Garden Photo of the Day

A Community Miniature Forest

Planting habitat

By GPOD Contributor
completed community forest with newly planted trees and shrubs

We visited Kat Kinch’s new home garden recently (Heritage and Habitat), and today Kat is sharing a cool community gardening project in Ontario, where she lives.

The Warkworth Little Forest is the best of community initiatives: organized with a minimum of meetings, by a group of helpful volunteer contributors known as “forest gnomes,” and for public benefit and enjoyment. Placed at the gateway to a popular local walking trail where an annual lilac festival is held, this 13-foot by 13-foot site is home to approximately 40 trees and shrubs that are local to our watershed and chosen for their wildlife value for butterflies and birds as host plants and habitat. The planting is comprised mainly of upland species, suitable to a full-sun location with moderate soil conditions.

The little forest is planted in the Miyawaki method, a style of urban reforestation that involves very dense planting of canopy and understory trees and plants. Such miniature forests grow very quickly due to their internal competition, forming an interconnected thicket of high-quality vegetation in a relatively short period of time, and establishing in years instead of decades.

two gardeners putting mulch over cardboard to create a garden bed
The Warkworth Little Garden site was prepared as a no-dig bed, with the underlying grass covered with cardboard, and was heavily mulched in the late spring. (This first photo is by Kat’s friend Linda; the rest she took.)

new trees and shrubs in their nursery pots
The trees and shrubs were available as a kit, but concerns for spongy moth predation caused us to foster the trees at community homes over the summer for early fall planting. By fall, the no-dig area had no remaining cardboard and was relatively weed free.

volunteers planting the trees and shrubs in the new garden bed
All of the foster plants went into the ground on September 5, 2022, as part of a volunteer planting event. The site got a good watering on planting day, and then afterward it remained well watered by rain, which was then retained by the deep mulch.

close up of new tree with red fall foliage
The trees were all in good condition heading into the fall, even making a show of fall colors before heading into winter dormancy.

completed community forest with newly planted trees and shrubs
We are excited to see the Warkworth Little Forest grow, first with a drought-tolerant, low-maintenance native-plant flower garden across the front edge of the little forest, and then hopefully with a second little forest “wet meadow” site in the floodplain of a nearby creek, filled with trees and shrubs resilient to seasonal flooding. Both of next year’s planting projects are already funded by a very generous donation from the Northumberland Master Gardeners, our local Master Gardener group.

volunteers posing behind their community garden
Until then, we’ll enjoy watching the first little forest come back next spring, bigger and better for a winter putting on roots.

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

ARS Telescoping Long Reach Pruner

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Telescopes from 4 to 7'. Cut and Hold (160) Blades. Drop forged blades for unsurpassed long lasting sharpness. Lightweight, 2.3 lbs., for continued use. Perfectly balanced for easy pruning.
Buy at Amazon

Pruning Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Pruning Simplified shows you exactly how to do it. This must-have guide offers expert advice on the best tools for the job, specific details on when to prune, and clear instructions on how to prune. Profiles of the 50 most popular trees and shrubs—including azaleas, camellias, clematis, hydrangeas, and more—include illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions that will ensure you make the right cut the first time.
Buy at Amazon

Gardena 3103 Combisystem 12-Inch To 20-Inch Adjustable Metal Fan Rake Head

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

With adjustable tine spacing: suitable for raking coarse and fine material. Flexible, zinc-plated spring-steel prongs. Working width adjustable from 12-20 inches. Sold as head only, handle sold separately.
Buy at Amazon
X
View 9 comments

Comments

  1. gardendevas 11/28/2022

    Bravo! What a gereous and long-sighted project!

    1. k0kat 11/28/2022

      Thank you!

  2. User avater
    simplesue 11/28/2022

    Such a nice thing to do- volunteer and work together as a gardening community!
    The mini forest is such a cool idea, and I can't wait for you to share more photos of it in a few years as it evolves and grows tall.
    I'm rather fascinated by this project, never saw anything like this before in such a small space, and I'm certain it will, over time make a huge impact!

    1. k0kat 11/28/2022

      I will definitely send more updates as it grows! It was so much fun pulling it together, and we are currently overwintering another 44 trees for next year. There are other little forests like it here in Canada - if you look up networkofnature.org they have a mini forest hub in their resource section.

      1. User avater
        simplesue 11/29/2022

        Thanks for the inf on networkofnature.org I just found the link and love the plant ID section!

  3. btucker9675 11/28/2022

    Can't wait to see the little forest's progress!!

    1. k0kat 11/28/2022

      Me too! Will send updates as it develops!

  4. alvamiler 07/03/2023

    This information is very helpful for my work from my location, and I look forward to hearing more from you.

  5. alvamiler 07/25/2023

    This so cool, love it.

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Related Articles

The Latest

How-To
All About Garden Pest Management – Webinar with Dr. Janna Beckerman

Join Fine Gardening for a free engaging live webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman, a renowned plant pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical manager…
Design
Online Plant Poaching: The Growing Problem of Botanical Theft

When I spotted a particular sand dollar cactus (Astrophytum asterias) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago, I knew I was in trouble. With a delightful color pattern…
Regional Reports
Low-Maintenance Plants for Your Region

When we only prioritize plants we want over plants our landscape needs, each season is filled with a never-ending list of chores: pruning, pinching, watering, treating, amending, and fertilizing, with…

Video

View All Videos
Design

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping—not because you’re likely to trip on something, but because you might be dive-bombed by a pair…
Design

4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder's Garden
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage 
How-To

4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard