Native Plants

When Mark Fallon and Maani Waldor married at the Desmond Hotel in Malvern last month, they gave new meaning to the idea of putting down roots together. The tables at their wedding reception were decorated with live native plants arranged into miniature woodland gardens. Votive candles nestled in moss flickered like fireflies. "It was like having a little enchanted forest on the table," says Fallon, 32, who is senior naturalist at the Briar Bush Nature Center in Abington and an enthusiastic advocate for native plants, which provide food and shelter for wildlife.

Rhododendron, azalea, holly, yew, euonymus, juniper: For the last century or so, these plants have occupied the narrow flower beds up against the bases of American houses. They're called foundation plantings, a landscape concept that was originally intended to hide the high, sometimes unattractive, lower extremities of Victorian homes. But architecture and lifestyles have changed, and jamming the same old retreads up against the house no longer serves a practical purpose. And such a limited - and limiting - design certainly doesn't add to the aesthetic.

Stephanie Cohen would like to change people's minds about native plants. Native species, or plants that grow naturally in woodlands, meadows, wetlands and other habitats in North America, are too often thought of in narrow terms, Cohen says. Generally, people think of herbs, or wildflowers, or something you grow in a wild part of the garden. "They think of meadows," Cohen says. So Cohen, a teacher in the landscape department at the Ambler campus of Temple University, decided to launch a fall gardening project designed to offer a new perspective on native plants.

For gardeners and other plant-lovers, here's a sampling of regional events:   Friends Hospital Grounds: A Living Legacy Native Plants for Native Pollinators Terrariums Workshop   Create your own starter terarrrium & learn how to maintain it. Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland St. Registration required. $30. 6/30. 12-2 pm.   Send information about gardening and horticultural events to gardenscoop@phillynews.com. Include a contact phone number and send at least two weeks before the event.

Native plants have become increasingly popular as more gardeners try to create sustainable landscapes that attract birds or butterflies. But knowing which plants are native, or finding them among the thousands at large garden centers, can be a challenge. And few nursery workers have time to point the natives out one by one. Steve Castorani, co-owner of North Creek Nurseries in Landenberg, Chester County, hopes a new program giving native plants their own brand name will change that.

Marjorie Unger Bayersdorfer, 75, a social worker and award-winning gardener who championed the use of native plants to beautify and preserve the environment, died of ovarian cancer last Sunday at the Hill at Whitemarsh, a retirement community in Lafayette Hill. Before daughter-in-law Cyane Gresham, a gardening expert, and a conference at Millersville University opened Mrs. Bayersdorfer's eyes to native plants, her gardening was a beloved pasttime that merely created a lovely landscape.

Nothing beats expert advice for free. For gardeners in the Philadelphia area, there are two sources to mine: Jenkins Arboretum in Devon and Meadowbrook Farm in Abington. Both have programs that test and recommend good landscaping choices in many categories: trees, shrubs, ferns, wildflowers, vines and ground covers. Say hallelujah! This means no more meltdowns at the garden center, where the springtime crowds are huge, the selection dizzying, and the information deficit legendary.

You don't have to have a green thumb to appreciate the scenic beauty of a lush green meadow scattered with purple wildflowers. You don't even have to have one to grow similar foliage in your own back yard. The wild, natural look of native plants such as fothergillas and Allegheny pachysandra is hot - and better yet, very low maintenance. Although some people call them weeds, such plants, which once flourished in the area, are the latest trend for avid gardeners who want to take care of the planet, said Moorestown resident Susan Bruce-Bellin.

As the coordinator of horticulture at the Brandywine Conservancy and River Museum in Chadds Ford, F.M. Mooberry was responsible for the gardens and all programs related to them. When she retired a year ago, Mooberry finally had time to plan a conference she had been contemplating for several years. "Native Plants in the Landscape" will take place at Millersville University Aug. 15 to 17. For a registration brochure, contact Grace Evans, Continuing Education, 104 Dilworth Hall, Millersville University, Millersville, Pa. 17551, or call 717-872-3030.

Steve Saffier, who does backyard environmental audits, knows the advice he's about to give may sound un-American to some ears. But he says it anyway: "Be patient. " You don't have to turn your yard upside down all at once. Redo one section at a time, and "think of this as a long-term project," he says. Converting grass to native plants, or even ripping out and replacing aggressive plants bit by bit, also gives your neighbors time to adjust to your new look. David Soskis, who now has native plants in parts of his lawn, was advised to add some colorful annuals along the front walkway, too. "It's sort of a sensory psychological transition" from the conventional to the new, he says.