There's No Sanctuary Like Home
By Zoe Schumaker Preservation Committee

Fungus "blooms" on a decaying log in January.

Like many, I anxiously await spring's first signs. Along our garden path, I rejoice when sturdy crocus and iris shoots bust through frosthardened soil. But I am most gratified to see signs of spring's transformation in the uncultivated area beyond our garden. This is property we have chosen to leave as forest, our own "native plant sanctuary."

The word sanctuary holds several meanings, including "a holy place", "a place of refuge", and a "reservation where animals or birds are sheltered". To me, the land surrounding our house is all of these things. It is home to deer, rabbits, wild turkey, squirrels, coyotes, and countless birds. It is also my refuge, a peaceful place where I can relax, contemplate, and be rejuvenated by nature.

As humans, we are often keen to tame the land around us. We remove trees to create lawns or improve our views. We are tempted to surround our homes with the bright color and hothouse lushness of exotics from the local nursery or big box store. Though these modifications have their place, I would like to make the case for preserving our natural landscape.

Greenhead coneflower brightens moist meadows June through October.

Native plants are adapted to the area, thus often hardier and better able to withstand regional weather extremes. They require less watering and maintenance than nonnative plants.

On our steep slopes, established native trees and plants provide critical erosion control. They keep delicate soils in place and provide rainwater filtration and shade for creeks.

Native plants provide food and shelter for wildlife, including many species of insects, birds, and small mammals. They also give the deer favorite alternatives to your tasty garden plants!

Native plants inspire our unique sense of place here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Many beautiful shrubs and plants that are cultivated elsewhere grow naturally here. Beyond their beauty, they have a rich cultural heritage of use in crafts, medicine, and as food.

In my backyard sanctuary, I can already see the tips of trees reddening with new growth, and tender green shoots bursting through last fall's crushed leaves. These harbingers will be followed by spectacular flowering dogwoods, carpets of purple, white, and yellow violets, and trilliums…showy gems that rival any cultivated plant in delicate beauty.

Spectacular autumn color in the Southern Appalachians

As spring turns to summer, our woods will brighten with a unique display of flowering (and towering!) shrubs - flame azalea in April, then mountain laurel, and finally majestic rhododendron. Summer features brilliant color in our meadows as waves of bee balm and butterfly weed succeed to joe pye, ironweed, and aster. Our late autumn display of hardwood leaves rivals any in the world. Even in winter, a walk in the woods is rewarding. Evergreens such as partridgeberry and holly display cheerful berries, and bright fungi decorate decaying logs and newly-enriched soils. Nature as "landscape architect" provides a year round show of color and form!

There is an exciting new program in our area to promote the creation and maintenance of residential native landscapes. This "Appalachian Native Botanical Sanctuary Certification Program" is sponsored by the Preservation Committee of the Community Council of the UGA's Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center in Blairsville. Homeowners can follow a simple application process to get their property certified as an "Appalachian Native Botanical Sanctuary". Qualified landowners will receive a certificate and, optionally, signage identifying their land as such.

A large amount of property is not required. What is needed is a contiguous portion of land that is maintained in its natural state, with a representative mix of trees and plants native to Appalachia. Use of conservation practices such as composting, mulching, capturing rainwater, and natural pest control are also encouraged.

For more information on certifying your property as an Appalachian Native Botanical Sanctuary, attend the "Landscaping with Native Plants" seminar at the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center in Blairsville. The program will be on Thursday February 28 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:00 pm) or Friday February 29, 2008 at 10:00 am (doors open at 9:00 am.). Attendance will be limited to 100 for each session.

For more information about the Preservation Committee, or the group's Plant Rescue Project, contact Jennifer Cordier (706- 745-9317, ivylog@alltel.net) or Glen Henderson (abletinker@aol.com).