Yesterday, Bob and I stood in the glaring sun, looking at the empty space that used to be our beloved, shady, private party deck. He’d just come home from the beach, so this was a shock to him. Back in the 90s, a bamboo hedge screened us from the young family of next-door neighbors. This space, with its bamboo walls and a crazy, swirling brick patio, was super cool. From an arbor, one of those plastic woven spaghetti lights from the 70s gave the place a warm glow at night. Thrift store butterfly chairs and an aluminum glider were rarely enough; folks sat on upturned stumps and flower pots.
To be fair to Dr. Tallamy, I think horticulture and gardening is still 95% about aesthetics and nothing to do with conservation or wildlife. Native plant gardening is still very niche, was always niche. Garden designers, and those who can afford one, are still uncommon overall. And just judging by the amount of FB gardening groups I scan, gardeners aren't digging very deep even if they are into native plant gardening. Most of the people I know who do so are already in an ecological field of work of some kind. People are out here still killing snakes and pissed off caterpillars are eating their plants.
I'd love to have a canebrake if I had another 5-10 acres but I definitely know better on my 1 acre lot. I do have a neighbor who planted bamboo as a screen around his porch, on the unfenced property line, and of course, it runs into my yard. We keep it managed somewhat with mowing but it is obnoxious. I do appreciate maintained clumping bamboos at botanic gardens, however. The problem with bamboo is that very few homeowners do their research into running vs clumping and go down to the local box store to buy it, where maybe it's labeled correctly, maybe it's not.
In your situation, I think the bamboo works but can see where you might want to change it up a bit after so long. Hope you are able to find something that works for that space!
Man, it must be desolate where you live. On one of my previous post, you said there were no (or near none) native perennials in y'all commercial trade. Just isn't true here. And neither are your comments about designers etc. All of my teachers, even back in the 80s, were old hippies and the tech school here (i'm only involved in 3, so that's all I can speak for) also drill in sustainability to landscape students. But DT was showing pics of big, elaborate houses and his slide illustrated that NO consideration of any thing but aesthetics happen before (before Tallamay I guess he means) . But the point is tons and tons of generalizations throughout. Great info, makes a great story, it just aint the gospil it was presented as and I hope the other listeners understand that. It's a shame that sort of trump-like rhetoric divides out the people who out to be working together.
Jenks - I always love your comments and hearing your voice. Thanks for that video. I vote for a row of beautiful flowering plum trees. It would be stunning for the party deck. Carol Reese is FANTASTIC! I just heard her at Davison College. Looked up all her suggestions. Love Sense and Nonsense.
To be fair to Dr. Tallamy, I think horticulture and gardening is still 95% about aesthetics and nothing to do with conservation or wildlife. Native plant gardening is still very niche, was always niche. Garden designers, and those who can afford one, are still uncommon overall. And just judging by the amount of FB gardening groups I scan, gardeners aren't digging very deep even if they are into native plant gardening. Most of the people I know who do so are already in an ecological field of work of some kind. People are out here still killing snakes and pissed off caterpillars are eating their plants.
I'd love to have a canebrake if I had another 5-10 acres but I definitely know better on my 1 acre lot. I do have a neighbor who planted bamboo as a screen around his porch, on the unfenced property line, and of course, it runs into my yard. We keep it managed somewhat with mowing but it is obnoxious. I do appreciate maintained clumping bamboos at botanic gardens, however. The problem with bamboo is that very few homeowners do their research into running vs clumping and go down to the local box store to buy it, where maybe it's labeled correctly, maybe it's not.
In your situation, I think the bamboo works but can see where you might want to change it up a bit after so long. Hope you are able to find something that works for that space!
Man, it must be desolate where you live. On one of my previous post, you said there were no (or near none) native perennials in y'all commercial trade. Just isn't true here. And neither are your comments about designers etc. All of my teachers, even back in the 80s, were old hippies and the tech school here (i'm only involved in 3, so that's all I can speak for) also drill in sustainability to landscape students. But DT was showing pics of big, elaborate houses and his slide illustrated that NO consideration of any thing but aesthetics happen before (before Tallamay I guess he means) . But the point is tons and tons of generalizations throughout. Great info, makes a great story, it just aint the gospil it was presented as and I hope the other listeners understand that. It's a shame that sort of trump-like rhetoric divides out the people who out to be working together.
Jenks - I always love your comments and hearing your voice. Thanks for that video. I vote for a row of beautiful flowering plum trees. It would be stunning for the party deck. Carol Reese is FANTASTIC! I just heard her at Davison College. Looked up all her suggestions. Love Sense and Nonsense.
I’m really looking forward to being on the farm for this!