POLONIA’S GARDENS – NATIVE GARDENING
by Renia Senko Hanchak
Wildflowers are gracing our fields, woodlands and popping up at the roadside. I stop in regularly at my favorite nurseries to pick up "just one more plant" for my garden. It’s important to note that not all plants are helpful and some actually have detrimental affects for our region. One example being the non-native Japanese Barberry that has aggressively spread to natural areas and has displaced native plants.
In a recent workshop, “Summer Wildflowers,” Kristen Rosenburg, program coordinator at the Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center in Cheektowaga introduced me to wild flower identification.
Although very beautiful, I learned that many of the specimens are not “native” plants. A plant is considered native if it occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction. Non-native plants were brought to the U.S., some by early settlers for their beauty, as a food source or for medicinal purposes.
Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur. These important plant species provide nectar, pollen, and seeds that serve as food for native butterflies, insects, birds and other animals.
Native plants are advantageous because:
? They provide food and shelter to local wildlife
? They reduce the need for summer watering and winter protection from the cold
? They remove more carbon from the air
? They are beautiful and increase scenic value
? They reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticide (US Forest Service)
My interest in the topic of native gardening was sparked by my classmate from Polish Saturday School, Sister Carol. (You meet the most interesting people at Polish School.) She suggested that I visit her at her convent which is a LEED certified facility.
My friend Sophie and I spent a beautiful sunny afternoon with Sr. Carol Czyzewski and naturalist, Sr. Sharon Goodremote. We first learned of the history of their order which was founded by Sr. Mary Colette of Poland (Austrian partition).
In 1889 she was sent to the U.S. where she established a new order which had a strong affiliation with Polish immigrant communities. The mission statement included a commitment to prayer, service, and care for all creation.
In 2011 when the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamburg were planning a new Motherhouse they wanted it to reflect their call to care for all God’s creation. To be a certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) the development includes criteria for energy and water efficiency, CO2 emission reduction, stewardship of resources and the building site, and improved indoor environmental quality. The surrounding property had to meet specific requirements which was addressed by a landscape company specializing in natural environments.
The building site was entirely cleared to accommodate construction. The landscape was restored to blend with the surrounding natural setting, and was sustainable with minimal care. Indigenous trees, shrubs, and perennials, suitable to the local climate and ecosystem, were planted to provide habitat for wildlife and offset habitat loss.
Sr. Sharon took us on a tour and pointed out the various specimen. We had fun using Sophie’s app to help identify plants we were not sure of. Trees included sugar maple, eastern redbud, northern red oak, and mockernut hickory. The huge assortment of shrubs included Allegheny serviceberry, downy serviceberry, chokeberry, and northern bayberry to name a few. Flowers included the black-eyed Susan, ox-eye sunflower, Solomon’s seal, and wild columbine.
The order has reduced in size and no longer needs the large facility. It remains a home for 33 sisters but Catholic Health has since purchased it and it is now St. Francis Park, a Senior Living facility.
Thank you Sr. Sharon and Sr. Carol for the tour of this peaceful and scenic development and thank you for the chokeberry cuttings. Hopefully this native plant will take root in my increasingly native garden.
Resources:
U.S. Forest Service: www.usda.gov (search for Native Gardening)
Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center, reinsteinwoods @dec.ny.gov
The New York Statewide Invasive Species Program: www.nyis.info
There are several phone apps to help identify plant species. These include: Naturalists (free)
PlantNet (free) and Picture This (subscription)
Native Wildflowers
• Bee-balm (Monarda didyma)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
• Blazing star (Liatris spicata)
• Butterfly-weed (Asclepius tuberosa)
• Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinals)
• Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
• Lance-leaved coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
• New England aster (Aster novae-anglia)
• Purple cone flower (Echnacea purpurea)
• Spotted joe-pye-weed (Eutrochium maculatum)
• Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnate)
• Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
• Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)
Source: Reinstein Woods Summer Wildflowers handout.
Wildflowers are gracing our fields, woodlands and popping up at the roadside. I stop in regularly at my favorite nurseries to pick up "just one more plant" for my garden. It’s important to note that not all plants are helpful and some actually have detrimental affects for our region. One example being the non-native Japanese Barberry that has aggressively spread to natural areas and has displaced native plants.
In a recent workshop, “Summer Wildflowers,” Kristen Rosenburg, program coordinator at the Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center in Cheektowaga introduced me to wild flower identification.
Although very beautiful, I learned that many of the specimens are not “native” plants. A plant is considered native if it occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction. Non-native plants were brought to the U.S., some by early settlers for their beauty, as a food source or for medicinal purposes.
Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur. These important plant species provide nectar, pollen, and seeds that serve as food for native butterflies, insects, birds and other animals.
Native plants are advantageous because:
? They provide food and shelter to local wildlife
? They reduce the need for summer watering and winter protection from the cold
? They remove more carbon from the air
? They are beautiful and increase scenic value
? They reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticide (US Forest Service)
My interest in the topic of native gardening was sparked by my classmate from Polish Saturday School, Sister Carol. (You meet the most interesting people at Polish School.) She suggested that I visit her at her convent which is a LEED certified facility.
My friend Sophie and I spent a beautiful sunny afternoon with Sr. Carol Czyzewski and naturalist, Sr. Sharon Goodremote. We first learned of the history of their order which was founded by Sr. Mary Colette of Poland (Austrian partition).
In 1889 she was sent to the U.S. where she established a new order which had a strong affiliation with Polish immigrant communities. The mission statement included a commitment to prayer, service, and care for all creation.
In 2011 when the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamburg were planning a new Motherhouse they wanted it to reflect their call to care for all God’s creation. To be a certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) the development includes criteria for energy and water efficiency, CO2 emission reduction, stewardship of resources and the building site, and improved indoor environmental quality. The surrounding property had to meet specific requirements which was addressed by a landscape company specializing in natural environments.
The building site was entirely cleared to accommodate construction. The landscape was restored to blend with the surrounding natural setting, and was sustainable with minimal care. Indigenous trees, shrubs, and perennials, suitable to the local climate and ecosystem, were planted to provide habitat for wildlife and offset habitat loss.
Sr. Sharon took us on a tour and pointed out the various specimen. We had fun using Sophie’s app to help identify plants we were not sure of. Trees included sugar maple, eastern redbud, northern red oak, and mockernut hickory. The huge assortment of shrubs included Allegheny serviceberry, downy serviceberry, chokeberry, and northern bayberry to name a few. Flowers included the black-eyed Susan, ox-eye sunflower, Solomon’s seal, and wild columbine.
The order has reduced in size and no longer needs the large facility. It remains a home for 33 sisters but Catholic Health has since purchased it and it is now St. Francis Park, a Senior Living facility.
Thank you Sr. Sharon and Sr. Carol for the tour of this peaceful and scenic development and thank you for the chokeberry cuttings. Hopefully this native plant will take root in my increasingly native garden.
Resources:
U.S. Forest Service: www.usda.gov (search for Native Gardening)
Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center, reinsteinwoods @dec.ny.gov
The New York Statewide Invasive Species Program: www.nyis.info
There are several phone apps to help identify plant species. These include: Naturalists (free)
PlantNet (free) and Picture This (subscription)
Native Wildflowers
• Bee-balm (Monarda didyma)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
• Blazing star (Liatris spicata)
• Butterfly-weed (Asclepius tuberosa)
• Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinals)
• Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
• Lance-leaved coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
• New England aster (Aster novae-anglia)
• Purple cone flower (Echnacea purpurea)
• Spotted joe-pye-weed (Eutrochium maculatum)
• Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnate)
• Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
• Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)
Source: Reinstein Woods Summer Wildflowers handout.