2025

2025 saw the continued growth of both garden and gardener. Surgery in April to relieve debilitating lower back pain meant limited activity for me for a good portion of the growing season. Needless to say no new projects were undertaken in 2025 and I was forced to be more of an observer than participant in our outdoor spaces.

Observing is not a new gardening role for me, in fact it is one that I enjoy very much, and I’ve come to believe is one of the chief joys of most gardeners. 2025 saw the most observations on my iNaturalist account for one year since it was created in 2021. Some of these included a Northern Sharp-shinned Hawk, Eupatorium Plume Moth caterpillar, Common Candy-striped Spider, North American Spur-Throated Grasshopper, Cecropia Moth caterpillar and many more, some of which are pictured below.

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Perennial Plant Association Annual Symposium

I was fortunate to be able to attend the PPA Annual Symposium in Des Moines Iowa at the end of July. The symposium included many wonderful garden tours, a number of which were designed by Kelly Norris who designs beautiful natural gardens.

Parks and Natural Areas

My job with the parks department allows me to play a role in the restoration and development of some of our natural parks. This sometimes includes foregoing the traditional playground structure in favor of providing loosely structured nature play elements.

It’s fun to see native plants come back after invasive species are removed. At Northern Heights Park we are starting to see just that. Below are some pictures of native plants flourishing in the second year of habitat restoration.

SPOTTED JOE PYE WEED

Eupatorium maculatum

WINGED LOOSESTRIFE

Lythrum alatum

NARROW LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE

Lysimachia quadriflora

VIRGINIA MOUNTAIN MINT

Pycnanthemum virgianum