Native Gardens for a Public Space – It takes a Community

A once-grassy area at a public park along Massachusetts’ South Coast is now a native plant garden thanks to the efforts of a community group and local grant funding.

The Fairhaven Green Lanterns, dedicated to using native plants to beautify area parks, with guidance and plants from Tree Talk Natives converted a sad, shady patch of grass into a garden full of native plants that will attract butterflies, native bees and other critters. 

The space, at Cushman Park in Fairhaven, was triangular in shape and believed to be mostly dry.  The plan was to add drought tolerant native plants to two corners of this triangular area, totaling approximately 100 square feet.

In assessing the area, the group observed that at least one portion of the area was shadier than the rest and not only not droughty but actually poorly drained.

Tree Talk Natives created a plant list that took these conditions into account, choosing plants that thrive in full to part shade, with a few preferring damp areas.  Height was a major consideration as the Green Lanterns wanted to maintain visibility throughout the park.

Let Your Conditions Drive Your Choices

In the wettest, shadiest corner, the group planted Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) — a striking, early yellow blooming plant that actually wants wet feet, making it the perfect fix for the pooling water after a rain.  In a dry spell, Marsh Marigold may go dormant but will re-emerge as the wet comes back.

For the rest of the area they used plants that tolerate partial shade (3 to 4 hours of sun daily) and moist conditions:

• Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) — an underused native with snapdragon-like white blooms

• Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) and Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) — both of which are striking and tolerate a range of moisture levels

• Monkey Flower (Mimulus ringens) — another moisture-lover with cheerful blue flowers

• Closed Bottle Gentian (Gentiana clausa) — a late-season bloomer whose flowers never fully open (bumblebees have to force their way in, which is as fun to watch as it sounds)

• Spotted St. John's Wort (Hypericum punctatum) — bright yellow summer blooms

• Fringed Sedge (Carex crinita) — a textural, grass-like native that handles damp soil well

• Common Rush (Juncus effusus) – added for dramatic, visual interest and its effectiveness in a garden

• Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris) and Cream Violet (Viola striata) as groundcovers, filling in low and keeping weeds down.  Cream Violet, which got the most real estate, has the added advantage of being evergreen

Drier, a Bit More Sun

In this area, toward the back of the triangle, the group planted a mix of plants thriving in sunnier but still not full sun and drier soils.  They also repeated the Cardinal Flower and Great Blue Lobelia for cohesion throughout the site--the bold, red blooms on Cardinal Flower and the deep blue of Blue Lobelia, blooming at the same time of year, create a sense of intentional design rather than two separate gardens stitched together.

Also for continuity they planted Heal-All and Cream Violet throughout the entire planting.  And, they made sure to put the tallest plants in the center so as not to block the view of the shorter plants around the sides.

In the Center:

• Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) – lovely early summer bloomer that’s among the best plants for at-risk native bees

• Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) – possibly the tallest of our bunch but should not compromise visibility because of its airy, spike-like blooms

• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) also widely recognized and a magnet for butterflies, hummingbirds and bees, even though its native range is more southern

• Cardinal Flower & Blue Lobelia 

Toward the Outside:

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) – a cheerful plant with yellow rays and among the most recognizable of all the natives

• Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) — a great go-to for mostly sunny gardens because it blooms early in the season

• Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans) – with its lovely blue blooms and luscious foliage that someone, at some point, determined look like the ladder Jacob dreamed of as a way to climb to Heaven

• Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) — a lovely plant, nodding its head and tolerating conditions ranging from moist to dry

• Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) — a flower with grass-like foliage and sweet, blue spring flowers that can tolerate drought

• Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) — a late-season bloomer well-behaved in a garden setting

• Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) — blue, late season to complement the yellow from the goldenrod, and also well-behaved for a garden

The Unexpected Centerpiece

A big surprise came when Mark Lavallee, community garden volunteer and native plant enthusiast, showed up with a Serviceberry tree he donated as a centerpiece for the garden.

A Garden Built By and For the Community

This project was a genuine team effort. The Green Lanterns, along with community volunteers, prepared and planted the garden -- along with the final layer, 10 bags of mulch to protect the new plantings and give the bed a clean, finished look right from day one.

Over time, as the plants mature and the ground covers spread, there should no longer be any need for mulch.  Instead, the ground covers will do the work of the mulch -- keeping the soil cool and moist and suppressing weeds while also supporting pollinators and providing other ecological benefits.

Funding for this project came from a grant from the Fairhaven Cultural Council.

If your group has a grant or a project in mind — even one that might need to evolve once you see the site — Tree Talk Natives would love to help. Reach out and let's talk about what's possible for your space.

About the author

Jennifer Anderson owns Tree Talk Natives, a native tree and plant nursery along Massachusetts' South Shore. A former news reporter, she loves to write and talk about native plants. Jennifer also gives garden consultations and presentations on native plants. She can be reached at jennifer@treetalknatives.com.