post and photos by Donna Short, Chapter member and volunteer
Home of Lori Stringer
Wednesday May 11 (37 attendees)
Saturday May 14 (26 attendees)
Standing in front of Lori’s home we’re attracted to the Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) and its unique blooms, complimented by a driftwood piece.
We step into the yard and are immediately awed by two ponds surrounded by very large boulders and a variety of native plants. The ponds were created by Chris Siewing, owner of Re-Create Nature. One pond is chlorinated and suitable for a dip and the other pond is natural. As you can see there are countless trees, shrubs and plants throughout the landscape.
Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia ‘Argentea’) marks the entrance to the path in the rear of the ponds.
Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) is in full bloom!
Due to the pond construction, Lori lost several trees which resulted in a change of environment from shade to sun and brought new challenges as plants adapted. Some plants became quite unruly – such as Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) (left) and the Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) (right).
One of Lori’s goals was to attract birds and other pollinators to her garden. After reading Bringing Nature Home, by Douglas Tallamy, Lori understood how critical native plants are to a bird-friendly environment and how the plants attract the insects that she describes as “baby bird food”. False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) and Strawberry Bush (Euonymus americanus) shown below are adapting to a change in environment.
Find out more here on Lori’s discovery of native plants, her challenges and a complete list of plants.
