Ballston Spa Nature Preserve
Over the past month, we’ve had the honor of being a part of a lovely project. A couple in Ballston Spa, NY (just outside of Saratoga Springs) contacted us around Mother’s Day with an opportunity to build a nature preserve, with native plant gardens on a half an acre of their property.
Ballston Spa “Forever Wild” Space.
The parcel had been allocated, “forever wild” land by the town, but over the past 15 years the couple watched with disappointment as each and every one of their neighbor’s planted lawns in that “forever wild” allocated space. They had left their piece as undisturbed meadow, prairie and young woodland but somehow it did not feel like enough. What a delightful project to be a part of. A friend once described the view of the nature on her farm. It’s like, you just can’t stop it. Nature bursts out of the cracks and it’s so wild, untamed and so different than what we get a chance to experience in urban or suburban settings. Everything about this new Ballston Spa nature preserve and native plants gardens is just so. The nature is tangible.
Nature Preserve Design Theory.
Our design strategy was to simply cooperate with the ecosystem not overthink it. Our first step was to plant woodland gardens throughout the naturally occurring woodland areas. Lots and lots of shade tolerant native shrubs were used including Lindera benzoin (Spicebush- host plant to the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly), Aesculus pavia (Bottlebrush Buckeye), Clethra alnifolia (Ruby Spice Clethra) and Amelanchier canadensis. Shrubs and trees are the bones of any garden or natural area, and it felt appropriate to begin such a large endeavor by building a structure with woody plants. Many understory forest floor level herbaceous plants were also added to the woodland gardens including Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple), Caulophyllum thalictroides (Blue Cohosh) and Actaea pachypoda (White Baneberry).
The second step was to build a nature trail loop through the entire property. In this case, all the gardens are connected via the nature trail. As a result, the nature preserve feels accessible and welcoming.
Planting the Native Plants in the Private Land Preserve.
The lasagna method, an organic no-till strategy was used. So many, many beautiful native plants were added. (There’s no way to do justice to the mass inputs of native plants. Certainly, highlights include the Swamp Milkweed, which transforms this space into instant Monarch butterfly habitat. Asclepias incarnata is the Monarch butterfly’s host plant.)
This nature preserve garden project in Ballston Spa, NY is going to be ongoing. Undoubtedly, we expect to continue to add native plants to the woodland, prairie and meadow gardens over the next couple years. Eventually a small pond will be added. This will complete 100% of the property’s requirements for wildlife habitat area certification with multiple conservation organizations. Over time the native plants that are establishing their roots this year will fill in. Birds will spread seeds through the local ecosystem. Basically, the dramatic positive effects of a project like this on the local environment are going to be experienced for years and years into the future. Unquestionably all members of the neighboring community will benefit. Our company is truly honored to have been part of this homeowner’s lovely vision.
How to hire Jessecology for your private nature preserve construction project:
We’d love to meet you! Certainly, our team can design + build a private natural area for your Saratoga, Albany or Niskayuna region home or business. Please fill out our customer intake form and we’ll be in touch soon.
