Native Gardens and Natural Areas

Once you get to know your native plants and natural communities, they give you an idea of how your hometown may have looked before we altered too much of the  land - a time when the South still had plenty of wild spaces that we depended on for food and medicine.  The native plants of this time were  so abundant and diverse they provided for our ancestors just like  they always  have for wildlife and pollinators.  Our native plant communities of today are a fraction of what was here historically, but they make up some of the only native habitat we have left in the region. I usually find remnants of our native plant communities on roadsides, in power lines, or along the banks of creeks and streams.    

I specialize in designing native habitat gardens and managing natural areas in the Loess Plains, specifically in North Mississippi and Southwest Tennessee.  The Loess Plains Ecoregion designated by the EPA - the land shares distinct natural communities and environmental conditions.  I know the surrounding Ecoregions well enough to do the same work, but haven’t studied them as intensively.  The Loess Plains is one of the most drastically altered Ecoregions in the South.  Crop fields, pasture, disturbed sites, and rapid development have replaced almost all of the Native Habitat.  Because of this, discovering remnants of our native plant communities is very rewarding.  It’s important that they’re documented and protected, because we’re losing them here at an alarming rate.  

I apply what I’ve learned from studying these local sites to landscape design and managing for native habitat.  When possible, I incorporate native plants from local populations into gardens and  landscapes.  They are grown from collected seed, and will often have a unique story to tell.  I’ve really enjoyed doing this kind of work for the last 10 years.  If scheduling a consult, I’ll have a portfolio of my work available when we meet.