Don't take it for granted

If you are fortunate enough to reside in rural area I would like to say, “How lucky for you!”

You, my friend, are among the most fortunate from the point of view of nature. If you've lived there forever it may not be as noticeable, but you are living in a fantasy land of native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, along with the creatures that live among you.

Now that autumn is coming to a close it is a bit more obvious that the bare limbs are showing their elegance, which is a wonderful experience. While the leaves of deciduous growth have already or are in the process of dropping from the trees you can rest assured that nature is in control.

Those leaves, whether in a forest or your own backyard are enriching the earth for future growth. They decompose into rich soil and loam, ready to be converted by the likes of insects, worms, fungi and millions of bacteria.

When I was a child I remember hearing adults talk about going “out into the woods” to dig some soil or a tree seedling or other small plant. You never heard them say they were going “out in the yard” to do so. Unwittingly they were confirming the fact that trees and other plants make good soil for growing the life that sustains us.

I have recently seen some posts online about leaving the leaves on the ground for the creatures that live there. One in particular has the headline, “These Animals are Made Possible by Fallen Leaves.” It was published by a site called healthyyards.com. I'll share the meme here.

The site encourages more of a co-existence between nature and the mega-poison practice of using poisons and unneeded fertilizers to present a lush, “weed-free” lawn.

Lawn. As a disclaimer I would like to say that, in my earlier years, I was guilty of falling for the practice of the perfect yard. I sprayed, spread and mowed and pruned as a living, providing the perfect yard for others.

At the time I didn't realize the damage I was doing to the environment, not to mention myself. I regularly attended classes on the proper use of pesticides in order to legally apply them to the properties of others.

However, any Tom, Dick or Harry can go down to the local big box store (and some little box stores) and legally purchase a lethal cocktail of these substances to their heart's content.

Uh oh. I've strayed a bit. That subject is for another day.

Anyway, back to the fortunate.

I have many friends who are lucky enough to take the time to explore the trails, streams and waterways of our area. I do envy them. They get to see things that many can only dream of. I do get out from time to time, but only close to home and for short walks in the wooded areas.

If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with loads of natural beauty, please don't take it for granted. Let your eyes stray past the roadsides and appreciate the beauty that many merely pass by each day without seeing it.

And if you have the time and ability, get out of the car, or off the porch, and enjoy nature. Don't take it for granted.

Etched in Stone

It was a bittersweet moment when Daniel and I loaded the last pieces of our retail space onto the trailer for the slow trek back home. The old trailer wobbles pretty bad unless the speed is right at 48 or 49 miles per hour. Lots of dirty looks from those whizzing by in the passing lane, but they'll get over it. I did.

Even though it is the prime time of year to plant native trees and shrubs, most people don't think about it when the weather goes from cool to downright cold. Everyone's thinking Christmas now. Sales have dwindled to nearly none, and it was time to finish up.

The wind was whipping as we took the frame for the shade house apart. Daniel was a huge help, being young and strong, not the aging, aching old man that I'm becoming. We took everything from the site except an old chopping block that worked as a plant stand. It will require a trip of its own.

Ordinarily the frame and display tables would stay in place over the winter, ready for the spring rush. But this time it's not ordinary. It's the last go round for this spot.

I've been fortunate to have the space available for retail sales. The plants are grown in the small nursery then taken over for sale. We tried to beat the heat and water, although sometimes the plants have suffered from hot, dry days.

No, this time the spot is gone. The place we've been selling through will be uprooting after Christmas, moving to a new location. A location that doesn't have space for an outdoor plant sales area. It has made me sad, already missing the space that has provided this opportunity for the past few years.

It's time to do different. Sure, small houseplant-sized succulents and the like can be briefly displayed for sale indoors, but the primary plants: larger, sprawling (in some cases) plants in containers measured by gallons, not inches, will have to be marketed differently.

That's the focus of life lately. I am considering several options, but nothing is etched in stone yet. Stay tuned . . .

Winter's Coming

Winter weather arrived this week, in a good way and a bad way, depending on how you look at it.

I have so many tasks piled up from the past growing season, what many would consider bad has actually been good for me. I am reducing some of the work that needs to be done.

It's all because of my plant-collecting gene. What I like in the plant world is not necessarily what others prefer, so I buy in a lot of plants that grow more as annuals instead of focusing 100% on the natives I love.

Take dragon-wing (or angel-wing) begonias. For the past two seasons I have bought in hundreds of plugs to pot up, only to have the finished product sit in their pots, unsold, for months.

It's no fault of the begonias. They're pretty. They grow. Some grow big. But I've only got room for so much.

Succulents are a different story. While I have only one native variety, which I haven't offered for sale yet, I also have others that can take the cold, along with some that can't.

Now, the bad thing to some people is the fact that I make no effort to save the plants that aren't col-hardy when the freezing weather rolls in. We do have some “house plants” that my wife cares for that make their way indoors, but these others I let turn to mush.

All is not lost, however.

The mushy remains and the soil in their pots are recycled into the raised beds that I prepare for growing native stock plants.

And that's a good thing!

Native Plants and Ethics

One wouldn't normally think that there is a connection between growing and gardening with native plants but, surprisingly, there is a very important relationship between the two.

Recently I have been mulling over ethically-grown natives compared to the misinformation that seems to be prevalent in general.

As a member of the North Carolina Native Plant Society (NCNPS), I am constantly learning about the ways that our natives are being promoted for the good, versus the bad side of growing and gardening with natives.

NCNPS has a Code of Ethics that is divided into four categories, the first being Voluntary Codes of Conduct For The Gardening Public. Last updated in 2002, the codes may be found at https://ncwildflower.org/guidelines/gardening.pdf.

Another category covers organized group hikes, or walks, to see and discover native plants in their natural habitats. The NCNPS Guidelines for Walks may be seen at a word document that is linked at https://ncwildflower.org/about/ethics.

The third category is mostly for NCNPS members that participate in plant sales and auctions. That word document link may also be found at https://ncwildflower.org/about/ethics.

The final code is the one that I want to discuss a bit more in depth: Guidelines and Ethics for Collection of Native Plants.

The reason this has been on my mind is the result of a minor incident that I did not witness, but of which I was informed several days later.

As I wrote in last week's blog, I sell my plants through a third party arrangement. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to be able to do so, but it's not always easy for the seller.

Apparently a customer challenged the salesperson on the origins of the American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) trees that are offered for sale.

Because that customer had only seen the Japanese Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) offered for sale elsewhere it was assumed that the trees that were for sale had been poached “from the woods” and put in nursery containers for sale.

Nothing could be farther from the truth and it horrifies me to think that I would commit such an atrocity in the name of commerce.

For the record, that particular crop of persimmon trees that I have been selling were purchased as bare-root seedlings from a well-respected, licensed wholesale native plant nursery. This is true for many other plants that I have been selling. As a still-new producer of native plants, it is necessary to bring in older, more mature seedlings to try to fill the gaps until the plants I am propagating are of saleable size.

At NO TIME have I ever, nor will I ever, dig native plants from the wild in order to sell them. It is highly unethical!
I'll leave it there for now, but this issue may come up for discussion again in the future.

I just want to let everyone know that they can rest assured that any plant offered for sale by Uwharrie Mountain Native Plant Farm has been grown specifically for that purpose and have been grown since seed or cutting in a nursery setting.

The photos are of the 2019 collected persimmon seeds. No puddings were harmed in the collection of these seeds.