Top : Glenstone meadows ; above : visitors at the Environmental Center .
tion project that concluded in
Working with noted expert 2021 . It ’ s a great moment to pause Larry Weiner , co-author of the and reflect . Streams are eroded book Garden Revolution : How Our across our county and beyond due Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change , Matt Partain to widespread housing and urban developments and lack of adequate and his team developed a palette planning for stormwater ; we of native grasses and flowering always welcome in-depth discussions on how and why we accom- the expansion . The result all these
plants that were seeded prior to
plished this significant watershed years later is a majestic carpet of regeneration . changing colors from plants like For most folks on the ground , little bluestem , Schizachyrium scoparium , that evolves from green to however , it ’ s what lies ahead that draws them in and then stops them blue to red as the seasons change . in their tracks . Fully surrounding Matt , however , always tells curious that aforementioned sycamore property owners that planting a tree , a native meadow over rolling meadow and sitting back to watch hills is a haven for insects , birds , it grow would be the furthest thing and myriad other forms of wildlife . from reality . “ Wow !” is the most common reaction of first-time visitors . meadows ; it ’ s a great way to
“ We encourage people to plant steward the land and encourage regeneration ,” he said . “ But many of the plants take three years to establish when planted from seed . You have to be able to distinguish weeds from desirable plants when they ’ re tiny little seedlings ; otherwise , you ’ re going to have a meadow of weeds very quickly .”
In an environment where we do not utilize synthetic chemical weed-killers such as Roundup or similar products , we rely on frequent mowing and weed-whacking . Hand-pulling of weeds is often required in areas where plants are growing closely together . Our team also utilizes organic sprays such as Scythe or Torched in certain locations — but these kinds of products must be deployed carefully because they will kill all plants , even the beneficial ones .
n ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER — When visitors have traversed every trail at Glenstone , they will have encountered many of the other tenets of our sustainability efforts . Our lawns surrounding the Gallery are maintained all-organically ( see Plenty , Autumn Harvest 2021 issue ). The Greenbriar Branch stream along the Woodland Trail has been fully restored and planted with native species . For an even deeper dive into what makes Glenstone truly regenerative , however , we always encourage a visit to our Environmental Center , which is located a short walk up the path from the Arrival Hall .
Here , from 12 pm to 4 pm Thursdays through Sundays , guests can visit our composting yard and learn how easy it is to convert food wastes and landscape materials into a nutrient-rich soil
plenty I spring sowing 2022 13