Winter Movies 2021: Monty Don's Prairie Gardens

It's that time of year again, when we settle in to watch some winter movies, where plants play the starring role! This year I've chosen Monty Don's BBC series "American Gardens". He has  profiled other great gardens of the world, and visited gardens in North, Central and South America in Around the World in 80 Gardens. I always enjoy his perspective and insights on gardens and the landscape. Grab your popcorn and join me as we visit American gardens with Monty Don!

In this episode Monty Don asks whether America has contributed to garden design, and goes in search of the typical American garden style. He starts his tour at the Prairie Garden Trust in New Bloomfield, Missouri, which was started in the 1980s to preserve the beauty of the original American grasslands. From there, Don travels to the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park in Chicago (designed by Dutch landscape designer, Pieter Oudolf, and inspired by the prairies). In New York, Don visits Central Park, a roof top veg patch in Brooklyn, one of the Target Bronx Community Gardens, the New York Flower market (and avant garde florist, Emily Thompson), and strolls The Highline (an elevated train track repurposed as a city park, also inspired by the prairie style). 

On Long Island Monty Don visits restored wetlands and an artist's garden, and in Pennsylvania he encounters suburban gardens with big lawns (and sometimes picket fences), and tours several estate gardens including Chanticleer Gardens and the over-the-top Longwood Gardens. He ends his tour in New Jersey and The Garden at Federal Twist (also inspired by the prairie). Don concludes that the prairies continue to have an impact on American gardens, but that no one style captures the American garden style. Instead, American gardens capture the optimism and pioneer spirit of Americans. Nicely stated!

Enjoying Winter Moss

When the rains come here in the San Francisco Bay Area, our mossy yard comes alive in shades of green. Years ago our lawn of grass became a lawn of moss. For most of the year, the ground covering appears brown and dry. With the winter rains, even a small quantity of moisture restores the green. 

Mosses are nonvascular plants in the Bryophyta family of land plants. They are small, herbaceous, and absorb moisture through leaves and stems. They use photosynthesis to produce nutrients, and reproduce through spores. Many prefer shade and acidic soil. They require moisture to reproduce, but can survive desiccation for months.

Mossy "lawn" after winter rains

I've reported on the moss in our garden over the years (see Winter Moss, Moss, and Mushrooms), especially in years with plenty of rain. I've also enjoyed seeing moss in other gardens such as Butchart Japanese Garden, Seattle Chinese Garden, and Glacier Gardens. I haven't started to identify them yet, but I can see the differences in species that appear on the wood, concrete, and plants on the property.

Mossy path

My one regret with our soil restoration project, is that the moss "lawn" is being covered with a layer of wood chips. I take the long view on this situation, because it will ultimately result in healthier soil, with less compaction and more moisture retention. And I wouldn't be surprised if some moss finds its way to the top of the wood chip layer over time, to make a winter appearance after the rains!

Looking Ahead to 2021

 Happy New Year! We made it through 2020, and are now six days into 2021. Some of the same challenges of 2020 are still with us, but the future is a blank slate and several vaccines offer real hope. Let's make it a great year, no matter what happens!

This year my theme for Eden By The Bay is "back to the land", with the focus on our little residential plot in the Oakland hills. It's a peninsular-shaped piece of land that juts out into the intersection of two busy streets and freeway ramps. It sits at an odd angle, which makes it difficult to orient, but the front door faces roughly south-east. Last year my husband and I started working with our gardener and a professional landscaper to restore the soil and create a wildlife- and people-friendly sanctuary (see Soil Restoration). 

Clockwise: mossy stepping stone
Pink cherry blossom
Wood chip delivery
Foraging for dye sources

I chose "back to the land" as an homage to the 1970's back-to-the-land movement, during which there was a revival of "grow it yourself" and "make it yourself". In this case, I'll be looking at our residential lot to see what is possible, both for its role in a virtual "wildlife corridor" and as the source of materials for projects. I plan to continue the garden restoration, forage for dye sources, resurrect my raised bed, and attract more birds and "critters". Along the way, we'll look for opportunities to visit parks and gardens, watch movies and read books, learn about beautiful native plants, and make videos. Hope you'll join me!