Clive W. and Mona M. Lacy Native Cultivars Garden
Published: October 5, 2009
The New England landscape, including Broadmoor, features many plants that have been here for thousands of years. Known as "native plants," they look as though they belong - and they do. Along with their beauty, they offer benefits such as food and shelter for animals, soil and water conservation, and hardiness in weather extremes.
Broadmoor's Native Cultivars Garden was established to demonstrate how a carefully chosen selection of nursery cultivated native plants can provide a beautiful, environmentally sound garden. Once established with good soil and proper watering, these plants can thrive without the need for chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Their strong root systems will hold water and help prevent soil erosion.
Making a change toward a more native garden doesn't have to be a major project. It can be a series of small steps each of us can take to improve the health of our home landscapes and our local environment. If you use a lawn service, consider asking about environmentally safe fertilizer and pest control alternatives. You might plant a ground cover to reduce the size of your lawn and minimize water use and maintenance. You could also add a few native grasses or fruit-bearing shrubs to a corner of your yard.
For more information, a collection of books on native plants is available for loan from the front desk in Broadmoor's nature center. The New England Wildflower Society is a good source of additional information and plants. You can also ask your local garden center for native plants. For professional help with native plants you can contact The Ecological Landscaping Association.
Garden design and installation by Alison Campbell Design and Hortus Landscapes
The following perennials, trees and shrubs are currently planted in our Garden:
Perennials
Ferns and Flowers
Aster divaricatus
(white wood aster)
Aquilegia canadensis
(columbine)
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
(bearberry)
Athyrium filix-femina
(lady fern)
Boltonia asteroides
(boltonia aster)
Eupatorium
(joe pye weed 'Gateway')
Gillenia trifoliata
(bowman's root)
Phlox stolonifera
('Blue Ridge')
Polygonatum commutatum
(Solomon's seal)
Rudbeckia fulgida
(black-eyed susan)
Thalictrum rochebrunianum
(meadow rue)
Tiarella cordifolia
(foam-flower)
(oakleaf)
Grasses
Deschampsia cespitosa
(tufted hairgrass)
Schizachryrium scoparium
(bluestem grass 'The Blues')
Trees and Shrubs
Amelanchier laevis
(serviceberry)
Clethra alnifolia
(summersweet, sweet pepperbush)
Cornus sericea
(red osier dogwood)
Fothergilla gardenia
(witch alder)
Hamamelis virginianum
(witch hazel 'Arnold's Promise')
Hypericum calycinum
(St Johnswort)
Ilex glabra
(inkberry 'Shamrock')
Ilex verticillata
(winterberry)
Leucothoe fontanesiana
(dog hobble)
Vaccinium corymbosum
(blueberry)
Viburnum trilobum
(American cranberry)
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
280 Eliot Street
Natick, MA 01760
| 
