I am thoroughly enjoying participating in all the steps of the whole process of cultivating nature in home gardens in the Washington DC metro area.
This is what it takes:
1) Propagate and care for native plants at the nursery, a.k.a. keep the them happy in containers! This is not easy. Most plants in commercial landscapes and nurseries are there because they tolerate being in containers. Native plants have not been selected for this attribute and take special care and attention.
2) Meet with clients at their properties. Evaluate the environmental conditions of the future native plant garden and talk with client about their goals and vision for the garden. It is a very important step to visit the property. Often times impressions about soil and sun exposure can can be misunderstood. This step is essential to an efficient plant selection process to get the best suited plants for the environmental conditions.
3) Develop a list of suitable plants keeping in mind design, future phases of gardening, all the attributes of the native plants and the client’s vision. This is a dynamic decision-making process taking into account many factors. It is a little like solving a riddle and putting together a puzzle, making sure everything fits and answers the need.
4) Meet with the client at the nursery for them to see the native plants on the list of well-suited plants for their future native plant garden. Native plants are less familiar since they are not commonly used in landscaping. Whether or not clients are familiar with the native plants it is always helpful to see the plants and visualize them in the garden area. We walk around the nursery getting to know all the recommended native plants during which the client may decide whether or not to include the species in their garden.
5) Work with the client to develop a design and price estimate for their new native plant garden. This is an enjoyable dialogue considering changing desires, new factors and a variety of budgets for different phases of planting and services.
6) In preparation for garden installations, mix a rich blend of mulch, nutrients and mycorrhizae to make soil to amend the client’s garden. A typical native plant garden will require dozens of cubic feet of amended soil. The amended soil is key to getting the plants started. However, it is important not to coddle the plants and by mixing the amended soil with the garden’s existing soil the plants are being prepared for what they will encounter in the long-term which is what they are adapted to in most of this region, nutrient-poor clay.
7) Load and transport the amended soil, selected native plants, a rooting soak to treat plants before planting, mulch and tools to the site for the garden installation.
8) At the site of the future native plant garden, it is almost always necessary to remove exotic and invasive plants, including shrubs and groundcover. Exotic invasive plants are so successful because they have extensive root systems that are very difficult to dig up. Removing exotic invasive plants involves intensive digging and ripping. This step can take hours and even days to complete. Invasive plants needed to be disposed of properly, bagged or burned. Most of them can regenerate from a single scrap of a stem or root and should not be thrown into compost or brush piles.
9) Once the garden area has been cleared of the exotic invasive plants, prepare the native plants and garden area for planting. Before placing the native plants in the ground, holes are dug, amended soil is mixed with the dug-up soil (approximately 50/50) and native plants are soaked in a rooting solution. The rooting solution and amended soil are essential to the short-term success of the transplanted plants.
10) Plant the native plants! This is a wonderful step. Placing the native plants into the ground and wishing them well in their endeavor to regenerate and reproduce and create habitat for wildlife. The holes are lined with the amended soil mixture and at the bottom a small volcano-shaped cone is formed with the amended soil mixture. The roots of the plants should be gently loosened and pulled out. The longest roots are often to the outside and are placed along the sides of the soil ‘volcano’ with the peak supporting the underside of the plant. Then fill in around the plant with the amended soil. Pat down gently and be sure the height of the soil where it meets the plant stem is slightly higher than the surrounding soil as it will settle over time.
11) Water the freshly transplanted native plants. Watering is key. The plants have been through a traumatic experience and need water immediately.
12) The final step is to mulch the new native plant garden. Mulch keeps in essential soil moisture and helps to keep exotic invasive plants at bay. Often times it is necessary to lay down many layers of newspaper between the soil surface and beneath the mulch to help suppress the return of the exotic invasive plants. Water the mulch to moisten the area and help retain moisture in the recently planted garden area.
Mission accomplished!
From native plant nursery to restoring native habitat in home gardens.
And REPEAT!
Cultivate Nature 
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