About | arrowwoodgardens

ARROWWOOD GARDENS

WORKS TO RESTORE, PRESERVE, AND EXPAND THE ORIGINAL BEAUTY AND BIODIVERSITY

OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY,

AND THE GREATER ATLANTIC NORTHEAST REGION.

We aim to spread biodiversity and compassionate landcare through a unique model of

Why Plant Natives?

Native plants are essential to the survival of birds, butterflies and other beneficial insects, and all members of a balanced ecosystem by providing habitat and food that most non-native species cannot. Native plants are naturally well-adapted to their region and therefore well-suited to restore soil, manage storm-water runoff, control erosion, minimize maintenance, resist pests and diseases, and compete with introduced invasive plants.

While offsetting pesticides, fertilizers, fuel, pollution, and toil - native plants can give us food, medicine, lasting beauty, more birds, butterflies and other visitors to our gardens, and more time to enjoy it all.

Natives vs. Alien Plants

A Native plant species shares an evolutionary history with the region and ecosystem it is found in. An Alien species has been introduced from another region, or rather from a foreign ecosystem.

While traditional horticulture and the nursery trade have favored certain aesthetic ideas, sadly our ecosystems - the flora and fauna of our geographical region - have paid the price.

Landscapers and gardeners today now have the responsibility of not only enhancing the land, but repairing the land and transitioning our practices toward a sustainable future. Let's get to work!

Preservation

Arrowwood Gardens prioritizes certain native plant species that are both commercially available and also have special legal designations such as Vulnerable, Threatened, or Endangered. Just as Arrowwood's ecological gardening services fulfill a niche within the local lansdcaping market, our region's native plant species also fulfill a specialized niche within their ecosystem for the pollinating insects and wildlife that depend on them for survival.

Likewise, the aesthetic beauty and natural heritage of our region depends on the individual species that compose its larger tapestry. The ecological and social responsibility of using native plants in our gardens challenges us to not only diversify our landscapes, but to meanwhile diversify and challenge our basic aesthetic and pragmatic precepts of what a garden can look like and how it can function. With Native Plant Preservation and resource conservation as central components to the garden design process, Arrowwood Gardens helps clients to transition their landscapes into more sustainable spaces that also function as long-term nature preserves.

Opportunities

Arrowwood welcomes the interest of prospective garden designers and current landscapers who may like to pursue or transition to working with native plants. Those interested should have some experience, a passion for nature and ecology, and should also enjoy working outdoors and be physically fit. Arrowwood provides training and plant material to garden designers hired on as independent contractors. If interested, please contact us for more information.