For links to my full restoration process, visit Restoring a Native Woodland Garden.
I have accomplished a great deal so far, but sadly, this is only the second phase of a long process to eradicate invasive plants from my property. I will continue to remove Himalayan blackberries and English Ivy over many years. I will focus on restoring native plants, improving wildlife habitat and protecting our soil.
I have plans to add more diversity of plants and am excited to see what natives will magically appear on their own. Osoberry, large-flowered collomia, seablush and large-leaf avens have a tendency to just show up in random places. Snowberry, salmonberry, thimbleberry, stinging nettle and bitter cherry like to spread out with new plants popping up in unexpected places sometimes.
I also have plans to add a lounge structure (in the flower meadow) that will support a net/hammock and serve as a trellis for fuzzy kiwi vines. I rooted the kiwis myself from cuttings that I took from my neighbor’s plant. They are a memorial to my sweet pups Chops and Shiloh who were as wild and wonderful as fuzzy kiwi!
I’m beyond excited about the success of my kiwi cuttings. I tried rooting 20 branches and only two rooted, so the odds weren’t great. But I only needed two for Chops and Shiloh, so I thought the results were pretty much perfect!
While this area is almost entirely dedicated to natives, I do have a handful of non-natives, like the fuzzy kiwis, that I want to include because I don’t have room for them in my forest garden. I planted a fruiting quince that was gifted to me, and I hope to eventually plant a couple of heartnut trees.
Bitter cherry is gradually spreading to form a grove (left) and sword ferns are unfurling their fronds (right) as we head into late spring.
Restoring my property to a healthy, mostly native environment that will support wildlife is a lifelong project with benefits reaching beyond my lifetime. Since this important work is tedious and physically demanding, I’m breaking it into manageable phases that will hopefully cause as little stress as possible to my body and my resident wildlife.
Walking through the restored section is a delight. I enjoy seeing all the new growth and marvel at the birds, deer, squirrels, insects and other critters I see in the garden. Just yesterday I heard at least twelve different bird species while walking through the property: dark eyed junco, American crow, white-crowned sparrow, orange-crowned warbler, belted kingfisher, bald eagle, chestnut-backed chickadee, American robin, spotted towhee, glaucous-winged gull, song sparrow and Wilson’s warbler.
Already, the property feels like it can breathe easier. It’s teeming with life and will only get better and better as the new plants mature and the wildlife settle in.
