Native Plant Landscape Design in White Plains, New York Flowering plants give us pleasure and enjoyment. They also provide critical ecosystem services in our landscape environment. This lovely cottage style garden in downtown White Plains serves as a precious sanctuary for pollinators and a tremendous variety of migrating birds. Developing Westchester’s green spaces / native plant corridors are valuable to many life forms from the soil microorganisms to the tree tops. It Starts with the Soil For example, we start every installation with organic, natural source soil amendments including premium compost with biochar. The biochar provides a host for microbes and the organic matter provides a food sources for the microbial communities to grow. Biochar also helps with water retention and aeration, creating more hospitable soil environment. Check out Organic Mechanics and Organic Plant Magic, two of our favorite sources for ecological gardening products! Habitat Requirements An important component of true environmental landscape design is providing food, water and shelter for wildlife throughout the year. It is especially necessary to provide native plants that bloom from early spring through fall. To accomplish this feat requires shrub habitat, berries, flowers and trees. The National Wildlife Foundation has created a checklist for designing habitat gardens, to fulfill their Certified Wildlife Habitat program, learn more here. In this garden, plant selections included: Agastache (Blue Giant Hyssops) Digitalis (Foxglove) Coreopsis (Tickseed) Leucanthemum (Daisies) Nepeta (Catmint) These pollinator attracting perennials, plus the all-organic landscape maintenance program also qualify this property as a Pollinator Pathway of White Plains and broader Westchester County. This landscape is always changing and evolving with the seasons, and we look forward to continuing to develop it in accordance with the changing climate. — Jay Archer Landscape Designer, Landscape Ecologist, President Green Jay Landscape Design 914-560-6570
