21st Century Gardens: Modern, Ecological, Beautiful
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Communities, Oaks and New Ventures.
Peter Spaulding began attending the annual Cullowhee Native Plant Conference almost ten years ago. Sometimes profound changes come from the smallest of acts, like going to a work conference. There in Western North Carolina, Peter, already ten years in as a Zone Gardener at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., began a plant journey leading to one of his most exciting acts yet: 21st Century Gardens!
Talking about the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, Peter brims with his own brand of quiet enthusiasm. He talks excitedly about learning about the Savannah grasslands from Dr. Dwayne Estes, co-founder and executive director of the Southeastern Grassland Institute. Dr. Estes spoke spoke about learning in school, before colonial times, there were so many trees in the eastern United States, a squirrel could travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River without touching the ground. It turns out that wasn't quite right. Savannah grasslands extended from Plains, Virginia through Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky to Arkansas. They were so vast they supported mammoths and later elk and bison. Peter explains "critical to the maintenance of the these grasslands was the disturbance animals and fire provided."
Peter talks about hearing from Bill Irwin, co-founder and Executive Direct of the Paint Rock Forest Research Center in Alabama. He talked about how people want their home landscapes to look like they live on a golf course, yards that look like they could have been planted 50 years ago or yesterday, Peter also heard Dr. Doug Tallamy share his work at Cullowhee.
At the end of each Cullowhee Native Plant conference Peter says it would take time to digest all he learned and, at the same time, he was already excited to learn more the following year. Cullowhee sparked, as Peter describes it, a shift from the American interpretation of English gardens to something much “more exciting, beautiful, beneficial and fascinating.”
Over time, ecological gardening and native plants, is showing up in a big way at the gardens surrounding the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Peter explained the National Cathedral Gardens, originally established in the early 1900s, have continually evolved. Today, new plantings are more ecologically driven. The result is quite an array of spaces and garden styles on 59 acres from the mostly wild, remaining oak and beech forest called Olmsted Woods to the newest garden, the Oak Grove.
Two of the newer gardens featuring native plants and flanking the Virginia Mae Center were designed by Sandy Flowers, the former Director of Horticulture and Grounds at the National Cathedral. You can read a bit about the spaces here and here and seeing them in person is so much better!
Peter began his work at the Cathedral back in 2008, in part, in Olmsted Woods which is left to nature as much as possible. It requires work though. Among other things, English ivy was once allowed to grow as a way to curb soil erosion. Peter says it is also a very challenging area -- dry, rocky soils and deep shade. Keeping invaders like garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), English ivy (Hedera helix), shrub honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)) and porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata) out, with a lot of help from volunteers, enables succession growth of native blackhaw viburnums (Viburnum prunifolium) and hollies (Ilex opaca). Peter says the native golden alexanders (Zizia aurea) which flourish in these woods during spring were in all likelihood planted at some earlier point.
Designing the Modern Oak Grove
Peter's latest area of emphasis is the Oak Grove Garden situated behind the rear of the Cathedral between the Virginia Mae Center and the Library building. Peter’s design for the Oak Grove Garden aimed to encompass all he has learned. His goal was to create a new, modern, beautiful and ecological garden with four seasons of interest. He had some practical changes in mind as well. Several sets of tables and chairs beneath older oaks were compacting soil and had to be moved every time mowing was needed. Peter envisioned relocating those to their own terraces to both create more desirable sitting areas and enable the area beneath the oaks to be converted to softer landings. Peter also wanted to replace two eighty year old oak trees that were recently lost. Peter describes this newly planted garden as a place similar to the edge of the woods with savannah like qualities. Cullowhee!
Work to create the garden began in 2024 and planting continues today. In choosing the oak trees, Peter and team were looking for species that could adapt to changing climatic conditions and looked to trees more resident to the southeastern United States settling on overcup (Quercus lyrata), shumard (Quercus shumardii) and shingle oaks (Quercus imbricaria). Peter notes oaks, in particular, grow better in communities of trees. Eight oak trees anchor the new garden. Those are underplanted with a mix of shrubs, grasses, ferns and sedges. The idea is that as the trees grow and more shade is created, the sedges will spread and fill voids created by other perennials which subside from the loss of sunlight.
This style of planting is sometimes referred to as matrix planting, creating a mix of plants that act as a green mulch and evolve as the garden changes. Peter has been inspired by one of the creators of this movement, Roy Diblik, a longtime garden designer, pioneering native plant nursery owner and noted native plant expert. The work of llegendary garden designer Piet Oudolf also inspires Peter.
Peter notes this style of garden is new for the National Cathedral and was embraced by the All Hallows Guild, the organization responsible for the grounds of the Cathedral. The Oak Grove represents an opportunity to continue to evolve the gardens which began over a hundred years ago in Anglican tradition to a more ecological style of gardening. Indeed!
The garden is filled with carefully selected natives: sedges, perennials like wild indigo (Baptisia), shrubs including hydrangea ‘Haas Halo’ (Hydrangea arborescens 'Haas Halo'), a cultivar of wild hydrangea known for its high appeal to pollinators, Florida anise (Illicium floridanum) and Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), ferns and grasses. One of the sedges Peter is very happy with is Cherokee Sedge (Carex cherokeensis).
Lessons from the Oak Grove to Use at Home
Texture
For us amateur gardeners, the Oak Grove Garden is filled with lessons we can apply at home. First, the stunning use of textures. One of the things about choosing to garden with straight species of native plants is that you may choose to forgo cultivars with red, maroon and yellow foliage which means you end up with a lot of green at certain points during the growing season. Contrasting textures is one way to create interest among all that green. The various combinations of plant textures in the Oak Grove Garden are a master class in creating that contrast.
Seating
It is so worth the effort and investment to have a comfortable seating area. After all, we want to enjoy our gardens. Creating a dedicated seating location that is comfortable and stable makes all the difference! Surrounding it with plantings that create a cozy atmosphere but don't disconnect you from the surrounding area really finishes it. The three new terraces in the Oak Grove accomplish this so beautifully.
Soft Landings
Last, we hear a lot about the need to create soft landing beneath native trees that are so beneficial to the many insects that lay their young on the trees. Oak trees famously support over 500 species of insects. Many of those insects reproduce by laying larva on the trees. Those eventually become caterpillars which drop to the ground. Dr. Doug Tallamy and others tell us, the softer the landing spot, the higher chance of survival for all of those caterpillars, many of which will be consumed by birds. The Oak Grove Garden is filled with examples of how to create those softer landings. Whether you choose swaths of sedges or a mix of sedges, grasses and small shrubs, it can be done! To plant under established trees, its best to use plugs to minimize the disturbance to tree roots. The Pollen Nation and Izel Native Plants carry plugs if your favorite nursery does not have them.
The True Nature of Gardening
The true beauty of this garden, Peter says, is how it will respond to change. Peter, ever the thoughtful gardener, observes being a gardener means remaining open and adaptable. “A garden is not a set it and forget it type of endeavor. Mother Nature brings her own plans and we gardeners respond.” Visitors to the National Cathedral Gardens have responded too. As tables and chairs were placed, visitors quickly settled in to delightful spaces to chat, work or grab a bite to eat.
Peter is responding to his own timeline too. This spring he prepared to leave the National Cathedral to pursue new ventures. He has founded “21st Century Gardens,” a solo design practice creating ecologically aware gardens focusing on native plants. With infinite expertise and limited capacity, Peter already has his first client lined up. For those who do get to work with Peter, a deep and inspired knowledge of native plants and considered and adaptable design will be yours!
The Oak Grove Garden and Olmsted Woods will be in good hands. Amanda Sames, a graduate of the University of Maryland specializing in biology and botany, with experience at Brookside Gardens, is already working in the Oak Grove Garden. Nathan Zeeander is managing the treasured Olmsted Woods. Needless to say, they are fans of native plants too.
As any of us who have left a beloved position know, it does require openness to change and adaptability. Peter seems well prepared for his next adventure in the garden!
Happy Gardening.
