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native plant

Rose Creek Native Plant Garden a hidden treasure in Pacific Beach

<a href=karin zirk of friends of rose creek explaining the differences between native and non native invasive plants species at rose creek native plant garden in pacific beach.” srcset=”https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-1024×768.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-300×225.jpg 300w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-768×576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-1536×1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-2048×1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-16×12.jpg 16w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-750×563.jpg 750w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-1140×855.jpg 1140w” src=”https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-1024×768.jpg” data-sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” class=”attachment-large size-large wp-post-image lazyload”/

Rose Creek Native Plant Garden is a hidden treasure in Pacific Beach, which is judiciously maintained and supported by its custodian, the nonprofit Friends of Rose Creek.

Friends accomplish this task, in part, through hosting work parties on the second Saturday of every month. The next garden work party will be Saturday, Nov. 11 from 9-11 a.m.

PB social activist and environmentalist, Karin Zirk, founder/executive director of Friends of Rose Creek, conducted a tour of the native plant garden recently. She discussed the origin of the garden, its purpose, and the joys – and challenges – of keeping it properly tended.

Zirk explained that the original linear community garden near Rose Creek Cottage was begun and run in the ’90s by The Nature School, a group that did educational programming for children. She related an interesting tale about how she “inherited” stewardship of the PB community garden.

Zirk said the head of The Nature School contacted her unexpectedly and said, “We’ve been taking care of the creek for the last 15 years, but I’m retiring and moving. Why don’t you take the creek over?”

karin zirk of friends of rose creek explaining the differences between native and non native invasive plants species at rose <a href=creek native plant garden in pacific beach.” width=”300″ height=”225″ srcset=”https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-300×225.jpg 300w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-1024×768.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-768×576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-1536×1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-2048×1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-16×12.jpg 16w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-750×563.jpg 750w, https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-1140×855.jpg 1140w” src=”https://cdn.sdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20231106184642/karin-zirk-of-friends-of-rose-creek-explaining-the-differences-between-native-and-non-native-invasive-plants-species-at-rose-creek-native-plant-garden-in-pacific-beach-300×225.jpg” data-sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” class=”size-medium wp-image-333504 lazyload”/
Karin Zirk of Friends
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By Dawn J. Larkin, ago

NCC: Native gardening 101











Prairie rose (Photo by Karol Dabbs)

Prairie rose (Photo by Karol Dabbs)



Support biodiversity by naturalizing your garden with native plants

By introducing native plants and some strategic design features to your garden, you can provide patches of natural habitat for many species. A well-designed backyard offers birds and pollinators — like butterflies — more living space, feeding opportunities and cover from predators.

By enhancing and restoring natural elements in your garden, you’ll make the urban landscape more wildlife-friendly.

Shield fern and fringed dicentra (Photo by NCC)

Shield fern and fringed dicentra (Photo by NCC)

Where to begin?


Before you start, find out what kind of soil you have and which plants are native to your area. Consult a guidebook to native plants for your region, or one of many of good websites to help you determine native plants in your area. Visit local nurseries or seed suppliers to determine what native plants are available; this will give you a better idea of what to put in your garden. Consider a combination of plants that will flower from spring through fall, as they provide pollen and nectar for wildlife throughout these seasons.

Also, think about the desired long-term look and feel of your backyard. Are you drawn more toward an open, sunny space filled with a meadow or prairie garden? Or is a shaded woodland garden more to your liking?

Resources

Check out this plant database to find out plants that may be suitable for your area.

Find out more about selecting plants for pollinators in these ecological planting guide.

Visit the North American Native Plant Society’s directory to learn more.


Painted trillium (Photo by Jacques Ranger, CC BY-NC 4.0)

Painted trillium (Photo by Jacques Ranger, CC BY-NC 4.0)


A native

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By Dawn J. Larkin, ago

Seed-planting guide for natural gardens

On episode 5, season 4 of the Cottage Life Podcast, gardening expert Lorraine Johnson shares the benefits of native plants for your cottage garden. Listen to the show below, and then the rest of the season here.

Think of it as new plants for free—an endless supply at the drop of a seed. Propagating your own plants from seeds you’ve collected around your cottage saves you money, helps preserve the rich community of native species in your area, and provides an incomparable measure of satisfaction and accomplishment. Each self-raised plant feels like the most miraculous personal success—a green-thumb pat on the back. Indeed, it’s easy to feel kind of smug when all those seedlings are lined up in their pots ready to be launched into full adulthood in your cottage garden, and they’re ready because of you.

As with any aspect of native plant gardening, the key to propagating seeds from the wild is to mimic their natural process: They ripen on the plant, drop, and grow. Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that, but, essentially, you can think of it as “ready, set, grow.” 

Ready, set…

During rambles in the woods or meadows around your cottage, note the wild plants you’d like to grow in your garden. Observe their flowering times (e.g. bloodroot in spring, meadow rue in summer, asters in fall) and mark their locations with a stick or even a twist-tie wrapped around the stem so you can find them easily and return for their seed.

After flowering, plants begin to form their seeds—in seedheads, pods, capsules, or fruit—and many are ready to harvest approximately one month later. Check for these clues to ripeness: When pods or capsules, say of butterfly milkweed or columbine, start to turn yellowish-brown, look dry, and begin to crack or split

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By Dawn J. Larkin, ago