by IDA WYE

A visit to Veasey Park in Groveland with Dianne Plantamura and a group of volunteer weed annihilators including a woman from Washington state:

We last spoke with Dianne on March 5th 2025 about her leadership and involvement with Veasey Park and the creation of native plant gardens and a Miyawaki forest.

Dianne gave me a tour of all the plantings she and her volunteers have been creating over the years. I had an opportunity to spend a couple of hours in the most recent area protected by deer fencing and observe the progress of the Miyawaki forest, which is growing rapidly. The Miyawaki method is especially effective in cities to reduce heat islands and retain storm water. I also got to see the two American Elms and three Red Bud trees that were discussed in the March column.

I had been looking forward to meeting Dianne and to have an opportunity to better understand what this project entailed. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Dianne, the volunteers, and I was impressed with their work. The area within the deer fencing includes the Miyawaki forest, a native perennial border, and a native plant demonstration garden that provides a template for homeowners who are interested in creating a more traditional appearing planting. This demonstration planting includes Ilex glabara, Hypericum perforatum, Clethera alnifolia, Juniper horizontalis, Pycnanthemum muticum, and Verbena officinalis.

I was especially impressed with the buffer strip that separates the Miyawaki planting from the pathway. It was humming with bees and absolutely gorgeous featuring Chamaecrista fasciculata, Monarda punctata and Symphyototrichum pilosum.

There are three Screech Owl nest boxes within this area. The screech owls did not arrive this year, but birds flock to this area because it is ideally nestled between forest and open field.

Volunteers are crucial for all maintenance and anyone who is willing is welcome. Sheet mulching is needed and people who are willing to place cardboard around plants and top-dress with wood chips to suppress the aggressive weeds are encouraged to participate on: August 22nd, September 5th, and September 12th.

I was curious about the water requirements and learned that these plants are sustained by town water (ongoing) and the past installation of an irrigation system. Initially, the young plants required weekly watering. This season, the plants have been irrigated only three times and only after midnight. In the March column, I described the collaboration with Groveland commissions and volunteers. There are other participants that deserve recognition. On August 12th and 13th, men from the Lawrence Correctional Facility will volunteer their labor. Later in Autumn, goats, sheep and one llama will devour the seasonal growth on the hillside meadow instead of gas powered machines.

Other service providers include: Willow Cheeley L.A., New England Wetland Plants, Collins Family Tree, and Comeck Brothers Irrigation.

Donations are welcome through the website https://www.veaseypark.org/rewilding.

I’d like to thank Dianne and the volunteers who warmly welcomed me and made time to share their experiences and the story of rewilding Veasey Park. ♦

Ida Wye is the principal of Ida Wye Designs, offering landscape design,  consultation, implementation, and restoration. Ida was green long before it was fashionable. She is committed to creating gardens that heal our planet, one landscape at a time. Ida graduated from U. Mass. Amherst with a B. S. in Plant and Soil Sciences before working for the U.S. D. A. and teaching Horticulture. After studying Landscape Design at Radcliffe, she began working independently. She later studied Urban Forestry and Wetland Science. www.idawyelandscapes.com