Garden Success Story: From California to Newton

When Ron and Kathy Smith moved to Newton from California, they had a bit of garden trouble. “If I just looked at stuff wrong, it died,” said Ron of his first attempts at landscaping. The growing conditions were totally different than what they were accustomed to. The Kansas climate was much more extreme, and the plants they where previously familiar with were not hardy here. Eventually they decided to work with Dyck Arboretum staff to create a landscape plan with native perennials from our area. Ron thought that if they used plants that were already found here naturally, “then maybe I won’t kill it!”. 

Designing and Prep

Ron drew up a sketch of his ideas for the garden and shared this with Scott during the design process.

The project began in 2019. Ron and Kathy had a sketch of their idea: large curving beds around the front and side yard, with stone lined paths through the gardens. The couple communicated their goals and vision for the space, and Scott Vogt drew a design for the front yard and foundation plantings. He helped the couple with plant selection, number of plants and proper spacing, and timing the bloom for all year interest. The beds include favorites like Penstemon, Echinacea, and ornamental native grasses, as well as some unique showstoppers like Rudbeckia maxima. When it’s in bloom, “people stop and ask about it,” said Ron of the tall statement plant. He remarked how often he sees birds perching on it. He has been known to give out the seed heads of this plant, and many others, to passersby who are interested in trying them in their own garden. 

Installation and Maintenance

When they first planted the garden, they used drip irrigation, though they haven’t used it much once the garden matured. They used landscape fabric as a weed barrier on the initial install, though their experience with it has been mixed. “We didn’t know what we didn’t know,” says Ron. Weeds still come up through it, and the fabric can make them difficult to pull. It also slows or stops the natural spread of the plants which is part of the beauty of a prairie garden. Ron mentioned that he has cut out quite a bit of fabric to allow the plants room to spread. Here at the arboretum we don’t use fabric in our beds because it can be such a hassle, and instead we opt for temporary and biodegradable solutions like cardboard with mulch over the top. 

Change as Part of the Process

Some plants did well right away, and others had to be replaced or shifted to find the right fit. Even with the fabric in place, some perennials have seeded in, moved around, and or cropped up in different places than expected. Ron’s philosophy? “Don’t be too stuck on the design”. Plants move and change, and every year the garden will be a bit different. This is part of the beauty and interest, and something he looks forward to. “I have no problem letting the plants have their own ways.”

Despite a few hiccups, the garden has thrived. It attracts birds, butterflies, insects of all kinds, along with the occasional raccoon and armadillo! It is a season long treat for anyone who walks or drives by, and a great example of how converting a bit of lawn to garden can create beauty and habitat in our neighborhoods.

We love to help people dream up beautiful and ecologically friendly landscapes. If you are interested in a landscape consultation from one of our staff members, please fill out this form. Note that best planting times are April and September, and proper site prep can take many months, so be sure to plan ahead!

*All photos for this blog were taken by Ron Smith.

Colubrids of the Arboretum

Spring and summer rains bring lots of green growth, lots of blooms, and lots of snakes! (Yes, this post is about snakes. But if I had put that in the title, would you have clicked on it?) Colubridae is the taxonomic name for the largest snake family, with approximately 2000 species and counting. Luckily, here at the Arboretum we don’t have all 2,000 to contend with — there are really only four or five common snake species you are likely to see on your walk here, and none are venomous.

As much as they may give you the heebie-jeebies, snakes are an essential part of the ecosystem and a fascinating aspect of Arboretum wildlife. Let’s dive in a little deeper and get to know these harmless friends.

Common Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis

A small garter snake, barely thicker than a pencil, wrapped around some pincushion flowers here at the Arboretum. Photo by Scott Vogt

Garter snakes, often misnamed as “garden snakes”, are indeed found all over our gardens and grounds. They hunt and shelter in leaf litter and shaded, moist areas. These snakes love to eat frogs, but will also eat slugs and snails, a mouse or another small snake if the opportunity presents itself. You may find them forming gregarious “mating balls” in spring, wherein groups of males all try to mate with a single female. Harmless and charismatic, these snakes are a welcome sight in the garden.

Eastern Racer, Coluber constrictor

This thin, beautiful snake lives up to its name — it is fast! When disturbed Eastern racers bolt to the nearest rock or shrub to take cover. Gorgeous greenish-grey scales give way to a pale underbelly and blue tones where the two colors meet. It maybe be confused with a coachwhip snake, though the latter are often longer and more brownish in color. As with all the snakes on this post, they are non-venomous and harmless to humans, but they are feisty and will bite if harassed.

Eastern racer, Coluber constrictor from Wikimedia Commons

Black Rat Snake, Pantherophis obsoletus

Black Rat Snake from Wikimedia Commons

Reaching lengths of five feet or more, rat snakes are conspicuous and much maligned. Harmless to humans, their large size causes undue panic. Unless you are a bird with a nest, you have nothing to fear! When caught trying to steal eggs, rat snakes will be flogged and pestered by robins and jays until they either succeed or surrender and retreat. As the name suggests, they prefer to eat rats, mice, gophers, and any other rodent they can find. This makes them a great friend living around your garden. If you find one stuck in an egress window, as often happens with this species, place a long branch or some other climbable object down there so they can escape on their own and continue their good work keeping the rodent populations low.

DeKay’s Brown Snake

One of our student employees safely handles this DeKay’s brown snake found in the rocks along our Horticulture and Utility Building near the greenhouse. Photo by Katie Schmidt

These cute little guys rarely grow more than a foot long and camouflage themselves so well with the soil and mulch in our gardens that you hardly see them. DeKay’s are secretive and shy, and only as big around as your finger or so. Unlike most snakes that lay eggs, DeKay’s give live birth. The tiny babies are only as big as an earthworm and are usually spotted around our area in late summer. DeKays snakes like to eat slugs and snails, and even have specialized lower jaws that allow them to remove snails from their shell. One order of escargot, s’il vous plait!

Plain Belly Water Snake, Nerodia erythrogaster

Photo by Thomas Shahan, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

There is something about a water snake that really gets people worked up. By far these are the snakes that get the most attention, swimming happily accorss the pond and making a surprisingly large S-shaped wake. Every summer these water snakes grow to great lengths in our pond, getting fat on tadpoles and small fish. They often coil up on floating mats of leaves and twigs to snooze by the pond banks. They also like to bask on the sidewalks near the creek, so watch where you are walking. Non-venomous, but very active, these snakes are likely to open their mouth, hiss, and let you know when you are too close! These snakes are often misreported as venomous cottonmouths, but those are only verifiably found in the farthest southeast corner of the Kansas.

Snakes may not be most people’s favorite form of wildlife found at the Arboretum, but knowing more about them can help alleviate undue nervousness, helping us all to appreciate their beauty and function in the ecosystem. Want to become a whiz at snake identification? Check out this Snakes of Kansas guide published by the Great Plains Nature Center, or take a picture (from a safe distance!) and use an app like Seek. The Facebook page for Kansas Herpetological Society is a great resource for learning about local reptiles as well, with many experts chiming in daily on public posts.