Blog
Kickstarting Your Future: Embracing Estate Planning Awareness Week
The Trust’s Quail Hill Farm staff have a new house with a yard full of native plants! Melanie Tebbens, Vice President of Peconic Land Trust applauds the work of Hampton Modular and MGD Horticultural Services, Inc. this past year. This affordable home situated near the farm replaced an existing 1-bedroom seasonal cottage previously donated to the Trust by Deborah Ann Light in 1984. The small property now boasts a new shingled 3-bedroom house in keeping with the neighborhood, and a sustainable landscaped yard designed to be resilient to the dynamic weather patterns we experience.
![block.image[0].title](/assets/images/Melanie-Matt-Daley.jpg)
Whether it’s drought conditions or excessive rain, the native plantings have been selected to thrive without an irrigation system or mowing (like a conventional lawn). The geraniums and low bush blueberry thrive in the shaded side-yard, prairie dropseed grass, sweet pepperbush, and black-eyed Susan handle the drier conditions in the sun and conceal the new IA septic system infrastructure that needs to be accessible for regular maintenance. The American holly and bayberry provide privacy for the corner lot’s visibility without requiring regular hedge trimming, while the iris and soft rush are planted around the native stones for the bioswale to retain excess water that collects from the side and front yards. All this is topped off with a clover pathway meandering throughout and provides access to the house. The native plants will help suppress invasives, and a gravel patio area offers a place to relax on a hot summer’s day.
Let’s check in next season to capture the beauty of their blossoms, sure to attract many pollinating insects, birds and bees.
For more information about native planting, reach out to Matt Daly at mgdhorticulture@yahoo.com.
