Loose Leaf Notes

Caton spoke about the environmental benefits of using native plants, the foundation of a healthy ecosystem, as well as the importance of aesthetics in a native garden. He recommended adding bold colors to designs and planting thick, dense and diverse plants to deter deer from freely chomping down. Birdboxes and garden sculptures add to a garden’s attractiveness. Fences and stone walls are framing devices that add structure, he said.

Native plants are tough and can tolerate unadulterated poor soil, as well as fend off weeds and invasive species. Because they bloom at different times and have varying depths of root systems, they can be planted live or by seed on top of one another and don’t need to be mulched, Caton said. “They cool the ground and prevent weed growth.”

“Weeds love rich cultivated soil but native plants don’t need it,” Caton continued. “They grew up on mountainsides, cliff basins and along riversides. They seed themselves. They eventually find the place the they want to be, and if you plant enough different kinds of things, you won’t miss the stuff that doesn’t make it.”

Attendees learned that goldenrod and other flowering plants don’t cause hay fever, but that ragweed, tree and grass pollens do.  “Mountain mints attract beneficial carnivorous insects like wasps,” Caton said, noting that wasps can be part of an effective pest control system. “And they pollinate.”

Caton displayed the design of a native meadow garden that he will be installing at the Church of Christ on route 8, across from Citizens Coop. Another native garden is planned for the Wall Residences office building on route 221. Both projects are initiatives of the Flower Power group with reduced costs being donated by members.

Floyd Flower Power member Jean Woods announced that Caton’s Native Nursery at 1097 Beaver Creek Road will be open to the public on Wednesdays and Sundays 1 – 5 beginning in April.  She reported that Caton gives tours of the greenhouses, shares his knowledge and has plants for sale. “It’s truly an interesting experience. I’ve spent several hours there and it was fascinating,” she said.