By Dianna Goodwin

If you are planting a tree this spring or working on landscaping around existing trees on your property, consider the needs of pollinators and other small creatures who live in your yard.

Give them a Soft Landing

“Soft landings” are natural landscapes designed for the area under the shade of a tree that take the survival of critters like fireflies and bumblebees into account. Insects need habitat for shelter and egg laying. In nature, that habitat is often under trees. If you think about a natural forest floor, it is covered with decaying plant parts like leaves, twigs, and rotting logs. Collectively, this forest floor covering is known as “duff”. You can create a healthy and ecologically significant microhabitat under your suburban trees by leaving the leaves and twigs that falls from a tree under the tree’s dripline (that is, under the circumference of the canopy above) and planting a diverse array of native shade plants in the natural flower bed that results. The duff provides a soft landing for insects seeking a vegetative substrate or connection with the ground for hiding from predators, pupating, finding moisture, or, in the case of many ground bees and beetles, excavating small burrows for egg laying.

Keep it natural

In order to create a soft landing for wildlife, you need to avoid conventional gardening practices like mowing under the trees, putting down landscape cloth, and adding “neat” wood chip mulch. Wood chip mulch creates an impenetrable barrier for insects trying to reach the ground. And never, ever apply any chemicals to a soft landing natural garden bed, or any pollinator garden. Don’t use insecticides or fungicides or herbicides or fertilizers. The native plants are nourished by the decaying leaves and do not need any other artificial input. Avoid damaging your tree’s roots: start planting about 3 feet away from the tree trunk. Plant seeds or small plugs which require minimal digging. Heather Holm’s website provides detailed information on how to create a Soft Landing bed.

Go native

It is important to use native plants that have been grown without insecticides in your soft landing bed. Avoid cultivars since they are usually less attractive to insects and birds than the original native plant and may provide inferior food rewards for pollinators and sap suckers. Sustainable Saratoga will be selling a number of native perennial shade plants that are suitable for a soft landing bed at the Pollinator Palooza Native Plant Sale on June 1, 2024. Plants anticipated to be offered in this year’s Palooza that will do well under a shade tree are included in this list.

You can also buy native plants online from Prairie Moon or from local native nurseries like Wild Things Rescue Nursery or Catskill Native Nursery. Do not buy plants from any nursery or big box store unless the plants are certified to be grown without pesticides. American Beauties plants are sold in nurseries throughout the region and are safe for wildlife. All other nursery plants are suspect and should not be placed in soft landing gardens as they may be death traps for insects.

Perfect for them and easy for you

Soft landing beds are easy to maintain once established. They don’t need raking or watering or spraying. You just leave them alone and enjoy the show.

Anemone canadensis, Canadian Anemone

Resources

See Heather Holm’s website for more information. Download a printable PDF including plant list.

Find more resources on our Pollinators and Native Plants pages

Are you a Hellstrip Hero?

Do you have a hellstrip – that strip between the curb and the sidewalk? It’s usually owned by the municipality, but property owners are responsible for maintaining it.

At worst, it may be filled with lush, green turf grass that is maintained using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and soaking up precious water at an alarming rate. Or maybe it’s just a patch of dirt and weeds.

But we can do better.

There are Hellstrip Helpers out there who have planted annuals or maybe even perennials or trees. Hopefully these plants aren’t being treated with chemicals and require less watering than turf grass, and they certainly add a touch of beauty to the neighborhood.

And, how about this one that’s been turned into a veggie patch!

And then there are the Hellstrip Heroes. We know you’re out there, and you have turned your Hellstrips into pollinator paradises, full of native plants that attract wildlife and don’t require watering, yet still manage to look beautiful to humans, too.

Here are just some that we’ve noticed around town

Show us your hellstrips! Post photos on social media and use the hashtag #hellstriphero

Evaluate your site

Hellstrips present challenging conditions, especially if you live in an area with high vehicle or foot traffic. If you have any of these conditions, look for plants that can withstand them. Be sure to check local regulations. Your HOA and/or municipality may have rules about what can and can’t be planted.

• Snow and salt pile up in winter
• Compacted and/or poor soil
• Shade or blazing sun
• Lack of available water
• Dogs use it to do their business

Communicate and educate

Expect people to be curious. Talk to neighbors, HOA, and passers-by and let them know what you’re doing and why. Plant a sign to let people know what’s going on in your little plot.You can pick one up from us in Saratoga Springs ($25. Email pollinators@sustainablesaratoga.org for info) or by mail from the Xerces Society. Encourage neighbors to be Hellstrip Heroes too.

Plan and plant

You can follow the same process we outline in our post on How to Start a Native Pollinator Garden from Scratch

• Kill what’s there (smother or if you’re impatient like me, dig– see the post for details)
• Select plants appropriate for your conditions (see the post for plant lists)
• Important! Choose plants that will be appropriately sized when mature. Know their spreading height and spreading habits. A small, narrow strip may not be the best place for tall, floppy perennials or trees.
• Plant native plants. They provide habitat and food for wildlife, and after they are established they won’t need supplemental watering
• Plants or seeds? Plants get faster results; seeds are less expensive but require patience. You may not get full results for a couple of years.
• Yes you can plant under existing trees! Unlike turf grass, there are lots of natives that are happy to live in harmony with trees. Look for native woodland plants that suit your conditions.

Care for your little Strip of Heaven

• Weed out unwanted volunteer plants to give your young plants a chance. Soon they will be crowding and shading out the invaders.
• Water well during the first season, until they are established. Next year it shouldn’t be necessary.
• If you choose to use mulch while your plants fill in, make sure to keep it well away from tree trunks and plant stems. Use a natural, undyed mulch. Leaves or compost both work well and will break down over time, providing nutrients and improving the soil.
• Leave some bare ground for insects to overwinter near their host plants.
• Be a good neighbor: As your plants grow, make sure the sidewalk and street/curb edges remain clear and passable.

Once your little patch is established and blooming, you will start to get visits from all kinds of wildlife. It’s fun to keep track of visitors by using an app, such as iNaturalist. Remember that the plants are there to provide habitat and food, so expect to see munched leaves and insects curling up in them. That’s what they are there for!

Resources

Blog posts

Create a native pollinator garden from scratch, Planning your pollinator garden, Growing native species for pollinators throughout the year
Heavenly Hellstrips from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

Book

Hellstrip Gardening by Evelyn J Hadden. It’s available to borrow through the Saratoga Springs Public Library and other libraries.

Web articles
New Moon Nursery post
National Wildlife Federation post
Penn State Extension post
Watch a slide show prepared by the Geneseo Master Gardeners

Visit our Pollinator pages for more info on pollinators, native plants, and what you can do to help

The Second Annual Pollinator Palooza, held on June 4, was a great success, getting almost 2500 native plants into the ground in our region and raising thousands of dollars to help Sustainable Saratoga carry out its mission. The Palooza’s success was owed to the hard work and generosity of many individuals. If we forgot to include you in the list below, let us know and we will correct our mistake!

Thank you first and foremost to Brian and Debbie Oligny for letting us use their greenhouse to grow our plants free of charge and then letting us host the Palooza on their beautiful property in Gansevoort. We literally could not have done it without them. They are the best.

Thank you to the Oligny’s neighbor, Jeff Mancini, for letting us use his property as a parking lot. That was a major good deed and a vast improvement over last year’s parking situation.

A huge thank you to Christine Burghart, whose baby this is. She conceived of the event, named it and made it happen. It was thrilling to watch her in action for the second time, aided by her friend and gardening buddy, Johanna Garrison. They are the brains and the inspiration behind the event.

Thank you to the rest of the Palooza planning team: Dianna Goodwin, Julie Holmberg, Wendy Mahaney, Jennifer Michelle, Paul Murphy, Caroline Rothaug and Kelsey Trudell. I wasn’t sure we would pull it off, but we did it!

Thank you to Candice Bergmann for making our social media look so good.

Thank you to the greenhouse volunteers who potted out plants and then watered them daily for nearly six weeks: Chris Burghart, Anne Ernst, Johanna Garrison, Dianna Goodwin, Julie and Art Holmberg, Bethany Khan and daughter, Wendy Mahaney, Sue Taylor and Kelsey Trudell.

Thank you to Adirondack Trust for its generous donation and to Hannaford for providing snacks and drinks.

Thank you to the businesses and individuals who donated items for our raffle: American Beauties Native Plants, Balet Flowers, Booth’s Blend Compost, Caffe Lena, The Children’s Museum at Saratoga, Chris Burghart, Common Roots Brewing Company, Dancing Grain Farm Brewery, Dehn’s Flowers, Eastern Mountain Sports, Featherbed Lane Farm, Harvest2Homes, Eileen Hurley, Impressions of Saratoga, Kayak Shak, Kelsey Lynn Yoga, Lucy’s Bar, Nine Miles East, Quality Hardware, Roosevelt Baths and Spa, Saratoga Olive Oil Company, Spa Cascada, Spoken Boutique, Strand Theater and Wild Things Rescue Nursery.

Big thank you to Jennifer Michelle for soliciting donations for the raffle for the second year in a row. Thanks to Nora Cheek for organizing the raffle displays. And thanks to Nora Cheek, Maja Mahaney, and Mary Jo Salomon for selling the raffle tickets and minding the booths.

A special thanks to Martha Johnson at Slack Hollow Farm for planting and growing out the 500 milkweed seedlings we gave away at the Palooza and at other recent events. Thank you to Janet Britt for helping plant the elusive, fluffy milkweed seeds. Thank you to Megan Di Maio for donating the seeds. And thank you to Noah Savett for donating the coneflower seeds we gave away at the Palooza.

Thank you to the food and beverage truck vendors who showed up to provide sustenance to the hungry crowds: Coach’s Corner, Dancing Grain Farm Brewery, and Sustainable Eats.

Thank you to Capital Region PRISM, Saratoga PLAN, Cornell Cooperative Extension Saratoga County Master Gardeners, SoBro Conservancy of Saratoga, Southern Adirondack Audubon Society, Genoveffa Vitale, Grow Amsterdam NY, The Animal League, and Wild Ones Capital Region for setting up information tables and demonstrations at the Palooza.

A huge and enthusiastic thank you to the Saratoga Springs High School Fiddle Club who entertained us all. Come back next year! And thank you to the numerous high school volunteers who accompanied their teachers Leanne Donelan and Jody Visconti to help out.

Thank you to our Palooza volunteers who prepared for the day, set up the event, directed traffic, staffed the booths, answered questions in the greenhouse, cashiered, kept things flowing, and cleaned up at the end. In alphabetical order they are: Robin Ambrosino, Audrey Belt, Bill Boehmke, Ans Bradford, Chris Burghart, Giana Cammisa, Nora Cheek, Tom Denny, Leanne Donelan, Kathy Dugan, Frank and Kate Edwards, Ellen Egger-Aimone, Anne Ernst, Laura Faulk, Bobbi Fitzgerald, Jill Flaherty, Denis Foley, Art and Julie Holmberg, Johanna Garrison, Dianna Goodwin, Deb Johnson, Gayle Kyler, Lizzie Madison, Jennifer Michelle, Maja and Wendy Mahaney, Alexandra Morgan, Paul Murphy, Kelly Packard, Jack and Lenore Reber, Peyton Reno, Mary Roberts, Caroline Rothaug, Brian Schmitt, Margie Shepard, Jake and Mary Jo Salomon, Dale Tracey, Ben and Kelsey Trudell, and Jody Visconti.

And, finally, a big thank you to all the gardeners who showed up in droves to support our efforts and to give new homes to the plants we grew.  Expand your garden beds and come back next year!   

Thank you!  

The Pollinator Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE … “Check Out the Buzzzzz”

Media Contact: Dianna Goodwin, pollinators@sustainablesaratoga.org 

Saratoga Springs, NY – Pollinator Palooza Is Back! Join Sustainable Saratoga on Sunday, June 4th for their second annual native plant sale. New and improved with even more plants, raffle items, displays, food and drink trucks, and better parking! Bring the whole family for a fun-filled day and do your part to help our native pollinators.

What: Pollinator Palooza Native Plant Sale

When: Sunday, June 4, from 10am – 2pm

Where: 390 Wilton-Gansevoort Road, Gansevoort (the former Oligny’s Garden Center)

Parking: Across the street at 393 Wilton-Gansevoort Road (follow signs and parking staff directions)

Event website: https://sustainablesaratoga.org/pollinator-palooza-native-plant-sale/

Native plants for native pollinators: Every garden, no matter how small, has an important role to play in protecting pollinators. Planting native plants is an essential part of creating food and habitat for our native pollinators. However, finding native plants can often be a challenge. The Pollinator Palooza native plant sale makes a variety of native plants available to gardeners in the Saratoga area.

The greenhouse team potted up plants for the sale

This family-friendly event includes

• Over 30 varieties of native plants for sale
• Information about native plants and pollinators
• Help with gardening questions
• Regional organizations focused on native plants and ecosystems
• Free soil pH testing by Cornell Cooperative Extension (bring about 1/4 cup of dry soil)
• Activities for children
• Raffles to win gift certificates, books, plants, and gift baskets
• New this year: enjoy lunch from food and beer trucks

Visit the event website: https://sustainablesaratoga.org/pollinator-palooza-native-plant-sale/ for more details and the list of plants available for purchase.

About Sustainable Saratoga

Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. Since 2008, Sustainable Saratoga has been a leader in promoting awareness of environmental issues and what we as a local community can do to minimize our ecological impact while maintaining a high quality of life. To learn more about Sustainable Saratoga, visit: https://sustainablesaratoga.org/