Any good management class will tell you that stakeholder engagement is necessary for project success, but it can be easy to forget that guidance once you’re in project implementation mode. Seeing examples of good stakeholder engagement in person during my Climate Lab week on Oahu helped illustrate just how effective an inclusive process can be, or – even better – how community-led efforts can truly shine.
I thought I was mostly done with the garden for the year, but then I had one more opportunity to visit my favorite native plant nursery while they’re open. I came back with a carload full of plants – many of them because they looked interesting. Among those impulse purchases were a couple native cultivars, which are a point of contention in the native gardening community.
Love it or hate it? Rose of Sharon is an oft-planted ornamental shrub, but it is considered invasive in Pennsylvania. The original bush planted by our home’s previous owners has allegedly colonized our neighbor’s yard and is now trying to expand further into ours. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of it before it annexes any more territory.
Gardening is a constant teacher. I’ve pulled garlic mustard out of my yard pretty inconsistently over the years, but now I know better. Garlic mustard is an established, invasive weed in Pennsylvania that can seriously disrupt the lifecycles of native plants and animals. With time and diligence – and maybe a little culinary creativity – I may yet be able to banish it from my yard.
My never-ending battle in the garden continues, this time with an opportunistic, invasive weed that is often the first to take over in the absence of established plants: thistle. There are different kinds of thistle, and it is important to know what you’re dealing with before you take action because, like me, you could be doing the wrong thing and making your job harder.
The slow transformation of my yard continues, with gardening choices occasionally coming into conflict with existing hardscapes. After a young ash tree contributed to the demise of a retaining wall last year, I knew that I needed to consider potential long-term consequences of plants as they grow, especially when deciding what type of native hedge to put on top of a retaining wall.
As Pittsburghers, we have a lot of retaining walls on our property, and we knew it was only a matter of time before we would have to repair one. Last year our driveway wall was compromised by a tree I loved very much. In order to replace the wall and ultimately protect the foundation of the house, I had to make a hard decision.
Yarrow has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb. Not native to North America, but naturalized, it was an early addition to my garden, and that choice ensured a healthy supply of flowers when I brewed a yarrow ale for a class I was teaching on herbed medieval ales. Even with all my research, it had one more surprise in store for me.
I know that gardening is a lot of work, but I also know that it brings me a lot of joy – eventually. There are weeds that need to come out and plants that need to go in, and I try to make choices by considering the impacts on the pollinators I am trying to feed and the healthy ecosystem I am trying to create.
After a long, cold, lonely winter, I was more than ready to get back out in the garden and enjoy the warmth and the flowers. With some inspiration from my friends, I made and canned syrups made from my violets and honeysuckle, and I have been drinking them in cocktails as I sit and watch the world come back to life.