Green Jay Landscape Design

Green Jay Landscape Design

(914) 560-6570

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We are proud of our talented team that keeps Green Jay Landscape Design operating every day. Our landscape designers, craftsmen, horticultural experts, masons, and project managers all play a valuable role in making each project a stand-out success. Our team has grown over the last few years, and we’d like to introduce our landscape design team – making waves in Westchester, NY, Fairfield County, CT & Morris County, NJ. 

Uziel Crescenzi

Director of Landscape Design Development

Uziel brings rich academic and field experience to the Green Jay team. Having always been design-oriented, he began his undergrad in an architecture program, but was soon drawn to transfer to SUNY College of Agriculture to study plant science. Learning the biology and chemistry of how plants work has been invaluable to Uziel as a designer. He has a deeper understanding of what conditions make which plants thrive, and how to design and execute a landscape around this knowledge. 

Uziel continued his education with a Master of Landscape Design from the City College of New York where he fine-tuned his skills in site analysis, ecological impact, and place-making design. His previous work experience includes Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum, Wave Hill public gardens, and The American Gardener.

At Green Jay, Uziel plays many roles. His main responsibilities are analyzing new landscape sites and designing ecological landscapes in Westchester, Fairfield, and Morris Counties. Jay and Uziel often collaborate on the initial site visit and then the final design presentation is executed by Uziel. An intimate plant knowledge, appreciation of nature and understanding of the intricacies of placemaking makes Uziel an incredibly valuable team member. 

Jay Archer 

Senior Landscape Designer & Landscape Ecologist, President of Green Jay Landscape Design

Jay Archer is the backbone, foundation and leader of Green Jay Landscape Design. His vision as a landscape designer, naturalist and landscape ecologist has guided Green Jay to our current form and success as an ecological landscape design & build firm. Jay’s foundation as a designer is rooted in his years spent immersed in the woods, hiking through acres of public land and observing mother nature’s work creating plant communities and ecosystems. 

Jay has an in-depth understanding of how site conditions – elevation, topography, sun patterns, soil porosity and composition – create hospitable or inhospitable growing conditions.  He also knows the diet, mating patterns, and nesting behavior of virtually every bird that could possibly be spotted in our region. 

This decades-long interest in ecology, horticulture, and ornithology, guided Jay to the field of ecological landscape design.  He studied at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in the landscape design and horticulture departments, as well as the Rutgers University Center for Urban Ecology. Jay is also a Certified Organic Land Care Professional through the New England Organic Farming Association (NOFA).

Jay went on to share his knowledge by developing curriculum for NYBG on topics such as Wetland Restoration & Management, Landscaping with Stone, Ecological Restoration, and Waterscaping. He also prototyped curriculum for the Omega Institute and the Westchester Native Plant Center.

Jay founded Green Jay in 2012 with the goal of revolutionizing the standard of landscape design – from chemically-dependent and sterile to organic, native and full of life – a thriving natural ecosystem right outside your door.

Since our inception Green Jay has become a household name for designing beautiful, organic landscapes that are also habitats for birds, pollinators and other threatened wildlife. We have collaborated with many fabulous like-minded local organizations including Bedford 2030 Healthy Yards, Pollinator Pathways, Audubon International, Greenwich Botanical Society & more!

Contact us to start your ecological landscape design project! Serving Westchester, Fairfield, Putnam & Morris Counties in NY, CT & NJ!

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Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design Meets Ecology

914.560.6570

This Landscape Design Master Plan included re-vamping an existing native wildflower meadow that had not been maintained properly. The meadow is 3-5 years old and had been mowed in the fall of last year (not by GJL). This improper mowing schedule essentially removed many perennials before they went to seed, impacting the amount of diversity, flowers and color to be expected this season.

Meadow Disturbance Schedule

Don’t get us wrong – mowing is a critical part of organic meadow management! But when you mow is an essential detail. We follow this meadow disturbance schedule:

  • Mow 3x a year for the first year
  • 2x a year the second year
  • 1x a year, only in March for every year after

Mowing the native wildflower meadow in March helps control the overall height of the meadow and allows slower-to-develop plants in the seedbank to access enough sunshine to grow and thrive! Without some kind of disturbance, only the fastest growing species will survive, out competing others and limiting the overall diversity and ecological value of the meadow.

Reseeding with Native Wildflower Meadow Mixes

To remedy this meadow maintenance mishap in Darien, CT, we knew we need to reinvigorate the seed bank with new plant material. First, we mechanically disturbed the meadow. Burning is the best organic method of disturbance, but requires a permit and much oversight in Fairfield County, CT.  Mechanical disturbance via spiking is second best. Then, we planted several native wildflower meadow mixes from Ernst Seed. The new wildflower seeds will have a progression of blooms. Some species bloom in the first year, others take 2-3 years to mature to flowering.

By next year there will be much more color, diversity and ecological activity on this site! It is already performing eons better than a lawn, ecologically speaking, and will only get better as more wildflowers mature, provide habitat for pollinators and perform other ecosystem services like stormwater absorption and filtration.  In the fall, many songbirds will stop to feed on the seeds. Insects will overwinter in the hollow-stemmed perennials. And come spring, birds will find nesting materials in the grasses and stems of this beautiful meadow…that used to be lawn.

Do you have an area on your property that you’d like to convert to a meadow? Contact us for a free 15-minute discovery call or a professional on-site consultation.

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Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design Meets Ecology

914-560-6570

The wind whispers, birds sing, flowers unfold and bloom throughout the seasons of your lives. Sweet fragrance fills the air, trees and grasses sway as you embrace the wild, the beating heart of nature, a symphony complete, where all the players play their part — at home in your Private Nature Preserve.

This could be your property. Your home landscape oasis. The above is an excerpt of a design proposal from one of our favorite projects of the year. A multi-acre private nature preserve we designed over the winter and are currently in phase 2 of installing. 

This is part two of our blog series on nature preserves, where we explore how ecological landscape design can achieve the same goals of preservation, connection with nature, and mental health renewal—at a residential scale. Catch up on our first blog, Designing a Private Nature Preserve at Home. 

In this post, we’ll be diving into a case study in Fairfield County, CT – an estate abutting a wetland – that has been one of the most fun and rewarding projects of 2021. The client hired us because she liked our naturalistic style and ecological perspective. The client requested a design that would highlight the property’s existing features while bringing more vibrance, life and activity to the estate.

Design Concept: Natural Paradise

Starting each project with a strong design point of view and concept is an essential part of the vision. Jay’s Design Proposals really capture the feeling of being in a naturalistic landscape. Below are some excerpts from this client’s Design Proposal:

Enter the sacred grove through the continuum of evergreens and arrive at the entrance shield, where the mighty oaks stand atop the torc guardians, the cosmic storehouse of strength, knowledge, truth and independence.

The harmony and balance restored to your lovely property will attract the spirit of nature in all its mystery and manifestations. The rich diversity of plant life will establish a sensory portal through which you may experience the awesome majesty and primal reality of a truly authentic natural world.

By employing the powerful forces of biodynamics and planting in the phases of the moon, the energy of the heavens and earth will be optimized to improve the vitality and longevity of all biological life in your landscape ecosystem. 

A model for an egalitarian life, living with nature, cherishing the precious natural resources as a gift in an imperfect world, may you celebrate the joy of being all the days of your lives, in health and happiness, now and forever.

We strive to design our ideal nature. Serene. Undisturbed. Full of Life. We manifest the feeling of walking through the woods or by a meadow. A national park at home, minus the crowds, tour busses, and selfie sticks. Rather, our havens of designed ecosystems are begging you to wander a path, fall asleep beneath a tree, and listen to the melodic buzz and song of all the creatures around you. (Check out Homegrown National Park to put your property on the map!)

Assessing & Designing Microclimates

A property of this size will inevitably have microclimates – some zones will be shadier, wetter, more acidic, etc. than others. An obvious example at this site was the border of mature trees – a woodland overstory begging for an understory! We designed a garden spanning the entire northern border of the property, beneath the fabulous tree giants.  The plant palette included an abundance of native flowering and fruiting shrubs and our favorite woodland perennials. 

Another example of a microclimate is the expansive lawn area – hot, dry and sunny. We decided to accentuate the existing steps with two large meadow pollinator gardens on either side. Meadow plants perform best in lean, dry, sunny locations, so it was a no-brainer!

Near the house, we designed our own microclimate – a birch grove that both lends privacy from inside the house and creates another outdoor zone of tranquility. Underplanted with Carex and other native groundcovers, the birch grove will look and feel like the natural edge environment where meadow meets forest.  

Designing to accentuate each property’s existing natural features is a signature component of our POV when designing private nature preserves. Incorporating existing mature trees into the landscape composition gives the site a sense of permanence and longevity.

Whimsical Creativity

This property had so much opportunity for whimsy! We designed spiraled berm gardens for a dramatic entrance to the home. Planting them with native flowering shrubs creates continuity between the woodland understory nearby (both aesthetically, and for birds seeking food and shelter!).

The norther woodland garden has a woodchip path that meanders the length of the property, encouraging walking, observation and reflection. As you return to the house, duck into the willow fence tunnel or stop to doze beneath the birch trees.

Up by the pool area, an in-set serpentine garden bed makes even the hardscaping feel softened and connected to the landscape.

In all of these design choices, we sought elements that would invite the client’s interaction with the landscape.  This is not five acres of lawn to look at from your window! Just like visiting a national or state park, our residential landscapes are best when explored.

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Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design x Meets Ecology

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Welcome back to Part Two of the BEST Native Perennials for NY, CT & NJ. These are often our go-to plants (provided the right site conditions!) because they all contribute majorly to the landscape ecology. All of these selections are regionally native plants that attract pollinators, birds and/or beneficial insects. Many of these native perennials also perform extra ecosystem services like absorbing excess rainfall, filtering out pollutants in the soil & water, stabilizing soil from erosion, and sequestering greenhouse gases. If you missed out on Part One of our Favorite Native Perennials, get caught up on our previous blog.

New York & New England Aster

Symphyotrichum novi-belgii & symphyotrichum novi-angilae

NY Aster (first photo) is 2-4’ tall and more compact in form; NE Aster is 2-5’ tall.

Dry to moist, lean soil is ideal for both. Full sun (for more blooms) to part shade. NY Aster leaves are smooth, compared to hairy New England Aster. Flower color is also paler blue/purple/pink. 

Both bloom late summer thru fall & are important late-season pollen / nectar sources!

Douglas Tallamy ranks Asters as the second most important herbaceous plant for Lepidoptera! Attracts butterflies including the Pearl Crescent and Silvery Checkerspot, among others. 

Both flowers are absolute magnets for native bees & honeybees. Swipe for video! Syrphid flies — natural predators of aphids, and pollinators themselves — area also attracted to Asters.

NY Aster is naturally found along the coast at lower elevations. NE Aster is found in fields, along roadsides, in woodlands and savannas.

All parts of the aster — roots leaves and flowers — were used in medicinal ways by Native American tribes. Flowers and foliage were burned for use in sweat lodge ceremonies (Inipi).  Tea was drunk for earaches, stomach aches, congestion and fever. Flowers were also smoked and used as a snuff.

Anise Hyssop

Agastache foeniculum

Agastache is incredibly floriferous for many weeks AND low-maintenance (our fav combo!). The tall flower spikes make it great for the rear of a garden bed; we love combining with native ornamental grasses! Plant Agastache in your garden and let the locals feast!

2-4’ Tall

Full sun to part shade. Dry to average soils. Naturally found in prairies, dry upland forests, meadows and disturbed areas. Native from the eastern US, west to Colorado and south to Kentucky.

Blooms June to September.

Attracts: hummingbirds, monarch butterflies, swallowtails, native bees, and honey bees.

Fast-growing member of the Mint family (Lamiaceae)

Foliage is fragrant, similar to licorice / star anise (making it deer resistant!). Agastache has several culinary applications. Leaves can be made into a fragrant tea or jelly.  Seeds are often added to baked goods. Leaves can be incorporated into salads.

Traditionally, an tea or infusion of Agastache leaves was used to treat fevers and colds.

Lupine

Lupinus spp.  

So many beautiful and unique features to this native perennial! Lupine is one of those plants that could never flower and would still look amazing in your garden.

1-2’ Tall

Blooms June – July

Full sun (best) to part shade. Well-drained, lean, dry to medium soils. Naturally found in prairies, meadows, coastal sandy soils, and dappled woodlands. Lupine is an early succession species, meaning it is quick to colonize disturbed environments.

Member of the Pea / Legume family (Fabaceae), meaning Lupines fix nitrogen in the soil! As such, they are great companion plants to “heavy feeders” in a vegetable garden like cucumbers, squash, broccoli & cabbage.

Flower spikes can be up to 8” tall and open successional from the the bottom. Color ranges from purple to pink and red.

Beautifully distinctive palmately compound foliage (leaflets radiate around a single point) is also superhydrophobic. Instead of absorbing droplets of water, they sit atop the leaves like glistening orbs.

Once turning to seed, the pea-shaped seed pods create a lovely rattling sound in the wind!

Attracts BEES including bumble bees, eastern carpenter bees & honey bees. 

BUTTERFLIES that feed on Lupine include Black Swallowtails, Clouded Sulphurs and the endangered Karmer Blues, for which Lupine is a host plant!

Other pollinators of Lupine: ants, beetles & thrips. Hummingbirds are known to feed on the nectar.

Lupines have a taproot and should not be transplanted. However, this makes them excellent plants for erosion control.

No recommended medicinal uses for Lupine due to its toxic & potentially fatal alkaloid D-lupanine. Some Native American tribes did  consume a Lupine tea to treat nausea and hemorrhaging.


Note: Lupinus perennis is the wild lupine native to the east coast.  Lupinus polyphyllus, Large Leaf Lupine, is native to the northwestern US.  In some areas, like Maine, L. polyphyllus is crowding out the regional native with its aggressive colonization. Although both are valuable to pollinators & for soil conservation, choose the endangered L. perenniswhenever possible for Northeast landscapes! It is estimated that L. perennis wild populations have declined by 90% since 1900.

Geranium

Geranium maculatum

There is no better front border native perennial than Geranium! Interesting foliage, LONG bloom time, fills in quickly, and attracts tons of beneficial insects & pollinators. Need we say more?

1-2’ Tall 

Full sun to part shade. Naturally grows in mesic deciduous forests, meadows, savannas, and stream banks. Average soils. Drought-tolerant.

‘Rozanne’ is a well-loved cultivar (pictured) that has an incredibly long bloom time (June – October!!) and violet colored blossoms.

ATTRACTS:

Beneficials: syrphid flies, lacewings, ladybugs and parasitic wasps.  (All natural predators to garden pests, and essential to attract in an organic landscape!)

Bees: bumblebees, mason bees, halictid bees, android bees, namadine cuckoo bees, miner bees & more.

Butterflies & Moths: skippers

Other Pollinators: ants, beetles, March flies

Songbirds eat the seeds in fall

Geraniums depend on insect pollination. Once achieved, seeds are produced in a fruit and flung into the landscape via “explosive dispersal.” Essentially catapulted from flower to soil. Seeds have a tail shape that drives them into the soil for germination.

Foliage is palmately compound and deeply cut.  In fall it turns a lovely red to yellow.

Native Americans employed geraniums to treat diarrhea, wounds, and sores. Geraniums contain tannic and gallic acids that work as an astringent, helping blood to clot.

Blazing Star

Liatris spicata

What’s not to love? Huge flower spikes up to 2.5’ long, delicate grass-like foliage, and sturdy stems that look great thru fall and winter. And that’s just the aesthetics!

3-4’ Tall

Blooms in August – September

Liatris has unique phytoremediation properties. It can grow in cadmium contaminated soil and actually uptakes the heavy metal and stores it in its tissues as a non-toxic compound! A great option for remediation projects.

Full sun preferred but tolerates part shade. Well-drained soil is best but can also withstand moisture — L. Spicata’s other common name is Marsh Blazing Star.  It is naturally found in lowland prairies and is native to Eastern & Central US. L. Spicata is a good option for a rain garden!

Butterflies frequent Liatris including monarchs, swallowtails, skippers, and eastern commas.

Native bees (bumble bees, leaf-cutters), beetles and hummingbirds also visit Liatris for nectar, and songbirds will eat the seeds in fall.

Cherokee tribes used Liatris to treat pain, digestive issues, congestion and as a stimulant.

NEW YORK IRONWEED

Veronia noveboracensis

This native perennial holds a special play in our hearts — it “volunteered” into Jay’s landscape from the adjacent wetland in 2015 when they converted their rear lawn to garden, and has supported a wealth of wildlife ever since.

4-6’ tall, but can grow up to 8’!

Blooms July to September, 6 weeks!

NY Ironweed is naturally found in low-lying prairies, grasslands, dappled woodlands, disturbed areas.  It prefers wet/moist soils but can tolerate drought. Full sun to part shade.

Veronia is quick to spread via rhizomes and grows quickly.  We often find ourselves “editing” this tallboy out of the front of garden beds and in walkways, but it makes a fabulous rear border and has incredibly strong stems that don’t require staking (unlike most tall perennials!).

A great plant for meadows, larger naturalized gardens, and erosion control projects.

ATTRACTS an abundance of pollinators including: monarchs, swallowtails, fritillaries, painted ladies, skippers, native bees and beneficial insects. Songbirds will eat the seeds in fall.

Master designer Piet Oudolf lists NY Ironweed ‘Iron Butterfly’ as one of his *Must Have Plants* — he has planted it en masse on the NYC’s Highline and in Chicago’s Lurie Garden.

Ironweed has a host of traditional medicinal applications. Native Americans used it to treat stomach ulcers, pain from childbirth, hemorrhaging and for tooth pain.

Stay tuned for Part Three of our Favorite Native Plants – Perennials Edition. Coming soon!

 

Native Plants & Invasives FAQs

Q: Why is it important to use native plants?
A: Native plants have co-evolved with wildlife in our local environments for thousands of years. They are well-adapted to live in our local site conditions and provide immense habitat for insects and wildlife. Native plants create rich biodiversity that make our ecosystems more resilient to stress and change.

Q: How do you remove invasives organically?
A: That depends on the plant and the site! We have several strategies including cutting at the base, removing from the root, spot treating with organic herbicides and burning.

Q: Can I keep non-native plants in my landscape?
A: Yes! As plant people, we know the sentimental value plants can hold! Please communicate any heritage plants you would like to keep, and if they are non-invasive, we can incorporate them into your new landscape.

 

Pollinators & Biodiversity FAQs

Q: What is a Pollinator Pathway?
A: Towns in New York and Connecticut along and between the Hudson and Housatonic Rivers are working together in engaging homeowners to establish pollinator-friendly habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinating insects and wildlife, thus creating continuous pollinator-friendly and wildlife corridors. The Pollinator Pathway initiative is significant because of its scale and ability to link larger habitats together, for example inland forests with coastal areas, thereby reducing habitat fragmentation and revitalizing threatened species. Learn more about Pollinator Pathways

Q: Are pollinators really in decline?
A: For over a decade, bees have been on the decline. Charismatic indicator species like Monarch butterflies have also faced extreme fluctuations, with populations dropping 44% in 2013. Stressors that pollinators face that negatively impact their populations include: pesticide use; loss of habitat due to land fragmentation; climate change, which is disrupting synchronization between flower bloom time and pollinator emergence; air pollution; and light pollution. According to NRCS, three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35% of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. Some scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of animal pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles and other insects.

Q: Are Birds Really in Decline?
A: Yes, bird populations have declined by nearly 3 billion birds since 1970. Species most dramatically affected include orioles, meadowlarks, swallows and warblers. Researchers attribute this decline to habitat loss (from over development and climate change), pesticide use, insect decline, outdoor cats who prey on birds, and glass windows that birds fly into. 47% of the species studied (122 of 261 species) showed significant population declines, with accelerations of these declines found in agricultural areas where synthetic chemicals and prominent. Read more about the study here.

Q: How Can I Turn My Yard into a Habitat for Birds and Pollinators?
A: GJLD abides by the National Wildlife Fund (NWF) Certified Wildlife Habitat guidelines when designing backyard habitats. The NWF stipulates that habitats should have year- round food sources, meaning a sequence of native flowers, seedheads and berries for pollinators and birds to feed on. 70% native plants within your home landscape is a good benchmark. It is of the utmost importance that your landscape is maintained organically, otherwise synthetic pesticides and herbicides turn these valuable food sources into poison. Water sources, for drinking and bathing, are equally important. Try adding a bird bath, bubbler or other water feature with shallow ledges or stones to invite
birds to bathe in and pollinators to drink from. Water is also a dragonfly habitat, and dragonflies are natural mosquito predators. Your yard should also have multiple mass plantings, “safe cover,” as NWF describes, where wildlife can safely move from habitat to habitat within your yard. Within these masses, you should include woody shrubs, grasses, and native trees, which make great nesting spots and nesting materials for birds. NWF also promotes sustainable gardening practices, including conserving soil and water, reducing impermeable surfaces, removing invasive plants, reducing lawn area, and turning off lights at night.

 

Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design Meets Ecology

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It’s no secret that we at Green Jay Landscape Design firmly believe in restoring and designing native landscapes. Planting native plants has SO many ecosystem benefits –these ancestral plants adapted to difficult site conditions, provide critical soil stabilization, and of course, co-evolved with our local wildlife as the foundation of the food chain! We take a deep dive into our FAVORITE native perennials for the tri-state area (NY, NJ & CT). All of these native perennials are low maintenance, attract beneficial insects or birds, and look fabulous in landscapes of any size!

Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis, thriving along a constructed stream / waterfall in New Canaan, CT.

Cardinal Flower

Lobelia cardinalis

We’re going in rainbow order (obviously) and starting off with one of the best and brightest native wetland perennials!

Vibrant RED blossoms on 2-4’ spikes. Flower shape is tubular and called a two-lipped corolla. 

Blooms July – September.

Naturally grows in North American wetlands, marshes, stream banks, low woods & wet meadows. We love to plant along ponds, streams & waterfalls, as in this photo! 

As a Marginal Wetland Plant, Lobelia helps filter pollutants and excess nutrients from waterways. 

Cardinal flower paired with geranium in a pond border planting.

Important food source for Hummingbirds, which are attracted to red blossoms & have long tongues especially adapted to tubular flowers.

Also attracts butterflies (Black Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail), moths, bees and other pollinating insects and bird.

Grown best in full sun to light shade. Can take moist soil conditions up to (~2”) standing water, avoid letting the roots dry out!

Herbal Medicine: used by Iroquois to treat fevers & upset stomach and by the Delaware to treat typhoid & syphilis. Other tribes used it in tobacco ceremonies and as a love potion.

Bellflower Family (Campanulacea)

Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Perhaps the most recognized native plant! Hailing from the central prairies to meadows & woodland edges along the east coast, Coneflower is easily grown, long blooming, and a FAVORITE of pollinators. Plus, it comes in many cultivars (

Sweat bee on a red Echincea cultivar.

Attracts BEES including: sweat bees (first video), bumble bees, wasps, mason bees, leaf cutting bees & more. 

Monarch butterfly feeding on Coneflower (Echinacea) in a front yard pollinator garden in Stamford, CT.

Attracts BUTTERFLIES including: fritillaries, monarchs, painted ladies, skippers, viceroys, American ladies, painted ladies, & swallowtails.

Clouded Sulphur butterfly feeds on Echincaea. 

Attracts BIRDS including: goldfinches, blue jays, cardinals & hummingbirds. Leaving Coneflowers up through winter provides an important fall & winter food source (seeds) for birds.

Blooms June – August.

1.5 – 3’ Tall. 

Coneflower is composed of RAY flowers (petals) and hundreds of DISK flowers in a center cone shape, it’s namesake. 

Full Sun (best) to Partial Sun. Medium moisture. Lean soils — go easy on the compost and no need to fertilize!

ETHNOBOTANY: Used by Native Americans for sore throats, quenching thirst, stomaches, toothaches, tonsillitis, & pain relief. Believed to be the most harvested & used medicinal plant of the Great Plains! Today it is still drank as a tea to support the immune system and reduce inflammation.

**A Note on Cultivars**

There’s been much debate about the place for cultivars in a native landscape, whether they serve the same benefits as the true native species. From our research, double-petaled cultivars are usually sterile or have inaccessible nectar/pollen— not beneficial for pollinators! AVOID DOUBLE PETALS. 

A white cultivar of Echinacea is a wonderful compliment to a colorful palette.

Other claims of nutrient deficiencies in single petal cultivars have simply not been studied enough. In our personal field experience, we see plenty of bees, butterflies & birds on the white, red & slightly larger coneflower cultivars we’ve planted throughout the years. What we plant is greatly based on local availability, and cultivars of perennials are often more common than the true natives in nurseries. 

We welcome more research on the topic, the intersection with pollinators, and more transparency in breeding!

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) is a low maintenance perennial adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions. As the common name suggests, it is a pollinator powerhouse!

Bee Balm & Wild Bergamot

Monarda didyma & Monarda fistulosa

The Monarda genus is known for its distinct “mophead” flowers ranging from scarlet red to hot pink to lavender. Monarda is a cult favorite #nativeplant because it is a bird and pollinator MAGNET, a repeat bloomer, deer resistant & has culinary uses!

Full Sun to Part Shade

2-4’ tall.

M. didyma naturally grows along stream banks and in lower, wetter environments. Wet to Medium soils.

Swallowtail on M. fistulosa in a meadow planting.

M. fistulosa’s native habitat includes parries, dry rocky areas, and roadsides. Dry to Medium soils. 

Attracts: BEES (sand wasps, sweat bees, bumble bees) BUTTERFLIES (monarchs, swallowtails), MOTHS (hummingbird moths, sphinx moths, grey marvel) & BIRDS (sparrows, goldfinches, hummingbirds)

Deadhead or prune part of the plant for repeat blooms but leave the final round of blossoms up through fall and winter! Monarda flowers produce a “nutlet” that birds such as sparrows and goldfinches feed on over winter.

Mint family — can be aggressive.

M. didyma nearing the end of its bloom. It pairs fabulously with other summer favorites: Echinacea, Heleopsis, Rudbeckia.

Wild Bergamot (M. fistulosa) foliage has a similar flavor to Earl Grey Tea and can be used in baking. M. didyma foliage has a savorier flavor, comparable to oregano and used in similar applications.The common name Bee Balm actually refers to the Native Americans use of monarda leaves in a poultice to treat bee stings.

Clouded Sulphur butterfly feeds on Butterfly Weed (Ascelpias tuberose).

Butterfly Weed

Ascelpias tuberosa

Native to all of the US except for the Northwest, butterfly weed is a fabulous low-maintenance, long-lived perennial that has co-evolved with many specialized wildlife species to provide critical habitat.

1 – 2.5’ Tall. Full sun to part shade.  Dry to medium soils. Great rain garden plant!

ATTRACTS POLLINATORS:

  • Monarch, Grey Hairstreek, swallowtails and Queen butterflies.
  • Large milkweed bug, common milkweed bug, red milkweed beetle, blue milkweed beetle, Long-tongued bees
  • Moths
  • Hummingbirds 

Monarch butterflies will ONLY lay their eggs on Ascelpias leaves. Monarch caterpillars feed on the leaves because the cardiac glycosides compounds they contain act as a chemical defense predators avoid the caterpillars because of their foul tasting flesh.

A Bumble Bee visits Butterfly Weed.

Butterfly Weed has a rich history of medicinal and ethnobotanic uses

Fibers  such as rope, yarn and fabric

Used to treat swellings, rashes, diarrhea, blindness, for mothers to produce breast milk, snake bites, and as a contraceptive

The uncooked roots and green pods were eaten by the Pueblo tribes. However, cardiac glycosides are now known to be poisonous to both humans and livestock.

Avoid transplanting your butterfly weed plants. They have a tap root that is difficult to dig up and transplant successfully.

Member of the Apocynaceae or dogbane family.

An orange cultivar of Coreopsis brings lovely warm hues and many beneficial insects to the garden.

Tickseed

Coreopsis spp.

A staple in many of our native plant gardens! Coreopsis is a repeat bloomer and very drought tolerant, aka, it looks fabulous all summer and into fall! We love to use it in front as a border with other low-growing natives like Geranium and Gallardia. Here’s what else we love about this native perennial:

1-3’ tall. Full Sun. Dry to Medium soil moisture.

Attracts many “beneficial insects” that naturally predate on garden pests. The natural pest control comes from: pirate bugs, parasitic wasps, hover flies, soldier beetles, syrphid flies, lacewings, and spiders.  Check out Attracting Beneficial Bugs by Jessica Walliser for more info!

Common Buckeye butterfly visits Coreopsis.

Nectar plant for butterflies including: Monarch, Common Buckeye, Eastern Tailed-Blue.

Pollen source for both native bees (long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps) and honey bees.

BLOOMS: mid-summer to Fall.

Beautiful, unique needle-like folliage, especially Coreopsis tripteris.

DEER TOLERANT!

Coreopsis lanceolata self-seeds / naturalizes easily, making it great for meadows and larger regeneration projects.

Ethnobotany: Used by Native Americans to treat many maladies including internal pain (boil flowers and drank as tea), diarrhea (root tea), and as an emetic. Flowers were also used to make yellow and red dyes.

Helenium in a poolside pollinator & ornamental grass garden.

Sneezeweed

Helenium autumnale

Happy to report the namesake of this native perennial beauty does not refer to allergies or hay fever! In fact, dried sneezeweed flowers were traditionally used to induce sneezing. Sneezes were thought to aid head colds as well as dispel evil spirts from the body. 

Plus, Helenium is insect-pollinated, not wind-pollinated.  It is the airborne pollen of wind-pollinated plants like ragweed that tend to induce hay fever symptoms. 

What pollinators are attracted to Helenium?!

Countless pollinators & beneficial insects including: halictid bees, bumble bees, sweat bees, wasps, honey bees, syphrid flies, hover flies, ants, skippers, and sulphur butterflies (host plant). Many birds feed on Helenium seeds in late fall and winter.

Full sun to part shade. Dry to medium moisture.

2-3’ tall.

Blooms late summer – early fall.

Helenium in a part-shade garden at a woodland border in Rye. NY.

Helenium refers to Helen of Troy. Legend has it these flowers appeared where her tears fell.

Leaves and flowers are poisonous to humans if eaten in large quantities, because of chemicals called sesquiterpene lactones. These compounds also make helenium DEER & RABBIT RESISTANT!

Black-eyed Susan in a part-shade garden paired with Agastache.

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia spp.

An ICON in the native plant world, Rudbeckia can do it all! Its tolerant of a range growing conditions, is fast growing and low maintenance.

Plus, Rudbeckia is one of the longest-blooming perennials we know (!!), providing essential nectar and pollen from July to October. When the spent flowers turn to seed, its feasting time for many species of native birds. (Exactly why we insist on leaving native perennials up thru fall and winter!)

Rudbeckia in a full sun pool landscape in Westchester, NY.

Rudbeckia looks fabulous with Echinacea, Agastache, Monarda, Asters, Switchgrass and countless other native perennials & grasses for a high-impact ecological landscape.

2’ -3’ Tall & fast growing.

Full sun (preferred) to part shade. Dry to Moist/Wet soils = great rain garden plant!

BIRDS that feed on Rudbeckia seeds include: American Goldfinch, Black-Capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Sparrows, and Eastern Towhee.

Black-eyed Susan vegetative border along a pond in South Salem, NY.

BUTTERFLY host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot  caterpillar. Many other native Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths) visit Rudbeckias for nectar.

BENEFICIAL INSECTS are attracted to Rudbeckia, including Syrphid Flies, spiders, Ambush bugs, and Scolid wasps.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL Rudbeckia has a long herbal history for Native American tribes. Flower petals were boiled into a tea and used as a diuretic, and to treat edema, cardiovascular problems, and worms. Root “juices” were used to treat earaches. Topically, it was used as a wash on snakebites, burns, and wounds. Today, Rudbeckia tonics and teas are still consumed as an immune-booster.

OXEYE SUNFLOWER / FALSE SUNFLOWER

Heliopsis helianthoides

We love the elegant branching structure of Heliopsis and its high ecological impact — from habitat building to erosion control!

3-6’ tall

Dry to medium soil.  Full sun is best, but can tolerate part shade—and may require staking.

Blooms July to September/October.

Tall Heleopsis is perfect for a rear border. Its fast growing nature provides erosion control for the slope.

Fast growing & naturalizing, Heliopsis is ideal for soil stabilization on slopes, as seen in the above photo. This garden drops off abruptly and is susceptible to erosion. We removed the existing invasives and planted a mass of Heliopsis behind native flowering Viburnum shrubs.

Native to eastern & central US. Naturally found in prairies, fields and forest edge.

ATTRACTS POLLINATORS including:

Bees – bumblebees, miner bees, carpenter bees, digger bees, honeybees, cuckoo bees, leaf-cutting bees, halictid bees & goldenrod solider bees

Butterflies – Painted ladies, rigid sunflower borer moth & more

Birds – hummingbirds, finches, sparrows and juncos

Many beneficial insects overwinter in the stems of the Heliopsis. Leave your perennials up!

MEDICINAL Traditionally, Heliopsis has been brewed into a tea or tonic to treat lung ailments, fevers and colds. The stems have been used to treat malaria.

Asteracea, the Sunflower family.

GOLDENROD

Solidago spp. 

Pollinators attracted to goldenrod (a sampling of many): sphinx moths, hummingbird moths, honey bees, native bees, wasps, monarch butterflies, red-banded hairstreak butterflies, and beneficial insects such as ants, spiders and praying mantises!

For shadier areas try S. caesia (Wreath Goldenrod) or S. flexicaulis (Zigzag Goldenrod)

Goldenrods have a rich ethnobotanic and medicinal history. Some Native American tribes like the Lenni Lenape used goldenrod in sweat lodge ceremonies. Ojibwa used it to treat fevers, ulcers, boils and cramps. The Blackfoot employed it for congestion and sore throats.

Many people misattribute goldenrod as their seasonal allergies.  As discussed previously, insect-pollinated plants do not have airborne pollen that triggers allergies! Ragweed is generally the culprit and blooms at the same time as goldenrod.

All goldenrods are yellow except for S. bicolor which is white!

The above photos were taken at a wet meadow we manage in South Salem.  It was previously a lawn until we stopped mowing and let the native seed bank do its thing. Always worthwhile to see what Mother Nature pairs together.

Stay tuned for more of our favorite native perennials for the northeast in Part Two of the blog – coming soon!

 

Native Plants & Invasives FAQs

Q: Why is it important to use native plants?
A: Native plants have co-evolved with wildlife in our local environments for thousands of years. They are well-adapted to live in our local site conditions and provide immense habitat for insects and wildlife. Native plants create rich biodiversity that make our ecosystems more resilient to stress and change.

Q: How do you remove invasives organically?
A: That depends on the plant and the site! We have several strategies including cutting at the base, removing from the root, spot treating with organic herbicides and burning.

Q: Can I keep non-native plants in my landscape?
A: Yes! As plant people, we know the sentimental value plants can hold! Please communicate any heritage plants you would like to keep, and if they are non-invasive, we can incorporate them into your new landscape.

 

Pollinators & Biodiversity FAQs

Q: What is a Pollinator Pathway?
A: Towns in New York and Connecticut along and between the Hudson and Housatonic Rivers are working together in engaging homeowners to establish pollinator-friendly habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinating insects and wildlife, thus creating continuous pollinator-friendly and wildlife corridors. The Pollinator Pathway initiative is significant because of its scale and ability to link larger habitats together, for example inland forests with coastal areas, thereby reducing habitat fragmentation and revitalizing threatened species. Learn more about Pollinator Pathways

Q: Are pollinators really in decline?
A: For over a decade, bees have been on the decline. Charismatic indicator species like Monarch butterflies have also faced extreme fluctuations, with populations dropping 44% in 2013. Stressors that pollinators face that negatively impact their populations include: pesticide use; loss of habitat due to land fragmentation; climate change, which is disrupting synchronization between flower bloom time and pollinator emergence; air pollution; and light pollution. According to NRCS, three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35% of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. Some scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of animal pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles and other insects.

Q: Are Birds Really in Decline?
A: Yes, bird populations have declined by nearly 3 billion birds since 1970. Species most dramatically affected include orioles, meadowlarks, swallows and warblers. Researchers attribute this decline to habitat loss (from over development and climate change), pesticide use, insect decline, outdoor cats who prey on birds, and glass windows that birds fly into. 47% of the species studied (122 of 261 species) showed significant population declines, with accelerations of these declines found in agricultural areas where synthetic chemicals and prominent. Read more about the study here.

Q: How Can I Turn My Yard into a Habitat for Birds and Pollinators?
A: GJLD abides by the National Wildlife Fund (NWF) Certified Wildlife Habitat guidelines when designing backyard habitats. The NWF stipulates that habitats should have year- round food sources, meaning a sequence of native flowers, seedheads and berries for pollinators and birds to feed on. 70% native plants within your home landscape is a good benchmark. It is of the utmost importance that your landscape is maintained organically, otherwise synthetic pesticides and herbicides turn these valuable food sources into poison. Water sources, for drinking and bathing, are equally important. Try adding a bird bath, bubbler or other water feature with shallow ledges or stones to invite
birds to bathe in and pollinators to drink from. Water is also a dragonfly habitat, and dragonflies are natural mosquito predators. Your yard should also have multiple mass plantings, “safe cover,” as NWF describes, where wildlife can safely move from habitat to habitat within your yard. Within these masses, you should include woody shrubs, grasses, and native trees, which make great nesting spots and nesting materials for birds. NWF also promotes sustainable gardening practices, including conserving soil and water, reducing impermeable surfaces, removing invasive plants, reducing lawn area, and turning off lights at night.

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Green Jay Landscaping

914-560-6570

We are lucky to have established ourselves as a business in the very competitive pool of landscape designers serving Westchester County. Landscape design, build, and maintenance are demanding industries with the majority of make-or-break business occurring in six months of the year. There is often a high turnover among both staff and companies that can preserve. Jay Archer has worked in landscaping in Westchester and Fairfield Counties for decades. In this blog, he reflects on what separates the cream from the crop – why certain landscape designers thrive, and others fail.

Design Point of View

Like any artist, a landscape designer should have a clear point of view when designing. Much of this may be informed by the Design Program – the criteria for the design, a wish list from the client, or a set of problems to solve – but the designer’s own expertise, talent and design style will also inform their design point of view. Without a strong point of view, the design will lack coherency and lose the special details that make a landscape unique. 

At Green Jay Landscape Design, we are an ecological landscape design and build firm.  Jay’s point of view as a landscape designer draws heavily from natural landscapes. He seeks to design habitats that perform many ecosystem services. Nearly all of our designs include pollinator gardens, rain gardens, or aquatic habitats. They are carbon net positive. Jay gravitates towards diverse, meadow-like perennial gardens and designed woodland understories for a wild, naturalistic, yet composed aesthetic. You are unlikely to find a European-style parterre in our designs. You will find productive, layered designed ecosystems that feel like your own private nature preserve at home. 

Integrity & Communication

Integrity is the most important tenet for any business owner.  It is a value we instill in our employees from day one. We respect the utmost privilege of working at each client’s home. Job sites are kept neat and tidy. Jay is always available by phone or for a site visit to review the landscape together. Strong communication goes hand in hand with integrity. We strive to keep clients updated through every step of the design and installation process. In our industry, weather can disrupt work schedules, and plant inventory can change suddenly. Communication with our valued clients through every step of the process is essential.

Logistical Organization

Designing an excellent landscape is one thing. Building that landscape is a different skill set entirely. At Green Jay Landscape Design, we execute everything in-house, allowing us to control every critical step in the landscape installation. Our crews follow horticultural guidelines with Green Jay’s own organic planting and maintenance processes. Green Jay executes everything from hand-selecting the plants from the nursery to removing unwanted vegetation, precise landscape grading, soil preparation, irrigation, planting and masonry. Coordinating these installs, which can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, requires obsessive organization, connections with local vendors, and know-how when navigating local permits. 

Inspiration

As mentioned above, a strong design point of view is what elevates great designers from mediocre designers. Point of view is formed, in part, through inspiration.  Jay finds no shortage of inspiration in the natural world.  Long before becoming a landscape designer, he travelled the country by way of national park, spending weeks on end backpacking in the woods. Jay has spent much time observing natural ecosystems, plant combinations and local fauna. His years as a naturalist are constantly informing his design decisions. Jay’s designs use many native plants, many modeled after combinations he observes in the field. Every plant choice, native or not, serves an ecological purpose — from habitat creation to erosion control to phytoremediation to producing a harvestable food crop. Jay other great inspiration is water; he has designed and built waterfalls, ponds and streams in many of his designs. 

Investment in Long-Term Outcomes

Organic landscaping’s success relies on 1) creating the right growing environment for each plant and 2) designing with plants that attract natural predators to common garden pests. Our entire design and installation process is centered around creating a landscape that can succeed long-term, starting with our custom organic soil amendments and professional irrigation installation. We offer a one-year plant guarantee where proper maintenance is performed. For select clients we offer our full-service organic estate management.

We hope this blog provided some food for thought on what to consider when hiring a landscape designer. Try to find a designer who’s style and point of view align with yours. Look at reviews and for referrals from past clients to suss out important values like integrity, communication and timeliness. To schedule a consultation with Green Jay Landscape Design, contact us.

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Jay Archer

Green Jay Landscape Design

Where Design Meets Ecology

914-560-6570