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Currently I am reading, for the second time, Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy. It is a book about the shrinking ability for us as a planet to sustain all the plants and animals that have inhabited Earth for millions of years. Tallamy, however, does not believe it is to late, but we must begin to “re-wild” the planet one backyard at a time. His vision is called “Homegrown National Park” where each one of us is responsible for converting part of our backyard or front yard into a haven for local flora and fauna. Find out what species live in your neck of the woods and provide the type of habitat that they need, its as simple as that. If you want to get sophisticated with this concept you can create habitat for species that you desire to live on your property like monarch butterflies, hummingbirds or a family of foxes.

If we can get enough homeowners to go along with this concept there could eventually be a way to connect these wild areas together and provide “highways” for animals to move about as they please. When animals feel pressure to leave an old area of habitation because of de-foresting or new construction they often do not have a safe path to another sustainable area. Ultimately many of these animals get run over by cars or end up being removed because they become a nuisance to the local community. The problem is, as time goes by, the ability to connect these existing wild areas becomes harder and harder. Land in Knoxville is being developed at an alarming rate and the scarcity of untouched urban wilderness is a growing problem.

Around the world there have been solutions to this problem actually put into implementation. Connectivity is the concept that “connects” these wild areas together to provide a large enough space to sustain the animals that inhabit it. This concept is quickly becoming very important as our local landscape gets divided up and developed day by day. One solution that has been used by environmentalists in San Antonio, Texas and Wierdin, Netherlands is a land bridge. It is a bridge across a road that is naturalized with grass and trees that mimic the surrounding landscape.

The idea is to get the local animals comfortable crossing the bridge to allow them the amount of space needed to remain in that area. Carrying capacity is an important concept that the land bridges provide plenty of for local animals. Two small areas may contain no local animal species because there is simply not enough food, cover or land for them to live, but if you connect 3 or 4 of these small areas together suddenly you have created a sustainable habitat and a living area that animals are not looking to move away from.

I work in Knoxville and Maryville, so I drive down Pellissippi Parkway (I-140), quite often and at all times of the day. I have seen deer jumping a 5ft tall median wall with cars whizzing past at 80 mph. This past fall in particular there were a dozen dead deer between the Northshore exit and the bridge that crosses the lake. The area around this part of Pellissippi Parkway is very unique in that it is like a long, wide isthmus that stretches out towards the lake. The lake makes has a big bend along this stretch that forms the peninsula that has water on both sides and is split almost perfectly in half by the highway.

As you can see from the picture above (area highlighted in yellow) the area in question is rather large but is cut in half by the highway. This addition to the landscape decades ago changed the movement of animals in this area like deer, fox, raccoon, opossum, coyote and turkey. The carrying capacity for this area changed dramatically and is continuing to change as more of this area gets developed. Most of the deer I see on the highway are crossing from South to North and it is pretty obvious why – the area to the North of the highway is relatively undeveloped (and hopefully stays that way). The animals are simply moving from a highly concentrated area with houses, cars and household pets to a lower concentrated area with woods, edge areas where forest and grass fields meet, and a lack of human activity.

There is an existing bridge in this area that could be an option for a land bridge for animals to use while still allowing a “path” for cars to use that have to cross this bridge to get to their home. As you can see from the blown-up image, there are not many homes in this area and very few that have to cross the bridge to get home. This area also has plenty of woods on both sides of the highway for animals to use as cover. As with many of the ideas in Tallamy’s book, Nature’s Best Hope, for this to work there would have to be a collective effort by mostly private land owners to keep this area as undeveloped as possible moving forward. The largest cost of a project like this would be the building of a bridge that crosses a 4 lane interstate, but we already have that part covered in this scenario. The money could be spent on a restoration of the existing bridge and asphalt to a more animal friendly walking surface. Trees, shrubs and grasses would have to be planted to make the land bridge look as natural as possible. A fence would have to be built on both sides of Pellissippi Parkway to “funnel” the animals to the land bridge.

This would be a large undertaking but well worth it when you think of the animal species that could be saved as we move into the future. Imagine how cool it would be to have something like this in our area and the bragging rights we could have over surrounding areas that have not thought about animal conservation in such a serious way. There is no reason why we can’t look at this in the same way South Knoxville looked at developing the Urban Wilderness that so many of us enjoy. The Urban Wilderness required planning, a large budget and the cooperation of private land owners. The Scott Bridge Project would require the same amount of cooperation but is totally achievable.

Introducing native plants into your landscape can create a food source or cover for the endangered species in your own neighborhood

Most modern landscapes that you see in your neighborhood have very little to no native plants included in them. The design and overall look of the landscape may look great with perfect balance, an established style and plenty of color. With that being said a non-native landscape provides no food for local insects or wildlife and will tend to create a sterile environment where nothing living will go. We have been brainwashed into thinking that this is the ideal environment for our suburban lifestyles with no long grass where snakes might hide or native shrubs with berries because they might attract birds that will poop on our cars. It really is sad to see, people that are afraid of nature, or at least do not want it anywhere near where they live.

Local species are moving out of suburban areas because they no longer can find the food they need among those types of landscapes. It really can be as simple as the choices you make at the plant nursery or what you tell your landscape designer you want in your yard. Most landscape designers push native plants because they have been educated about their necessity in a healthy natural environment but most will not push back against a client that is do not see natives value. Most of the time clients will say the same thing, “I don’t want to trim anything, so it can not get to big and it has to be low maintenance.” This eliminates many natives because in order to stay small with your plant choices designers have to go with dwarf varieties. This means using a lot hybrids which look like the native cultivars but often do not provide the nutrients that birds and insects can recognize.

This does not mean that we have to convert our whole yard to wildflowers and get rid of any plant that is not indigenous. We can devote a small corner of the yard where we let the tall fescue grow long and plant a few elderberry shrubs or some low growing perennials if you want to start a little smaller. Provide some habitat for the local rabbit population or the family of skunks that travel thru the neighborhood. You will be amazed at how interesting your yard can become with just a few, small changes.

Many plant nurseries in your area might have only a small selection of native plants and for this reason you might have to travel a little farther to get the good stuff. Every town has an off the beaten path native plant dealer that will give you everything you need and will also have the knowledge of where to plant them. So give natives a chance this spring when deciding what to plant in that empty spot where that cool cultivar died from last year (Native plants have a much higher survival rate) and at the same time be a contributor to the local animal food source.

Structure of landscape installation companies is changing due to labor shortages

Change is coming to the landscape industry by way of labor reform. These changes are being seen across the country. Business owners who are unwilling to raise wages for skilled labor like hardscapers will lose this crucial entity over the next few years. Many of these types of workers have started their own businesses hoping they can get a bigger piece of the pie. The hardscape industry is booming in Knoxville and many other growing cities across the country with plenty of work to go around.

As prices have gone up for these types of installations since COVID, many times that has not resulted in higher wages for workers. As a result, many installation companies are turning to subs to complete the jobs they sell. These companies end up hiring the same workers that just left them except with one exception – higher wages. Instead of companies controlling how much the workers make via hourly wages, the new structure is the worker, now a sub, naming their price for completing a job. This change causes the worker to get what they wanted, higher wages, and the installation company has little choice but to hire them.

Finding skilled labor in the landscape business is not easy right now and some would say it is almost impossible. No skilled hardscape laborer is going to work for a company making $25 an hour when they can work on their own for 4 times that. I have heard installation companies say they have run ads for foreman positions for years and not been able to land one. The problem for landscape companies is these workers now know what they are worth and are willing to take a chance to get the money they deserve.

This trend does not fall in the category of redistribution of wealth but it does change the industry in many ways. Some of these changes have already been felt, but many are still taking shape as some involved in the industry are taking a while to catch up to the game. Those that are to slow will miss out on new opportunity.

Landscape designers’ roles are changing as well, many are starting their own businesses instead of working for installation companies as designers/salesman. Designers use to rely on the company they worked for to provide labor, equipment and most importantly, leads. Now, with many companies having to turn to subs to complete work, the only thing these companies provide is leads which can in many cases be obtained in other ways.

Designers fuel the industry by generating the work for the companies through sales and project managing the jobs to completion. Experienced designers that go out on their own have relationships with many subs, including at previous jobs, so the transition in the way projects are completed is relatively seamless. The end result is more money for subs and designers because the huge cut the installation company previously received (up to 50%) is now being split up between the designer and the laborer. This usually results in lower prices for the client which can only help the industry in the long run.

Change has been in the air for the last few years in all phases of life and the landscape installation industry is no different. Restructuring is occurring and those that hope or wish for things to stay the same may miss the bigger message. Hopefully the end result is more money for workers, both laborers and designers, and potential clients might be looking at slightly lower prices. The ones that might suffer are the owners of large installation companies that rely on in-house labor to meet their profit margins. These companies will either have to adjust to using subs for their projects or decide to close up shop altogether. The ones that do resist change and do not realize that things are not going to go back to the way they were will possibly go out of business for good.

It is that time of year when your garden is lacking something – color is gone, leaves are missing and interest is waning. Evergreen trees and shrubs help maintain your landscaping base throughout the year but only provides shades of green during the winter months. To combat these problems I suggest inserting some color into your landscape that lasts all year round.

Loropetalum is a plant that saw a spike in popularity a decade or so back and has been used in a variety of different situations. Loropetalum has seen its popularity drop a little due to its vulnerability in cold conditions and root rot issues. It is an excellent plant for maintaining color in your yard throughout the dull months of winter and if you avoid historically wet spots when planting has a very high success rate.

Michael Dirr introduces loropetalum in his iconic book, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by writing:

“If prescriptions could be written for perfect garden plants, this species would come close to filling the order…Easy to manage, unbelievably drought-tolerant, and pest-free. I consider it one of the top introductions of the past 10 years.”

Now that’s a recommendation from one of the most respected plant minds in the country, so if you don’t believe me then maybe you will listen to Mr. Dirr, who wrote the book on landscape shrubs. Dirr loved the contrast of emerald green boxwoods and loropetalum as a dual layer hedge to provide layers and depth to his planting designs.

This is a combination that I use in my designs quite frequently, especially when a client desires a low maintenance evergreen base with no added color from perennials or annuals. In my opinion you can not go wrong with this color combination as it looks just as good in June as it does in January.

Loropetalum has a very unique bloom that can take place several times a year depending on weather conditions. The main bloom is in late February and continues thru March with sporadic blooms throughout the summer when temperatures are mild and rain is adequate. The bloom itself is neon pink with 8-12 filaments forming a clump at the ends of branches and in leaf axes. As you can imagine this display of blooms in early March is quite phenomenal especially when little else is in bloom. The contrast of burgundy with hot pink is very pleasing to the eye and one that will leave a lasting impression.

If you are a landscape designer or a homeowner looking to add some color to your local scenery then give loropetalum a try – it can be found at virtually any plant provider and comes in full size (6x6ft) and dwarf varieties (3x3ft) that will fit into any existing landscape.

 

Groundcovers are a valuable asset in any garden they maintain moisture in the soil by limiting penetrating sunlight to the soil, suppress weeds, eliminate the need for mulch and all while utilizing an unused layer of soil. Some people think that groundcovers are bad because they compete with the other more important specimen plants in the garden. In reality the opposite is true, any plant in your landscape wants groundcover present.

The groundcover actually eliminates competition for the plants and conditions the soil as well by preventing erosion and collecting nutrients. Most groundcovers grow through rhizomes which are underground roots that spread a lot like bermuda grass just under the surface of the ground. This weave of subterranean roots provides that plant community with perfect stability without interfering in the growth of plants with root systems beneath them. Here is an illustration from Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West that shows the different depths of root systems with various perennial plant species.

As the drawing illustrates each plant species has it soil horizon or layer that its root system resides. By planting groundcovers you are giving your soil a great start towards sustaining a great plant community and high nutrient levels.

Many times groundcovers are thought of as boring and only green or some consistent color but that is not always true. You have your pachysandra or english ivy that fits this category but you also have vinca minor, delosperma (pictured above, right) and creeping jenny (also above, left) that either bloom or offer great color impact with foliage. Not all groundcover is relegated to ground level either – plants like Low-Grow Fragrant Sumac (pictured middle above) grows to 3-4 tall but creates a mass over time that spreads over time and eliminates and competitors. For shade gardens heuchera species are a great choice since they are clump forming and keep their leaves thru the winter. Heuchera comes in hundreds of varieties and can fit the color scheme or blend in any garden