Brooklin 
Recent Press Releases — June 1, 2009
BHHT Patten Stream Preserve awes native plant enthusiasts
A group of gardeners and nature-lovers from across the Peninsula gathered last Saturday at Blue Hill Heritage Trust's Patten Stream Preserve in Surry in search of "spring ephemerals" – woodland plants that bloom for only a brief time in the spring. In addition to encountering several exquisite ephemerals – such as Painted Trillium, Blue-bead Lily, and Indian Cucumber Root – the group explored the stunning hemlock-lined riverbank that is a central unique feature of this recently-acquired BHHT property.
Local native plant specialist Heather McCargo led this BHHT Walk & Talk, with a special emphasis on how to identify and propagate a number of suitable native plant species for gardens and wooded landscapes. These include Bunchberry, Blue-eyed Grass, Bluets, Canada Mayflower, Wild Iris and Violets, all of which are fairly easy to grow from seed, according to Heather. She pointed out some wild seedlings poking out from an old stump and suggested planting ripe seeds (after plant flowers have passed) in a pile of old bark mulch for germination. Formerly the nursery propagator for the New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods in MA, Heather assured that "Once you get the propagating bug, ... you'll be ecstatic just to see the emergence of your first Bunchberry cotyledon!" This is a great activity to involve children in, as well.
Heather noted that some wild plants, such as Trillium and the Lady Slipper Orchids, are not good candidates for propagation in home gardens and are best appreciated where they happen to grow in the wild. Trillium are extremely slow to propagate, and Lady Slippers often require a system of very site-specific soil fungi to survive. Trillium and Lady Slippers for sale at nurseries have often been poached from woodlands, Heather warned, which further threatens these species' survival.
The opportunity to experience these delicate plants in the wild is just one of the reasons that Pam Johnson, native plant landscape designer and BHHT board member, is particularly enthusiastic about the Patten Stream property. "This property has so much to offer for both the serious botanist and the recreational nature-lover," says Pam, citing the wide array of plants and broader ecological relationships on display throughout the year. "Making places like this available to the public gives us all a tremendous opportunity to learn from nature."
In fact, Heather's most important advice to gardeners is "to get out in nature and explore what is there" instead of conceptualizing a landscape based only on what is available in nurseries and catalogs. Appreciating and encouraging indigenous plants in their native environment typically has the added benefits of less maintenance and cost. Admiring an elegant roadside covering of bluets and blueberries at the end of the trail, Heather elaborated: "You can go out and buy lots of pretty plants and work hard enriching your soil to accommodate them, but doing that will destroy the natural habitat of many desirable wild plants like these that actually prefer our native lean soil conditions."
An informational handout listing and illustrating many of the native plants observed, along with identification and propagation tips, will be available next week for pick-up at the Blue Hill Heritage Trust office, located at 258 Mountain Rd. For more information about BHHT and for a schedule of 2009 Walks and Talks, visit the new BHHT website at www.bluehillheritagetrust.org.
More Press Releases
- August 20, 2009
Landowners and Blue Hill Heritage Trust Offer Rare Glimpse of Pristine Pitch Pine Woodland - July 28, 2008
Opening of New Trail Section on Blue Hill Mountain - July 15, 2008
"Window on the Harbor" Protected by Conservation Easement Gift - June 17, 2008 – Bangor Daily News
Blue Hill: Land trusts poised to buy, conserve island (PDF 84K)
