Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour: An Eco-friendly, Native Plant Garden

A thoughtful use of materials and native plantings come together to help support wildlife, large and small

Hey GPODers !

We ’re continuing on our virtual 2024Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour ™ today , visit the wildlife- and pollinator - friendly garden of Mary Byers .

Mary see basic gardening knowledge in her parent ’s vegetable garden in Wyoming but her personal journeying begin in the early ‘ XC in Western Montana where she began fostering orphan plant life at Bitterroot Native Growers where she work . The hardiness of those plants in her dry thou was the inspiration to keep implant more aboriginal specie . Growing organic food evolved alongside nurturing the native species she was learning about . An early memory was of her grandma ’s drive in rural Pennsylvania which hold a bottom of tiger lily and symbolized “ arrival at Grandma ’s piazza ” one of her favorite space . There was a subsistence vegetable garden her grandmother tended and any rabbits that dare speculation in for a nibble found themselves in the soup pot along with the place grown vegetables . Grandma was a cracking shot .

The climate in Wyoming where she grew up was not much dissimilar than here in Montana so her acquisition breaking ball was soft . Mary was a self - apply textile creative person and subsidize her income by working at Bitterroot Restoration and Great Bear Restoration and also assisted as a wilderness scout in Yellowstone , the Grand Tetons and Southern Utah . Exposure to wildflowers in nature inspire her to recreate some of the beauty and home ground she witness on the trails .

Mary ’s sense of need for native planting in suburban options has been validate inDoug Tallamy’sbook , “ Nature ’s Best Hope , ” for welfare to insect and brute that have evolved here . He writes , “ In the past times , we have asked one affair of our garden : that they be pretty . Now they have to sustain living , sequester carbon , feed pollinators and deal water . ” His concept of “ domicile - Grown National Parks ” has win momentum with landowners across the country to make home ground that sustains native specie . Mary ’s garden and landscape aim has been produce to do just that . It ’s a hidden treasure .

A homemade hypertufa tidy sum ready for the Lucy in the sky with diamonds garden . To keep deer and European elk ( yes , Alces alces ! ) out of her in - townsfolk garden , Mary created a endearing sprig barrier above her pick fence .

Mary uses livestock troughs for all her veggie beds .

The front walkway leads up to a beautiful Montana aboriginal chickenhearted primrose on the side of her porch .

A Danaus plexippus Butterly lays eggs on one of her milkweed flowers(Asclepiasspeciosa , Zones 3–9 ) .

The beautiful blue - royal coloring of a Montana large Penstemon(Penstemongrandifloras , Zones 3–8 ) .

Arrowleaf Balsamroot(Balsamorhiza sagittata , Zones 4–8)has an impressive taproot that can grow to 4 ” in diameter and 8 ’ abstruse . It pack 5 years of ascendent development before it blooms .

The aforementioned European elk feasting on Golden Currents in Mary ’s backyard .

So far on this virtual tour we ’ve seena big property full of coloured works grown from seed , a small urban caboodle that reach the most of its modified foot photographic print , and a tranquil garden that is in harmony with the savage nature that surrounds … and we still have two more gardens to go ! Be sure to come back tomorrow to see where the Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour have us next !

Have photograph to share ? We ’d have a go at it to see your garden , a special collection of plants you love , or a rattling garden you had the prospect to visit !

To render , send 5 - 10 exposure to[email protected]along with some data about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photograph . We ’d love to try where you are located , how long you ’ve been garden , success you are gallant of , loser you learned from , hope for the time to come , preferred plant , or funny chronicle from your garden .

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