Landscapes in Progress - October 19, 2024 - North Georgia Area

Tunnel Hill Member’s Description (Garden #1)

When we purchased our 9.7 acres (Hissing Possum Farm) it was a bit of a moonscape, ravaged by drought, bush-hogging, and neglect. Situated on Tiger Creek in Catoosa County, most of the property is just above floodplain level, and contains a wide variety of tiny ecosystems, from the edge of the creek to forest edge as it slopes up toward a low ridge. We have from deep shade to full sun.

Our approach has been to gradually rehab areas a little at a time -- "putting out the hottest fire" as they say. We removed hundreds of callery pear trees, along with privet, Japanese honeysuckle, and a variety of other invasives. We're far from finished, but the land seems much healthier than when we started. We've added LOTS of native plants as we've had time and budget, including buckeyes, sweetshrub, native hydrangeas, coral honeysuckle, and pawpaws. We also added a smallish pond surrounded by native plants that's now filled with frogs, dragonflies, waterbugs, and the occasional turtle or watersnake. It literally buzzes with life. In addition, we have trails through the wooded area of the property, and we're managing that area by controlling the blackberries that would happily overrun us and removing privet and pear trees to let the many native trees have free reign.

Rocky Face Member’s Description (Garden #2)

Our Home Place

Lena grew up on this little piece of land in the Mill Creek valley of Rocky Face, GA (formerly Buzzard’s Roost). The land molded her world view, love of nature and engrained in her a sense of stewardship for the place.

Erin grew up in a suburban neighborhood where her parents’ idea of a beautiful lawn and garden was if it resembled the Augusta National Golf Course - zoysia carpeted lawns with azaleas in the spring and mums in the fall. The transition from clean, manicured, neat, yet lifeless, lawn to a habitat brimming with life has taken some time and a change in perspective. Through time, teaching, and patience, both Lena and Erin have found compromise for their vision for their property.

The goals are to honor the legacy of the place as it was created, support the habitat roles and services as well as create an experientially rewarding, biodiverse landscape. 

The compromise between Lena's desire for ecological services (tending toward wild and exuberant) and Erin's desire for neat, tidy and legible continues to be a work in progress as well!

This compromise included providing a system, plan and structure around the foundation plantings of the home, focusing on legibility. For better or worse, a 3-year renovation with addition has given the opportunity to begin with a clean slate around the foundation. By design, as you move away from the house, the land will return to the wild – this is part of the ‘in progress’. You will be shown their approach to tackling the rewilding of ~4 acres of land and see pieces that are in progress, the plan for areas that have not yet started, the challenges of water run off - along with how they are tackling invasives (that still abound). 

All are welcome to come out and see how, through compromise, the “yard” is being transitioned into an ecologically viable, life sustaining “habitat”.