UpS Botanical Sanctuary

Chickadee Garden - United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary 

Chickadee Garden Details

This garden began in my heart and mind years ago. After moving to this location in Vermont, I spent several years observing the potential space, starting gardens on the property, and paying attention. I wanted to see the sunlight, the animals, the snow depths, the rain, I wanted to get to know my community and ponder how I could inspire them and provide something of joy for them. 

 

In April 2025, the actual work began. We rented a rototiller and dug up a 19x27ft patch of land at the end of the property, closest to the village. This garden is located right in the center of Norwich, Vermont. We spent a bit of time pulling weeds and preparing the soil to plant. Then we began by adding some native species starts that we got locally from a few farms in our region. We also mulched and added seeds to the front. The only non-native seeds that snuck in were some sunflowers, but they provided a great deal of food and hiding spots for so many critters! While this garden mostly focuses on native and medicinal plants only, sometimes others sneak in and that’s ok. During a visit to Sage Mountain last summer, Emily Ruff, Director - Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary, reminded me that even Rosemary Gladstar, creator of Sage Mountain, had plants there that aren’t native but she loved them anyway. We are diligent with species that might outcompete natives or pose a problem with spreading, but we also embrace what nature is doing.

 

Our hope in all of this is that this continues to foster an environment where native plants thrive and where our neighbors feel inspired to stop by or even to do  something similar in their own yards. I think one of my personal favorite plants in Chickadee Garden is the native lupine, Lupinus perennis. We start the seeds in the winter, by cold stratification and then transplant them out to the garden where they are thriving. It gives us so much hope, as they are a vital food source for the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly. Lupinus perennis has been mostly outcompeted in New England by the bigger, showier, non-native lupines, so we are thrilled to have so much of it in this garden space.

 

Currently, friends and neighbors stop by all the time to check out the garden. We have provided some plant cuttings to the local nursery school for projects, and eventually I would like to lead plant classes, herb talks, or workshops on how others can also do something similar with the land they steward. While this tiny garden is not open to the public, and the entrance remains just a tiny space from the private yard, visitors are welcome to walk by on either side of the road or chat with us as we’re working out there. We hope to someday expand the garden, put in stepping stones, and welcome plant lovers to explore more. It is an honor to be working with the land and to be growing native plants. We want to continue to share that joy and privilege with those around us.

 

My son and my partner have helped a lot with this project and it has impacted each of us in our own ways. We hope to inspire those around us and to bring a sense of peace to everyone who visits.

 

Our garden is a registered United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary.

 

Plants in Chickadee Garden Achillea millefolium Ageratine altissima Aquilegia canadensis Asclepias syriaca Asclepias tuberosa Baptisia australis Bidens cernua Ceanothus americanus Chameacrista fasciaulata Chamerion angustifolium Coreopsis tinctoria

Cratagus Echinacea purpurea Gaillardia pulchella Helenium atumnale Iris versacolor Liatris spicata Lobelia cardinalis Lobelia inflata Lupunis perennis Monarda fistulosa Penstemon digitalis Penstemon grandifloras

Penstemon hirsutus Phlox divaricate Plantago major Rudbeckia hirta Scuttelaria lateriflora Tiarella cordifolia Trifolium pratense Verbena hastata Verbascum thapsis Verononia noveborancensis Veronicastrum virginicum