GO NATIVE BRANDERMILL
Status Report March 2025
A community-driven initiative to promote native plantings & landscape sustainability
Native plantings save money.
This past fall, 19 community volunteers planted 4 Brandermill entrances with mostly native plants and perennials. These plantings replaced aging traditional entrance plantings and annual plants.
Each “Go Native Brandermill” entrance, like the one shown for Whispering Oaks, features a unique garden design tailored to the specific conditions of shade, sun, or a combination of both. The project aims to enhance the community's beauty while encouraging residents to get involved.
Go Native entrances minimize repetitive costs for annuals planted twice a year. Additionally, the volunteer hours spent planting the initial gardens offset the costs of installation. This fall, 9 volunteers spent over 56 hours, worth $1,900, planting the 4 entrances. The total expenditures for the 4 gardens, including staff time, were just over $7,700.
NATIVE PLANTS THRIVE IN NATURAL CONDITIONS
A maintenance guide for Brandermill staff and contractors outlines the care needed to sustain volunteer plantings.
Signage for the gardens is recommended.
The Community Wants To Be Involved and Supports Go Native Brandermill
Brandermill’s first garden stewards - Ann and Jason Maloney
Whispering Oaks
After
Before