Ask an Expert: Native Gardening
Washington landscape designer Barbara Balman transforms gardens into sustainable habitats, with a focus on re-establishing the once flourishing native flora of our region. Born and raised in Switzerland, her commitment to environmentally friendly garden practices led her to earn a Master’s degree in Sustainable Design at George Washington University. We recently talked with Barbara and asked her for expert advice on native gardening in Washington.
How do you design a garden?
Gardens should provide year-round beauty, with something blooming or leafing out in every season. In winter, the structure of the bare trees and shrubs can be designed to create a frame around the exterior planting spaces. I like to design with native plants and trees to create a “sculpture,” planting in stripes or masses.
What do you consider when choosing plants and trees for a garden?
If you’re considering a specimen plant for a special view, choose it to compliment the architecture of the house. Not too big! Most of my clients in the city want low maintenance plants and trees to frame views or screen the property’s private areas. Indoor/outdoor transition or “spilling out” is important for the design.
What about the soil?
It is what it is. Plants will adapt, but you can increase the odds of success by amending with organic matter or planting mix. On new construction sites where the soil has been compacted, it’s important to aerate and amend before installing your landscape.
What are your goals with native plants?
A biodiverse balance is key, with broadly functional plants layered into the design, covering as much ground as possible to reduce the amount of mulch. A balanced garden invites mammals, butterflies, and birds…basically insectivores… that eat ticks and mosquitoes.
What about No Mow?
The carbon footprint of mowing is astoundingly large. Allowing plants and grasses to grow conserves water and supports the pollinators. A recent study in Sweden found that the overall effect of one hour of using a gas lawn mower translates into the same carbon footprint of driving 100 miles in a gas-powered vehicle, and one hour of using a gas leaf blower into 350 miles.
What’s the best tree to plant for a sustainable environment?
Oak trees are #1 to host birds’ nests, and hundreds of varieties of butterflies and moths. We no longer have enough host trees for larvae that feed the birds. The 9/11 Memorial in New York has 400 native White Oak trees commemorating the three crash sites – Washington, D.C., New York, and Pennsylvania - and creating a forest that should last up to 300 years.
How can a beginner get started with a native plant garden?
Start small with a 4-foot-wide strip along the edge of your property. Choose low water shrubs, starting with three, that provide food for the birds – for example, a low blueberry bush, a pawpaw tree, a chokeberry bush. Fill-in with perennials to attract the bees and butterflies. Use little or no mulch.
Don’t spray pesticides! Don’t use chemicals! Remember that your garden doesn’t stop at your fence line. Everything you put in your garden ends up in our waterways.
Is now a good time to plant?
If you’re installing a new garden, the planting time begins after the last frost and goes through June. Do not plant in the hot summer months – July and August. Fall is the best time to transplant or move plants and shrubs, when the temperatures are cooler.
What resources do you recommend to learn more?
The app Seek by iNaturalist uses image recognition from your photos to identify plants and animals around you. Picture This provides tips for plant care, and this native plant finder on the web allows you to find plants native to your area by typing in a zip code.
The Washington Gardener Blog has up-to-date information on all kinds of gardening practices, including the award-winning GardenDC podcast
DCNatives is a local nonprofit that organizes volunteers to create native sustainable pollinator habitats in public spaces around Washington.
You can reach Barbara at 202-744-9515. Instagram: @balmanlandscape
