About This Planting

These plants are doing a lot of heavy lifting!

This is an ecological garden—these plants are performing vital ecosystem services, such as providing food and shelter for insects and other wildlife, capturing carbon, and preventing stormwater runoff. 

How? 

• Native Plants

Most of our native insects can't reproduce without the native plants they've co-evolved with. And insects make everything else possible: they feed birds, provide pollination, and improve the soil.

​

• Deep Roots

Plant roots carry water, carbon, and nutrients into the ground. Since the roots of these plants are many times longer than a typical lawn (1-10 feet long, vs. just a couple inches!) they are carrying that water, carbon, and nutrition A LOT deeper into the ground, and improving the quality of the soil while they're at it! This is why people sometimes talk about these plants as a form of "green infrastructure:" they're increasingly recognized as an important way to handle stormwater capacity, water filtration, and carbon sequestration. 

​

• Diversity

A variety of plants is key to creating a resilient and robust habitat. Different plants fill different niches and support different species. 

​

• Density

In order to function ecologically, the garden needs to be densely planted. We started with small plants to maximize density and diversity from the start. In just a year or two, the flowers and grasses will grow and fill in, creating a lush landscape brimming with ecological benefits.