Charlotte Edge Habitat
Joining ecological and horticultural goals, this stylized ‘edge habitat’ features 29 native plant species chosen to match existing site conditions. The brief includes a lawn reduction, embankment stabilization, and swale enhancement planting that increase biodiversity on the property while respecting the existing architecture, landscape design, and natural surroundings. The planting design and species selection takes inspiration from wild plant communities in Vermont and New England, particularly emergent marsh, sedge meadow, and shrubland edges. Willow species, buttonbush, and red-stemmed dogwood form a shrub layer that works to stabilize a steep embankment. Native graminoids, including some wild-recruited sedges and rushes, form a groundcover matrix. The perennial layer offers 4 seasons of interest with a diversity of foliage and flower structures, color, seed heads, and dormant-season forms. A ‘bog walk’ made from locally sourced cedar offers a nod to our cherished natural areas, an invitation to experience the plants and wildlife up close, and a practical means of entering the planting for maintenance. The resulting planting amplifies and celebrates the biodiversity and beauty of our Vermont location while softening and settling the house into its natural surroundings at the edge of a beloved state park in Northwestern Vermont.
