2020 Jericho Greenbelt Planting Project Status
Perhaps this project is now past the trial stage.
A neighbor a few houses from the Jericho Country Store has recently planted many perennial flowers on the greenbelt in front of his house.
Bryant Pless joined me in purchasing a total of ten Aronia berry bushes from the Intervale Conservation Nursery. We planted them along the wooden rail fence on Browns Trace.
Another neighbor (another Bernie and his wife) have planted flowers on the other side and next to the sidewalk near their home.
Ann and Tom Baribault have refurbished, with plantings and mulch, and trim guard - the area adjacent to the triangle on Browns Trace near the Barber Farm intersection.
Katrina Allen continues to periodically donate many new plants from her garden, and others have contributed plants this year including Catherine McCains, and Leslie Nulty. Thankfully as many of the plants are native, I do not have to water them once they get established.
Neighbors joining neighbors to beautify our town, to support pollinators, and to help to highlight our town, our village as one that is best appreciated by walking or driving through - s l o w l y.
Of the original black-eyed Susans that were the ‘starter’ plants of the project, some, unfortunately, were mowed down, but even some of those have started to show some re-growth. Many of the starter plants are now well established and are blooming nicely today.
Many folks express their delight in viewing the greenbelt plants as they walk by. I appreciate the feedback and support for the project. Please continue to offer the same encouragement to the town Select Board members. Perhaps when it is time to repair some of the erosion along Browns Trace, the town might consider planting some deeper-rooted native plants that might better prevent future erosion better than sod.
Speaking of support, the Select Board has addressed the mowing concerns and work continues on how to better address the protection and maintenance of the trees on the Jericho public domain.
When is a weed not a weed? A few have expressed concerns about the limited ‘weeding’ of the greenbelt planting areas. In response, I offer this: What is a weed? Many plants that grow in the greenbelt on their own do indeed flower nicely. Consider Chickory with its unusual blue flower. Queen Anne's Lace is offering some delightful blooms and is great for attracting beneficial insects (insects that eat pest insects). Secondly, when weeding, there is a great risk of misidentifying a plant that would have flowered at a later date. Today's weeds might be tomorrow's flowers.
As a reminder, along with the donations from Jericho residents' gardens, we received in 2019 well over 100 perennials from Jane Sorensen of River Berry Farm.
P.S. Drop me a note if you would like (my last winters long project) a listing of all of the Vermont Native Plants and the insects (for many of them) that they attract. The list includes not only the plant names, but much more information about them, and links to access even more information about the plant you choose to select.
Here is a list of what you might see blooming now or later this fall, or have seen earlier this spring, in the Jericho greenbelt along Browns Trace. And yes, you will see some so-called weeds or volunteers. Please consider how you might enjoy these hardy plants as part of the Vermont family, our insects including pollinators surely do utilize them.
- Black-eyed susan, Rudbeckia hirta L. - Central U.S. (Native to a small section of VT)
- New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae - (VT native)
- Primrose or Sundrops, Oenothera fruticosa - Eastern & Central N.A.
- Phlox - Phlox paniculata - Eastern U.S.
- Joe Pye weed - Eutrochium purpureum - (VT native)
- Spiderwort or Spider lily - Tradescantia - Eastern U.S.
- Yarrow - Achillea millefolium - (VT native)
- Obedient plant - Physostegia virginiana (VT native)
- Golden Star, Green and Gold Chrysogonum virginianum (N.E. U.S.)
- Little Bluestem (Tall blue-green grass) Andropogon gerardii (VT native)
- Big Leaf aster - Eurybia macrophylla (VT native)
- NY aster - Symphyotrichum novi-belgii (VT native)
- Heath aster - Symphyotrichum ericoides (VT native)
- Smooth aster - Symphyotrichum laeve (VT native)
- Tall Cinquefoil - Drymocallis arguta (VT native)
- Turtle head - Chelone glabra (VT native)
- Slender Mountain Mint - Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (VT native)
- Showy Goldenrod - Solidago speciosa (VT native)
- Spotted Joe Pye weed - Eutrochium maculatum (VT native)
- Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum (VT native)
- Blue Wild Indigo Baptisa australis (Eastern U.S)
- Eastern Purple Coneflower - Echinacea Purpurea (S.W. U.S)
- Showy Tick Trefoil - Desmodium canadense (VT native)
- Anise Hyssop Agastache Foeniculum (N.E. U.S.)
- Hosta - Hosta ventricosta - China
- Orange day lily - Hemerocallis fulva - China or Japan
- Lily (various hybrids)
- Creeping Geranium, Geranium -
- Peony, Paeonia - Asia, Europe, Western N.A.
- Iris, Iris
- Daisy
- Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) - Eurasia
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Donate and Install a GREEN CURB -
OCTOBER 2019 project status report
Introduction
In lieu of a cement curb, perhaps we can create a Native Perennial curb or Green curb. And so the project began.
With approval from the Jericho town select board and a nominal grant to purchase 144 black-eyed Susan starter plants from Intervale Conservation Nursery, vision number one was off the blackboard and into the soil of Jericho. Donations from residents bolstered the initial plant purchase.Growing native perennials on the greenbelt raises the visual barrier between auto and pedestrian and giving notice to travelers – we are - community!
See the updated donation list below. Note the very generous gift from Jane Sorensen of the fabulous *****River Berry Farm in Fairfax.
The bumblebees were jumping onto the asters before I could even get the plants in the ground!
Today, I counted 12 bumblebees and one honey bee on the aster next to the digital speed sign, and many more pollinators along the way on other plants.
Remember to plant warm hugs and Native Plants! Our pollinators need all the help we can give them. According to Attracting Native Pollinators by The Xerces Society, "Contrary to popular perception, roadside flowers don't usually increase traffic mortality of pollinators. (Page 269).
*Green Curb project Thank You Katrina Allen, Patty Carroll, Bert Lindholm, Leslie Nulty, Ann & Tom Baribault, Gaye Symington, and Gail Shipman, Trish Kargman, Bob and Gail Schermer, and Kate Cowles, Claire Gabaree, Gabrielle Mikula, for donations of plant donations to the project. Special thanks to Jane Sorensen of River Berry Farm for a donation of well over 100 plants.
Thank You Mickey and Christy Dutcher for water from your outdoor hose line and mulch and cart repair. Thank You Sally Lacy for the use of orange safety cones. Thank You for those helping with watering including Sally Lacy, Bryant Pleiss, Sarah Brown. Thank You Tom and Ann Baribault and Deborah and Nick Governale for the wood chips used for mulching some of the green belt plantings.
Names (and native range) of some of the plantings in the Browns Trace greenbelt include:
Bold = native to U.S. Note the number of VT natives!
- Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta L. - Central U.S. (Native to a small section of VT)
- New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae - (VT native)
- Primrose or Sundrops, Oenothera fruticosa - Eastern & Central N.A.
- Phlox - Phlox paniculata - Eastern U.S.
- Joe Pye weed - Eutrochium purpureum - (VT native)
- Spiderwort or Spider lily - Tradescantia - Eastern U.S.
- Yarrow - Achillea millefolium - (VT native)
- Obedient plant - Physostegia virginiana (VT native)
- Golden Star, Green and Gold Chrysogonum virginianum (N.E. U.S.)
- Little Bluestem (Tall blue-green grass) Andropogon gerardii (VT native)
- Big Leaf aster - Eurybia macrophylla (VT native)
- NY aster - Symphyotrichum novi-belgii (VT native)
- Heath aster - Symphyotrichum ericoides (VT native)
- Smooth aster - Symphyotrichum laeve (VT native)
- Tall Cinquefoil - Drymocallis arguta (VT native)
- Turtle head - Chelone glabra (VT native)
- Slender Mountain Mint - Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (VT native)
- Showy Goldenrod - Solidago speciosa (VT native)
- Spotted Joe Pye weed - Eutrochium maculatum (VT native)
- Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum (VT native)
- Blue Wild Indigo Baptisa australis (Eastern U.S)
- Eastern Purple Coneflower - Echinacea Purpurea (S.W. U.S)
- Showy Tick Trefoil - Desmodium canadense (VT native)
- Anise Hyssop Agastache Foeniculum (N.E. U.S.)
- Hosta - Hosta ventricosta - China
- Orange day lily - Hemerocallis fulva - China or Japan
- Lily (various hybrids)
- Creeping Geranium, Geranium -
- Peony, Paeonia - Asia, Europe, Western N.A.
- Iris, Iris
- Daisy
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| Yum, Yum. Thank You, Jericho! |
Tri Colored Bumblebee
- Little Bluestem (Tall blue-green grass) Andropogon gerardii (VT native)
Obedient plant - Physostegia virginiana (VT native)
July 2019
Jericho Greenbelt Planting Project Status
Thank You Katrina Allen, Patty Carroll, and Bert Lindholm, our latest donors of native perennial donations for the project. Thank You Mickey for offering water from your outdoor hose line. Thank You Sally Lacy for the use of orange safety cones.Note: We prefer native plants, however, given a zero budget beyond the black-eyed Susan purchase, we are planting some nonnatives that were donated.
I am accepting native perennials for the project now through fall.
Thank You to lawn mowing folks for being careful to not mow the new small flowering plants!
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| Sarah Brown and her grandson Cooper assisting Bernie with planting flowers in Jericho. |
Stay tuned for vision #2: Tree-lined streets in Jericho, supported with a (proposed) Jericho tree farm (Like branch out Burlington), defined methodology/process for group contracted tree purchase and installation for Jericho residents. Seeking other interested parties to explore and develop this vision #2.
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| Working close to the road raised my awareness of the close vicinity of vehicular to pedestrian travel lanes. |
Thank You to Leslie Nulty, Ann & Tom Baribault, and Gaye Symington for their perennial donations.
6/27 The first Black-eyed Susan is planted in the greenbelt to see how it will do in the current 80-degree weather. The plan is to plant most if not all of the rest of the plants before July 4.
6/25 Bernie acquires wood chips for mulch for the upcoming plantings, from a Jericho resident.
6/8 Sam recommends transplanting the plants from 1" pots to 4" pots to allow more root growth before planting. Sam and Bernie provided pots, and Bernie purchased potting soil
and transplanted the plants, and nursed them along through June.
Early June, Bernie picks up the starter plants purchased by the town of Jericho from the Intervale Conservation Nursery.
5/1 Sam Chicaderis, Vt certified horticulturist, and two other Jericho residents volunteer to assist Bernie with the project.
4/24 FPF notice listed to seek vols. to join Bernie in the project. Also requested donations of home garden native perennials for the project.
Looking forward to hearing from you and working with you on this trial towards beautifying Jericho public walkways and giving drivers another visual that emphasizes the walkway portion of the town-scape.
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Emailed comments:
- Thank you for the project update. Carry On! Thanks for reminding us all to: See a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Wayne
- Thanks for the picture. We have been watering them. I actually hope for some rain. Thanks for all you do. Sarah
- Thank you, Bernie, for all of this!!! We live on Barber Farm and are looking forward to the flowers! Maybe we can help in some way!
Kate and Jerome
- I noticed you did the Barber Farm triangle and that made me so happy! After the middle of the month, I could check it for weeds and water if that helps. Thank you so much for organizing and implementing this project.
Best,
Sam
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