Looking west, we maintain a path that winds along next to the pond, so we can monitor what’s growing there. Alders are easily pruned and bacteria around their roots fix nitrogen in the soil, so they’re generally encouraged. Other fantastic plants that love this area are clethra, joe pye and sweetgale (also a nitrogen fixer). This area was formerly full of invasive phragmites, loosestrife, buckthorn and bittersweet.
Looking east, from the pond, is an area where we removed lots of big old buckthorns, some phragmites and purple loosestrife. There were already some ferns and dogwood there, so I planted more ferns, mostly ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), as this is a very moist area. Just to the left in this shot is where the sweet woodruff has happily spread.
This may not look like much, but it’s important. The plants immediately bordering the pond (dogwoods, pussy willows, elm) remain unmowed for the winter. A strip that contained some wildflowers (milkweeds, asters, daisies, goldenrods, etc.) yet also some invasives (mainly field bindweed, or mile-a-minute) benefits from being mowed.
The pond is at its high water mark on a misty day. Beyond the pond, on the left, is an area I’ve been planting a native corridor for wildlife cover. Formerly, it was full of invasives, along with an old fence, shack and sunken backhoe. Quite improved now, from a human perspective also!
Just for jollies, here’s what it looked like 6 years ago, in May of 2011:
This knotweed thought it was going to get away with growing in between the irises and artemisia! In the spring, we simply dig them out, rhizome and all. These reddish things probably re-sprouted from tiny rhizome fragments in the soil. We cannot be too vigilant, and are always on the lookout for them.
