Monday, June 8, 2020

Planting a Native Pollinator Garden - Forsooth!


UPDATED - 12 July 2020

We have all been struggling during this pandemic with curfews, stay at home orders, wearing masks, washing our hands frequently, and protests against systemic racism. As a result, we are all finding new hobbies or rekindling interest in old pursuits, primarily to maintain our collective sanity. My brewery is back operating and Krista has become the Queen of Sourdough (or at least MY Queen). We have also planted a garden.

In June, I was discussing our current gardening efforts with a friend from the Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW). She asked me to write an article for FLOW's newsletter. So, rather than posting more anger, frustration, and despair concerning the state our our nation, I decided to share that article through my blog. Here is that article, which has been updated as noted:
Ohio Native? William Shakespeare?

Perchance, wouldst thou consider planting a garden using native Ohio plants? Dost thou wish to aid in the meager lives of our pollinator pals? Verily, where canst thou find the very inspiration thou needst? Join me, for mine family hast done that very thing. Perhaps you wish to offer a guess as to our inspiration, but I beg thee not to tarry, as 'tis the prime season to plant an Ohio Native Shakespeare Garden!
For those of you who know me, before this pandemic I was occasionally seen on the stage for a few Columbus theatre companies who honored me with a chance to perform. My wife and I met on stage, and our last show together was a version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” called simply “Dream,” so it was natural for us to plant a garden dedicated to the immortal Bard.


It may seem odd to consider a garden of native Ohio plants mentioned by William Shakespeare. As far as I know, The Bard never ventured to Ohio… which didn’t even become a state until almost 200 years after Ole Will entered ‘The gloomy shade of death’ (King Henry VI, Part I).

Though gardening in our case is an ever-evolving event, our Ohio Native Shakespeare Garden is now well underway. Our garden began life (since we moved in) as a neglected weed patch. After weeding and removing invasive thistle, we were able to begin planting in late May.
Our garden... so far

What was once an unsightly area now includes Ohio native varieties of Yarrow, Fern, Poppy, Lavender, and the Bard's favorite, Violets. All of these plants are mentioned in Shakespeare’s works and most of them are available at Scioto Gardens (a frequent contributor to FLOW).

Under all the weeds, we rescued some wild chive (also mentioned by the Bard) and a rose bush. We planted a second rose as well, which, by any other name...

We may have stretched the concept of a Shakespeare garden just a bit. Why? Well, we also included Ohio native plants that may not have been mentioned in his works directly, such as:
Ohio Spiderwort
  • Cardinal Flower (I know the clergy are often mentioned by the Bard);
  • Bee Balm (“To Bee, or Not to Bee…” with apologies to a certain Danish Prince);
  • Spiderwort ("hence you long legged spinners hence" a line of mine from “Dream!”);
  • Hops (ale is also mentioned or implied often... Looking at you Falstaff and Dogberry); and
  • Swamp Milkweed (we did it for the Queen... milkweed attracts Monarchs).
We also planted a Swamp Oak tree in honor of Great Birnam Wood (“Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him.” MacBeth Act 4, Scene 1). We added ornamental fencing and will be adding mulch, a possible stone accent, and a birdbath.

We would have included a statue of William Shakespeare, but alas, we doth lack the space.

20 June 2020 Update: Thus far, all of our plants are doing well (our Spiderwort is particularly happy) and some of our seed have already sprouted. Only one of our fern plants (an ostrich fern) appears to be distressed. I did start the second phase, using a natural weed killer to try to prevent invasive and undesirable plants from taking root. My recipe for a natural herbicide (nontoxic, non-hazardous, and biodegradable) is:

·         1 quart of distilled white vinegar (household is fine)
·         1/4 cup of table or rock salt
·         1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent (I used Dawn).

Mix these ingredients and use a spray bottle to kill plants. Just be careful not to spray any desirable plants. It is safer, better for the environment, and a lot less expensive that commercially available weed killers.


12 July 2020 Update: We were finally able to add the mulch and stone and the results were stunning. We decided to leave the some day lily and a pair of hosta that were also uncovered when we weeded to garden in May. We did lose one of the fern plants (it received too much sun) as well as the rose bush we planted (it was on the bargain table anyway). The mulch did reveal large empty areas that we will fill as time allows. We still plan to add a birdbath as well as a possible bust of Shakespeare. And our friend Danielle had a brilliant idea, so our winter project will be to produce the appropriate quotes for each plant and attach these quotes to the fence.

14 June 2021 Update: With the exception of the fences, the entirety of the garden survived the relatively mild winter and every plant has survived, with most of them flourishing. The Yarrow appears to be attempting to completely dominate the garden. We have transplanted a few items and have installed lattice along the top of the fence to allow the hops vines further to climb. The hardest upkeep remains the occasional weed and invasive plant. 

Late last year, we added a native Butterfly Bush and two Dwarf Lilac. I know the Lilac are neither Shakespearian nor native, but Krista loves Lilac. Therefore, I contend that when Oberon tells Puck: "...Yet Mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound..." he was talking about a Lilac. Hey, prove me wrong. 😉

We are considering adding a few new plants, such as a purple Vernonica (Two Gentlemen from Veronica?) Overall Krista and I are quite pleased.

 - Food for Thought


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