As others have said, I too avoid those that are invasive, but what's invasive in one garden/region is barely hardy in another, in my experience. So when writing about plants, I offer up my experience with them, and if anyone in my region (Atlantic Canada) has had different experiences, I like to hear from them.
Excellent post and equally excellent answers.

[commonweeder]

I live in a rural area filled with native plants, and while I have planted many natives, I have planted exotics as well. I am surrounded by enough natives to maintain the food web that supports local wildlife, and I am careful not to plant non-natives that will be invasive. I think that it the biggest problem with exotics and whether or not people are interested in natives, they should be wary of invasives. Not easy sometimes when I still see plants like invasive bishop's weed (Aegopodium podagraria)and burning bush being recommended and sold by nurseries.

[Rich Pomerantz]

What's a native? How far back does a plant have to go to prove its pedigree? It's likely that the first humans to trudge across the Bering Strait brought some plant materials that were new to this continent with them, not to mention those that floated over or were brought by flying or swimming animals from from other parts of the world. zone 9's brother-in-law may think he's only using natives, but I'd bet some of his garden plants were once invasives that came from somewhere else. Who's to say that any 'native' plant we look at today wasn't once invasive? I'm certainly not advocating a free-for-all & 'may the toughest invasive win' approach, just a bit of common sense & moderation, which I am happy to see most of the prior posters also seem to be advocating. Kumbaya!

[Deirdre]

Who said a plant has to be exotic to be invasive? Where I live, the native horsetail is horribly invasive. Once you have it in your garden, you will never be rid of it. It thrives in the artificial environment of a garden. A garden is, by definition, artificial.

I have some native plants, and I am careful to have only noninvasive exotic plants. A chunk of my garden time is spent weeding out holly, hawthorn, ivy, and himalayan blackberry that the birds bring me. I certainly don't want to add to the problem.