Our native plant garden began in the summer of 2022, and has expanded little by little every year. When I purchased the house in 2021, I felt the tension of being both a white person, a descendant of colonizers, and someone who deeply believes in indigenous sovereignty and the Land Back movement. Land Back can mean a lot of different things; I realized my contribution to the movement could be learning and engaging in indigenous land stewardship practices, and got to work planning the first phase of ecological restoration.
In the front yard, we have replaced nearly all of the pre-existing turf and day lilies with prairie plants and shrubs, initially with the help, guidance, and expertise of our friend Mike Weis. This is the most well-established area, in its fourth summer, although we add new plants to it every year so there is staggered growth year-over-year. This year, we replaced backyard areas choked with rose of sharon and English ivy with native woodland plants. In the far back yard, we have a turf area for our own recreational use (with plans to shrink it!), as well as beloved “chaos gardens,” areas we set aside to allow the existing seed bank of native plants to work their magic while we periodically W**d out the non-native and invasive plants, giving what was already here a chance to thrive and grow. In all areas of the yard, we have prioritized native food-producing plants and pollinator-friendly species, as well as hardscaping with both found and gifted storm debris that provides habitat. All told, we would estimate that there are close to 100, maybe more, different species of native plants thriving, along with a plethora of insect species, mammals, birds, and a one-eyed American toad.
Join us in enjoying Land Back in progress! We can’t wait to welcome fellow native plant enthusiasts to a bonfire and refreshments in the backyard and tours all around the property. Please park at the banquet hall across the street and walk on over!
You may also like the following events from Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones:
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