With the spring approaching, we are in great anticipation of the emergence of 2,640 bulbs which will cover the Wild Garden site in blooms starting as early as March 2024. Prepare to be dazzled by 15 varieties of daffodils, as well as Muscari, Crocus, Allium, Camassia, Fritillaria, Erythronium, Leucojum, Scilla and more!
Volunteers came out in great numbers last November 2023, along with help from the wonderful team from Heather Whitefield’s Organic Matters and the NPS Horticulturists.
Many of you readers have contributed with donations, volunteer hours, and cheerleading towards our largest site renovation in over 20 years: The Wild Garden. We value the community that has come together to make this happen, and we want to let you know how the work has been going and share where we are in the process. When you visit, it may not be obvious just how much preparation and establishment of the 5400 sq ft area has been completed, so here’s a list of tasks that happened “behind the scenes”:
Summer 2022: removal of 3 major trees (declining), 5 smaller trees (storm damaged) and approximately 15 woody shrubs (non-historic and declining)
Autumn 2022: several truckloads of leaf mold added to the site for soil enrichment
Winter 2022: plastic silage tarp installed to solarize existing lawn
Winter 2023: stump grinding and soil amendment
Winter 2023: extensive hedge weeding, barrier fabric installation, and mulching
Spring 2023: 20 cubic yards of compost added to the area
Spring 2023: tractor tilling to prepare for planting
Spring 2023: planting of 145 trees and shrubs
Spring 2023: water access installation
Summer 2023: deer fence installation around hedges
Summer 2023: nailed in 800 ft of bed edging
Summer 2023: irrigation installed to new plantings
Spring/Summer 2023: cedar mulching and ongoing grass suppression of entire area
NPS Helps with Removal of Declining Maple Tree
This work has been done jointly by our part-time horticulturist, National Park Service horticulture and maintenance staff, several work days with the fabulous Organic Matters team, and our generous and amazing volunteers. We still have a lot to do, but we’re making incredible strides in the right direction! This fall we hope to plant a spring bulb layer and next spring the herbaceous perennial layer will be installed. We can’t wait to share those next plant selections with you, but in the meantime you can learn about the trees and shrubs we’ve planted on our website. Come by the garden and get to know these native plants!
