Hilltop Hanover Farm: Saving Local Native Seeds for a Resilient Future
This is part of a series with Perfect Earth Project, a nonprofit dedicated to toxic-free, nature-based gardening. Photography courtesy of Hilltop Hanover Farm, unless noted. But to provide the greatest benefit, restore depleted lands, and give insects, birds, and other animals the food and habitat they really need... ...we must look beyond the plants that are native simply to North America, and be sure to include species local to our specific regions. Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) is one of the keystone species Hilltop Hanover grows in production. Hilltop Hanover is doing just that, led in their work by Adam Choper, the farm’s director, and Emily Rauch, the native plant programs manager. The farm crew helps harvests seeds of coastal plain Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium dubium) by hand. A volunteer cleans Clematis virginiana seeds. “We’re also banking seeds for disaster preparedness,” says Rauch, who notes the seeds they store should be viable for 10 to 20 years. “We’re trying to find sustainable ways to grow native plants without using plastic,” says Rauch. “We also want to encourage people to grow the keystone species that might not be as showy... ...but are no less important, like the Purpletop grass (Tridens flavus), which is good for restoring wetlands and is also beautiful.” (See below for a selection of some of their favorites.) The farm sells their seed-grown native plants at their farm stand throughout the growing season. Left: The unusual, large-flowered flat-topped white aster (Doellingeria umbellate) grows along swamp edges and moist thickets and is tolerant of flooding and stormwater inundation. It is also a host plant for the pearl crescent butterfly and the primary host plant of the Harris checkerspot butterfly,” says Rauch. “An attractive rush found in swamps, marshes, and floodplains, Canadian rush (Juncus canadensis) grows rapidly and handles substantial soil compaction,” notes Rauch. Photograph by Dogtooth77. Left: “An attractive, low growing, tufted grass with seeds that mature in the early summer... Photographs via Prairie Moon Nursery. ...poverty-oat grass (Danthonia spicata) tolerates a wide range of habitats but prefers poor, dry soils in open woods,” notes Rauch. This grass can serve as an alternative to turf grass on dry lawns with moderate foot traffic, where it can be interplanted with other groundcovers.