I'm undertaking a massive naturalization project this year. Tearing out the whole back lawn & planting or seeding grasses, forbs, shrubs, & small trees, most at bare root or seedling stage. I'll build around what I already have, which includes a silver maple, a serviceberry (of course!), & a good many arborvitaes. There's also some exotic but harmless stuff (European holly, English yew) that the previous owner planted & I might tear out eventually, but not now. I've been planning this for 2 years & am really looking forward to getting started. I've already ordered a bunch of plants and have winter-sown some of the forbs & subshrubs. Here is a list of the species I aim to plant or sow by this fall: adiantum pedatum andropogon gerardii apios americana aquilegia canadensis aralia nudicaulis asclepias tuberosa athyrium filix-femina carex hystericina carex plantaginea carex platyphylla cornus florida desmodium canadense dicentra canadensis Dicentra cucullaria elymus canadensis eupatorium purpureum eurybia divaricata gaultheria procumbens geranium maculatum hepatica nobilis var. obtusa hibiscus moscheutos ipomoea pandurata kalmia latifolia lespedeza capitata liatris pycnostachya lindera benzoin lobelia siphilitica maianthemum racemosum monarda fistulosa morella pensylvanica ostrya virginiana packera obovata parthenocissus quinquefolia penstemon hirsutus phlox divaricata Physocarpus opulifolius podophyllum peltatum polystichum acrostichoides quercus rubra rhododendron prinophyllum rosa carolina sanguinaria canadensis schizachyrium scoparium solidago odora sorghastrum nutans symphyotrichum novae-angliae thalictrum dioicum thelypteris noveboracensis tiarella cordifolia trillium grandiflorum tsuga canadensis viburnum lentago viola labradorica Viola Ãpalmata viola pedata

I hear you. I am a professional restoration ecologist, with a horticulture background - very rare. Most restorationists will not hire horticulturalists as they think we can't possibly have anything to offer, it's a specialized field, no one else can have the skills and knowledge they have. B.S. Fortunately my boss did not buy into that and hired me precisely because of my landscaping background. He had 80 acres of Scotch broom he needed spot sprayed and he wanted someone accustomed to hard work, not someone with a list of straight-A botany classes and her nose in the air. Although he may rethink this sometimes as I keep identifying escaped and naturalizing ornamentals in his restoration areas! like we don't have enough invasives to deal with as it is. Yes it is extremely frustrating to see the "restorationists" having to re-invent the wheel the hard way, repeatedly. And they will not ask for advice beforehand. I'm often asked what the difference is between a horticulturalist and a botanist, and the difference is, the horticulturalist knows how to grow stuff, but botanists don't, they just know what the wild plants are and how they're classified. Botanists all too often have black or brown thumbs, just like the general public. And it is extremely frustrating to see who gets hired to plan and oversee these projects! I volunteer with a couple of local stream restoration nonprofits also, and jeez louise, these people sure don't know much about native plants and pre-settlement ecology! Admittedly there are limitations on what they can accomplish - they can only plant the species that are available in the trade at a price that fits their limited budgets, and they can only put in the installation and maintenance labor they can muster with volunteers. There's the widespread concept that everything should be planted in doug fir and red cedar, and those species are available in large numbers at low prices, but jeez, what about all the land that historically was Garry oak riparian woodland, or the native wet meadows??? They're being converted to coniferous forest, and eliminating any chance of restoration to historic conditions and losing habitat for specialized species. There was a story out not too long ago about some land trust north of Seattle somewhere, Skagit or Stillaguamish, that was about to plant some riparian land in doug fir and red cedar to 'restore' it for salmon, until a biological survey found Oregon spotted frogs using the area. They're very endangered, and planting any trees, let alone conifers, would have eliminated them - they need open sunny wet meadows. Our 'restoration' work is contributing to the decline of this species and others! And how many of these organizations are doing thorough biological surveys before launching their 'restoration' projects?? especially with there being only about a 4 week window of time you can reasonably survey for the OR spotted frog, and similar limitations on surveying for other rare species. The spotted frogs and the salmon used to coexist, the salmon don't need every inch of streambank planted in conifers, it's just that that's all these people know to do. I keep volunteering though, as the best chance at changing things is going to be from the inside. Everything they did was wrong, as already stated. Mushroom compost is not suitable as a potting medium. Sitting plants on tarps is dumb. I understand about having the grant to buy stuff NOW. Grants tend to expire at the end of June, but you want to plant things in fall, not spring. But the whole thing is just a fiasco, as you said.

I didn't install the irrigation myself, but it's definitely not spaghetti tube. More like the 1/2" tube (might even be 1"), with holes in it (is that what built in emitters are?). All of what I'm learning here is why I'm really glad I'm taking this into my own hands now, instead of relying on others who may not have had the best approach... There are three lines about 1/2 foot apart that runs through the area where all the plants are in. The more I'm learning, the more I realize I must have been drowning the poor things. :( Are you recommending I cut it back now, in order to preserve the plant? Despite all three of them being quite infected looking at their bases, they are still flowering, and their upper portions don't look so bad. I'd be sad to cut them off now and miss more blooms, but if it's what's best for the plant then I will. As far as cutting back to the ground, is that literally exactly what I would do? Or leave a few inches of the plant left? The details are really helpful for me. Thanks for the tip about watering the pomegranate! I'm very new to gardening and really appreciate all the helpful advice everyone!

Something you might consider, Mike, if you are seriously getting into plants, is looking into the correct nomenclature and getting a handle on botanical names. Your photo shows a plant in the genus Calathea (not family). Its family is Marantaceae. Its species is roseopicta. Its cultivar name is 'Dottie'. Note which words get capital letters. There are also conventions about the type faces used but you could just start with the names. If you're truly interested in unusual plants you need to be learning the correct way of describing them so if you ever start trading or buying real curiosities you and others will know what you are talking about. If you ever want more these people will sell you them in bulk. Seems they're used as outdoor bedding plants in some parts of Oz. http://www.23hq.com/23666/4583255_263edf701cdde070d5f661e560ce73bf_standard.jpg