In our own backyards, we can help heal the planet
Sea lavender is a good choice to plant along the sand.
April 17, 2022
In E.O. Wilson’s book “Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life,” this Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist — who died in December — reminds us that we are running critically low on clean water, fresh air, ocean bounty, rain forests, and the species of flora and fauna essential to maintaining life on earth.
His proposed solution: set aside half the planet as a human-free natural reserve to preserve biodiversity.
Half the planet sounds like a far-fetched idea, until you consider that each of us is a steward of our own distinct piece of earth. Coexisting with Mother Nature means restoring and conserving the natural resources of our own properties.
Green Gardening:The right plants will ensure the presence of pollinators in your garden
What to plant in your Palm Beach garden:Add color to your garden with native plants
Here in Palm Beach, we’ve talked about adding native species to our landscapes because these natives support the pollinators and wildlife with which they have co-evolved over millennia. Additionally, they require no toxic chemicals to survive in their native South Florida climate.
These toxic chemicals really are the crux of the issue: we must stop using pesticides that kill the beneficial insects we so desperately need. Imidacloprid, which is used on ficus hedges to combat whitefly, is a nerve agent with proven ties to leukemia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. It is also extremely harmful to pets. Glyphosate, the herbicide used in Roundup, has direct links to autism in children.
Residents of Palm Beach are among the best-educated in the country, yet every single day an army of trucks drives onto our fragile barrier island and applies poisons that pollute our air, water and soil. The issues with our drinking water are already well documented; blue-green algal blooms of cyanobacteria are directly linked to excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in our waterways. Let’s not pay to have pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers applied to our properties without regard to the consequences.
Individual actions are the basis of restoring and repairing our broken ecosystems. If each of us stopped spraying pesticides on a scheduled plan and used chemicals only as a last resort and only when specifically needed, and if we all added just a few native plants to our landscapes to support diverse ecosystems, we could significantly improve the quality of our environment.
Sand dunes
I have been asked what to plant if you live along the coast and what can survive on sand dunes? As it turns out, plenty of beautiful plants thrive in these conditions. Sea lavender (Heliotropium gnaphaiodes) is a lovely evergreen shrub with stunning soft grayish-green foliage. The fragrant small white flowers bloom year-round and attract numerous pollinators and butterflies.
This is an excellent accent plant or spreading shrub, growing 3 to 5 feet with an equal width, forming graceful, rounded mounds in full sun. Drought and salt tolerant, and capable of surviving hurricane-force winds, this is exceptionally useful in dune restoration. Overdevelopment causing habitat loss has resulted in sea lavender’s endangered status, so if you are looking for something to plant along the sand, this is a terrific choice.
Dune sunflower will grow in sandy areas if it gets full sun.
Dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis) is another great plant for sandy areas in full sun. With brilliant yellow flowers on sturdy spreading stems, this will quickly fill in a large area along a dune or sandy strip of highway.
Bright daisy-like flowers attract many pollinators including butterflies, moths and bees. The dense, interwoven growth reaches a height of about 18 inches and provides cover for small animals, while the seeds are a good food source for birds. This does well in an inland garden setting if given plenty of room but will need to be cut back regularly to keep it in bounds.
It is wonderful left to sprawl along the sand, providing cheerful color and important dune stabilization. Drought-, wind- and salt-tolerant, this requires little attention once established.
Inkberry is classified as threatened in Florida. Courtesy of Sue Hunter, Heartwood Nursery.
Inkberry or beachberry (Scaevola plumeria) is a stout evergreen succulent shrub forming dense clumps that are valuable in dune stabilization. The semi-showy white to pink flowers look like small daisies cut in half and are followed by glossy black fruits. Threatened in the state of Florida, this is an important native that attracts numerous pollinators and provides habitat for small birds.
Unfortunately, the non-native beach naupaka (Scaevola frutescens) has become naturalized here, and due to its invasive tendencies, has become more common than the native species. If you plant Scaevola, make sure you get the native.
Scaevola will partner well with other drought-tolerant flowers such as portulaca. Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News.
Landscape ideas
Silver palm (Coccothrynax argentata) is one of 11 palm species native to Florida. Occurring naturally from Palm Beach to the lower Florida Keys, this rare, elegant slow-growing palm is especially notable for its blue-green fan-shaped fronds with silvery undersides that shimmer in the wind above the vertical trunk. This makes a terrific specimen tree or can be added to a shrubby border. Growing 15-20 feet, this is salt- and drought-tolerant with no pest or disease problems. Birds relish the colorful red to black fruit that hang in long clusters in autumn; and this is the larval host to the monk skipper.
A silver palm is shown at Pan’s Garden. The tree occurs naturally from Palm Beach to the lower Florida Keys.
Pearlberry (Vallesia antillana) is another beautiful, well-behaved shrub that should be more widely used in Palm Beach landscapes. The delicate white star-like flowers sparkle in filtered sunlight above shiny green foliage. This does well in part shade and is undemanding as to soil type. The flowers become translucent berries resembling small pearls, hence the common name. This is listed as endangered in the state of Florida.
Pearlberry, which does well in partial shade, is listed as threatened in the state.
Lancewood (Nectandra coriacea) is a wonderful evergreen shade tree with shiny bright green aromatic leaves that droop down from smooth green twigs. Pollinators are attracted to the small fragrant creamy white flowers. These are followed by purple to black fruits attached to bright red cuplike stalks, making a very interesting and colorful display. Birds seek out these berries.
Lancewood can be used as a specimen, growing to 30 feet, or pruned to form a boundary hedge or buffer that is highly drought-tolerant once established. The dark brown heartwood is excellent for cabinetry.
Understanding the growing requirements of the plants in your landscape also will alleviate the need for added chemicals. Planting shade-loving specimens in the sun or sun lovers in the shade will compromise their health, making them more susceptible to attack by predators. Too much or too little water also will lead to poor performance.
Often, homeowners see a plant failing and assume it needs fertilizer or some chemical treatment when it is simply growing in the wrong place. Again, do your homework and use chemicals only as a last resort.
-Kim Frisbie
Original article on the Palm Beach Daily News is HERE.