Art of Gardening Club President Pat Edwards praised Master Gardener Sarah Russell's previous presentations on native plants during the club's Aug. 5 meeting at Tim Hortons. Russell, of Richland County, presented a program titled "Planting Natives in Your Yard."
Edwards also noted that she belonged to a book club with Russell's grandmother.
Russell described her property as a "mini-Kingwood Center" before she began transitioning it to native plants, saying the landscape was meticulously maintained and resembled the manicured grounds of the Mansfield botanical garden.
More: 12th Street couple wins Yard of the Month
"I want to feel joy," Russell said. "I started off by planting a Honeycrisp apple tree."
Native plants evolved over thousands of years alongside wildlife. Native plants like oaks (Quercus), cherries (Prunus) and willows (Salix) are keystone or foundation plants.
Everything is connected. Not only do they form deep connections with wildlife, but they also feed insects, birds and animals.
"Put a native oak in your yard," she said.
Native wildflowers in Ohio include about 1,8000 species and attract local pollinators. Caterpillars, a food source for birds, also need food.
"We need the right kind of leaves" for butterflies; sassafras and spicebush are native host plants. They lay their eggs on the leaves, giving their young (caterpillars) safe food and shelter. When bluemist flowers (wild or hardy ageratum) take over August-October, butterflies go "banana grams!" Russell stressed, which is another way to indicate they swarm the flowers.
"Could we make our yard the bird feeder habitat and shelter?" Russell inquired. "Even a small bird bath can make a significant difference."
Bird baths add a source of water to a yard for wildlife.
"I love botanical names. I think they're so fun!" Russell said.
Baptisia australis is the botanical name for blue false indigo, spikes of indigo-blue, pea-shaped flowers.
Russell makes an exception when it comes to hostas. They may not be native plants, but "I love the hostas that were my mom's! They're not invasive!"
"Fair boxes look fabulous!" Edwards commented on other business. The club maintains two fair flower boxes in front of the Ashland County fairgrounds.
Yard of the Month scouts for August included Sally Ahlers, who launched the summer project five years ago, Claudia Dunn, Edwards and Cathy Siwek. The award went to a very inviting yard and couple, Richard and Pam Crist of 110 E. 12th St., Ashland.
Kathy Bargar, Peggy Stover, Wendy Schmidt and Edwards are September scouts for the southeast section of Ashland starting with Cleveland Avenue. Traveling to Tin Can Chandelier is Sept. 2. Kim Tanner, a member, expressed an interest in having a program with soap, so Pat will contact the art studio/workshop to inquire about a speaker on soap making. Members should plan on meeting at Tin Can Chandelier.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: How native plants can turn your yard into a sanctuary