Landscaping with Native Plants - Campaign for a Sustainable Indiana

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Landscaping with Native Plants State Headquarters for the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy The landscaping for our new office will showcase the diversity and beauty of native plants, as well as celebrate our work in Indiana. Ours will be one of the largest and most innovative native landscape de- signs in Indiana, if not the Midwest. On our one-acre lot, we are able to devote over 14,000 square feet to native landscaping and the creation of a bioswale for storm water run-off. All the trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers will be species native to Indiana except for the plants on the extensive green roof and the event lawn. Native plants cannot survive in the very shallow rooting medium used to meet weight requirements on extensive green roofs. We have cho- sen plant species for their availability, hardiness, and aesthetics. The native landscaping will be used in some traditional ways – to screen parking lots, soften edges, and add color to the site. Because of the large lot size, however, we will be able to use it to tell the story of our conser- vation work in Indiana. In several areas of the lot, plants will be organized into groupings repre- sentative of our best-loved preserves. For instance, one area along Ohio Street will have a grouping of red cedar, pale purple coneflower, wood- land sunflower, and little bluestem to represent Teeple Glade in Harrison County. The entrance to the building from the parking lot will feature an oak savanna planting to represent Prairie Border Preserve in Jasper County. Another landscape grouping along the north side of the building will have black walnut, redbud, and Virginia bluebells, reminiscent of Big Walnut Natural Area in Putnam County. The bioswale retention area between the parking area and the building will be filled with a variety of native wet- land species such as blueflag iris and great blue lobelia, and attractive wet- land shrubs such as winterberry and

Transcript of Landscaping with Native Plants - Campaign for a Sustainable Indiana

Landscaping with Native PlantsState Headquarters for the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy

The landscaping for our new office will showcase the diversity and beauty of native plants, as well as celebrate our work in Indiana.

Ours will be one of the largest and most innovative native landscape de-signs in Indiana, if not the Midwest. On our one-acre lot, we are able to devote over 14,000 square feet to native landscaping and the creation of a bioswale for storm water run-off.

All the trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers will be species native to Indiana except for the plants on the extensive green roof and the event lawn. Native plants cannot survive in the very shallow rooting medium used to meet weight requirements on extensive green roofs. We have cho-sen plant species for their availability, hardiness, and aesthetics.

The native landscaping will be used in some traditional ways – to screen parking lots, soften edges, and add color to the site. Because of the large lot size, however, we will be able to use it to tell the story of our conser-vation work in Indiana. In several areas of the lot, plants will be organized into groupings repre-sentative of our best-loved preserves. For instance, one area along Ohio Street will have a grouping of red cedar, pale purple coneflower, wood-land sunflower, and little bluestem to represent Teeple Glade in Harrison County.

The entrance to the building from the parking lot will feature an oak savanna planting to represent Prairie Border Preserve in Jasper County.

Another landscape grouping along the north side of the building will have black walnut, redbud, and Virginia bluebells, reminiscent of

Big Walnut Natural Area in Putnam County.

The bioswale retention area between the parking area and the building will be filled with a variety of native wet-land species such as blueflag iris and great blue lobelia, and attractive wet-land shrubs such as winterberry and

MESIC FOREST Species planted in this grouping will include tulip poplar, black walnut, Ohio buckeye, flowering dogwood, redbud, Virginia bluebells, wild ginger, Jacob’s ladder, and maidenhair fern. With the help of the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Nature Preserves, 3,094 acres of forest have been protected at Big Walnut Natural Area.

The Indiana Chapter currently owns approximately 18,000 acres of forest throughout the state and manages them to assure that native forest types are regenerating. Forests provide important bird habitat, reduce soil erosion along streams, and play an important role in sequestering carbon. Because of these important benefits, the Indiana Chapter has reforested 3,033 acres of land in Indiana.

CAMPAIGN for aSUSTAINABLEINDIANA

The Nature Conservancy1505 N. Delaware Street, Suite 200

Indianapolis, IN 46202(317) 951-8818

LIMESTONE GLADESpecies planted in this grouping will include eastern red cedar, hoary puccoon, pale purple coneflower, woodland sunflower, and little bluestem. Glades are small prairie-like openings in the forests of southern Indiana that provide habitat for a dense concentra-tion of rare plants and animals. We currently own 4,950 acres that protect 19 glades in Harrison, Floyd, and Washington Counties.

red twigged dogwood. This bioswale will catch rainwater runoff and allow the sediment to settle out. Sediment entering streams is a significant threat to mussels and other aquatic species, and the Indiana Chapter has worked along the Blue River, Fish Creek, and the Tippecanoe River to decrease the sediment going into those rivers to protect rare aquatic species depen-

dent upon clean water for survival.

A LiveWall system, a 16’ retaining wall of concrete blocks with plants, will use species like wintergreen, stonecrop, and columbine to mimic a cliffside plant community, such as those found in the cliffs region of Crawford and Perry Counties in southern Indiana.

OAK SAVANNA COMMUNITY Species planted in this grouping will include include black oak, white oak, New Jersey tea, blazing star, western sunflower, false dragon-head, little bluestem, and prairie dropseed.

Very little oak savanna habitatremains in northern Indiana, and much that exists is overgrown due to lack of fire. In addition to a wide variety of sun-loving prairie plants, these areas provide important habitat for red-headed woodpeckers and glass lizards, two species with declining populations. We currently own 1,800 acres of this habitat.

www.nature.org/indiana