Pollinator Action Case Studies

The Gardiner Case Study

Landscapes Designed and Installed 

Site History and Background

The Gardiner pilot site is an 80-acre farm and homestead in Gardiner on the banks of the Wallkill River, first established in 1743. The property includes a historic farmhouse surrounded by hayfields, and three-quarters of a mile of river frontage. Nearly all of the site’s open area is in hay production, except for a few wooded areas and a small lawn and garden area near the house. The hayfields have low plant diversity and are dominated by non-native pasture grasses and clover, with moderate invasive species encroachment along the riverbank and in the woods.

The site is highly vulnerable to flooding. Nearly all of the property is within the 100-year flood zone, which is being revised under current climate projections to become the 20-year flood zone. Vegetation along the riverbank is sparse, with just a single line of mature trees at the top of the steep bank. Major flooding events causing property damage have occurred four times in the past 70 years. 

The pilot site installation was managed by the owner, who grew up on the property, and a close friend who is a landscape designer and native garden professional. The owner wanted low-maintenance plantings that would minimize flood damage in addition to supporting pollinators. They also wanted to work with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Trees for Tribs initiative, which supplies free native trees and shrubs to properties on rivers and streams that flow into larger water bodies. 

Owner Perspective

I have been deeply engaged with the farm since childhood, working with the farmer on milking, tilling, haying, brush clearing, and birthing cows until my college years, and thereafter. Farming here has never been continuous and uninterrupted — first in wheat production, later dairy, then beef cattle, and for the last 50 years or so in hay, alfalfa, and corn crops.

There have been several major floods during my lifetime here. Hurricane Irene in 2011 was especially devastating. The Wallkill bridged the banks at our house, flooded the basement, downed many trees and the whole property became a raging torrent. We had to evacuate for three days. Even when it’s calm, the river is higher than it used to be. As a child I swam in the river from a rock along the banks which is now much farther out in the river. 

The Best Buffers

The US Forest Service and the USDA recommend a minimum riparian buffer width of 100’ to reduce flood damage, minimize pollution from runoff, and provide multiple habitat benefits to plants, animals, invertebrates and aquatic species. The most effective buffers feature three zones moving outwards from the water: first trees, then shrubs, and finally grasses and wildflowers.

1. Gardiner Planting: Riparian Buffer

Site area: 60’ x 300’ (18,000 square feet)

Soil: Moist, rich clay loam

Sun exposure: Partly shaded by mature trees along the riverbank

Site history: Hayfield in active production; frequent flood zone

Existing vegetation: Non-native cool season grasses

Site preparation: Minor invasive species removal along the steep riverbank. The site received no major prep work; trees and shrubs were planted directly into the existing hay grass cover, which will be mowed around the growing plants.

Preparing for planting: Trees for Tribs plants were ordered in February; retail plants in May. Plants were picked up from retail nurseries during the month before planting and laid out the week before planting. 

Planting tools: Trees for Tribs program staff dug planting holes with a machine-mounted auger the day before planting. Holes were backfilled using hand tools.

Project labor: Invasives removal took place in two 4-hour sessions. On planting day, 25 volunteers completed the planting in 4 hours. 

Deer protection: NYS DEC’s program Trees for Tribs provided tree tubes for all trees for installation on planting day. A six-strand electric deer fence was also installed around the planting area after planting. 

Preparing the Site and Planting Trees and Shrubs

  • Holes dug by augur and ready for planting. Shown on the morning of planting day. Photo: PCA

  • Staff members from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Trees for Tribs program, which provided the majority of the plants for this project.

  • Volunteers planting seedlings and transporting stakes to secure protective tree tubes. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Covering a newly planted tree in a protective tube. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Landscape staples displayed on weed barrier fabric. The staples are used to hold the weed barrier in place around the plants.

  • Transporting plants on planting day. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Volunteers installing plants and weed-suppressing cloths.

  • The completed tree and shrub buffer on planting day. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • The volunteer group showing off their rain gear and muddy gloves. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Finished buffer planting, birds-eye view. Photo: Adam T. Deen

Installing the Electric Deer Fence

  • Installing the first (top) strand of a six-strand electric perimeter deer fence, the day after planting. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • The completed fence. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • The buffer planting viewed from above in November. The electric fence is visible as a white line in the bottom third of the image. Photo: Adam T. Deen

Budget

Item Cost Source
Invasive plant removal $2,916.00 Trillium Invasive Species Management
Planting Labor $0.00 Trees for Tribs (NYSDEC) and volunteers
Plants (supplied by Trees for Tribs) $0.00 Saratoga Nursery, Octoraro Nursery
Plants (purchased at retail nurseries) $2,383.00 Nasami Farm; Catskill Native Nursery; Earth Tones Native Plant Center
Electric fence materials (three-sided fence, 400' total perimeter) $801.62 Premier One
Lunch for planting day $300.00 Local caterer
TOTAL $6,400.62 Total cost per square foot: $0.41

Timeline

February-April May-July August September November
Project planning and plant sourcing with Trees for Tribs (program application deadline 3/1) Additional plant sourcing research and retail order placement Plant pickup from retail nurseries; first invasive species treatment Completed plant pickup; planting layout and hole digging 9/28-29; planting 9/30 Second invasive species treatment

Design modifications: The third layer of the buffer design (grasses and wildflowers) was moved to a separate location on property to avoid cutting into the active hayfield area; the final buffer included trees and shrubs only. Trees and shrubs were planted farther from the riverbank than designed, because planting was impossible on the steep, rocky bank.

Site Managers’ Top Takeaways 

Site Preparation: We didn’t create a clean slate for this site, but rather planted into existing hay grasses. We plan to mow and weed-whack the grass around individual plants in future seasons.

Plant Sourcing: We had a great experience working with Trees for Tribs (T4T), who sourced most of our plants and helped with planting day. Our project was the first Trees for Tribs project to use trees for the dual purpose of preventing streamside erosion and supporting at-risk pollinators, so the T4T staff had to find plant species outside their usual repertoire, and they were extremely thorough. We highly recommend the program. 

The plants that T4T couldn’t source were often difficult to find at retail nurseries, so being willing to travel further afield and spend extra time on nursery research was key. In the end, we found 95% of the recommended plants between T4T sourcing and our own research. We noted that plants sourced from Trees for Tribs were mostly seedling size, younger and smaller than retail nursery plants. 

Planting: It’s crucial to lay out plants a day or two before planting. We had a great volunteer group for planting and it went very quickly - even more so because the holes were pre-dug. The educational aspect of getting folks together around preparation and planting has been one of the most valuable aspects of this project for us, and we hope to keep that going. 

Deer Protection: We started with a belt-and-suspenders approach of using both tree tubes and electric single-strand fence. Now that they’re both up, we prefer the electric deer fence to tree tubes for aesthetic reasons - the tubes create a real eyesore! We plan to remove the tree tubes in spring, which will also benefit the trees; tubes can lead to weak growth.

2. Gardiner Pilot Plantings: Seeded Meadows for Sun and Partial Shade

Site area: Two meadows of 1/8 acre (5,445 square feet) each

Soil: Moist, rich loam in both meadow areas

Sun exposure: Meadow 1: Full sun; Meadow 2: Part shade

Site history: Meadow 1: Lawn; Meadow 2: Active hayfield

Existing vegetation: Non-native cool season grasses

Site preparation: Sites were smothered with 6mm black plastic tarps (two 24x100’ tarps per meadow), which was installed on May 20, removed for three weeks in July to trigger germination and replaced until planting. 

Meadow Seed Mixes: Meadow Seed Mixes: adapted versions of the Sunny Dry Mix and Shady Moist Mix were used. View our recommended meadow mixes.

Cover Crop: Winter wheat, sowed immediately after the seed mix at 12.5 lb per 1/8 acre 

Seeding: Seeding in November was by hand, using a carrier material of rice hulls at 1-2 lb per 1/8 acre 

Project Labor: Over the summer, the site manager and one paid employee removed and replaced tarps and replaced disintegrating sandbags. 25 volunteers attended seeding day on 11/18. Seeding took ~30 minutes per site with 6-8 volunteers seeding at a time.

Preparing Meadow Sites by Smothering

  • Filling sandbags on the morning of smothering day, May 20. Photo: PCA

  • The area to be smothered for Meadow #1 (driveway turnaround, full sun and average soil) on May 20. Photo: PCA

  • Beginning to unroll the first of two tarps to smother the area for Meadow #2 (⅛ acre). Photo: PCA

  • Stretching the first tarp for Meadow #2. Photo: PCA

  • Adding a second tarp to Meadow #2 area after weighting the first tarp down with the prepared sandbags. The tarps will overlap by at least 18” and the overlapping seam will be weighted with sandbags. Photo: PCA

  • Transporting sandbags in a wheelbarrow to weight the edges of the tarps for Meadow #2. Photo: PCA

  • The site owner wanted a meadow with a natural-feeling rounded edge rather than sharp corners. This was achieved by folding and rolling the tarps’ corners under and weighting with sandbags to achieve the desired shape. Photo: PCA

  • The fully smothered area for Meadow #1, using two tarps to cover ⅛ acre. Photo: PCA

Seeding the Meadows in November

  • Meadow #1 on November 18, with tarps removed after six months of smothering. Photo: PCA

  • Site of Meadow #2 (riparian part-shade area) viewed from above after six months’ smothering. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Combining wetted rice hull carrier (orange) with meadow seed mix (brown/gray) in preparation for hand-broadcast seeding on November 19. The vast majority of the volume in the bucket is the carrier crop mixture. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Thoroughly mixing the native seed and carrier mixture before hand-seeding. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Hand-seeding meadow mix and carrier material. The orange post in the foreground is one of the markers placed around the perimeter of the meadow area to help seeders walk in straight lines and ensure even distribution of seed. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Hand-seeders traversing the area of Meadow #1, which has been divided into seeding zones with orange spray-painted lines (center left). Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Hand-seeding in Meadow #2. Seeding day was windy, so many seeders chose to bend low so that seeds wouldn’t blow away before reaching the ground. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Close-up of the meadow area after seeding. Most of what is visible in this image is the rice hull carrier material. Some large cover crop (winter wheat) seeds are also visible: the cover crop was hand-broadcast after the meadow mix/carrier crop mixture. The native seeds are mostly too inconspicuous to see here. Winter freeze-thaw cycles will work the seeds down into the top layer of the soil, providing them with the right conditions to germinate and thrive in spring. Photo: Adam T. Deen

Item Quantity Unit Cost Total Cost Source(s)
Tarps 4 black silage tarps: 24'x100' area, 6mm thickness; plus 1 standard tarp for sand delivery $148.00 per silage tarp; $39 for standard lawn tarp $631.00 Home Depot
Sand 2 T plus delivery $364.00 Tantillo's
Sandbags (original) $100.00 Amazon
Sandbags (midsummer replacement) $200.00 Sandbag Store
Labor 12 hours around tarping and planting, plus additional lawn cuttings during the season $30.00 per hour $660.00 Site manager's employees
Lunches for volunteer events 2 (Smothering and Seeding Days) $300.00 $600.00 Local caterer
Meadow 1 (Sunny mix): native seed, cover crop, rice hulls 26.5 oz seed; 12.5 lb winter wheat; 1 lb rice hulls $433.50 Prairie Moon
Meadow 2 (Shady riparian mix) 10.14 oz seed; 12.5 lb winter wheat; 1 lb rice hulls $433.50 Prairie Moon
Grand Total for Two 1/8 acre Meadows $3,422.00 Cost per square foot: $0.31 Cost per acre: $13,688.00

Timeline

May June July August-September November
Tarps installed 5/20 Tarps in place; seed sourcing started Seed sourcing finalized; tarps removed for 3 weeks and re-installed; sandbags replaced Tarps in place Tarps removed; meadows and cover crop seeded 11/18

Design modifications: In Meadow 1 (close to the farmhouse), the site managers installed a modified version of Prairie Moon’s Shortgrass Mix for Medium Soil, customized to include five additional species from the meadow mix list provided by the designer. This was to ensure the mature meadow was no taller than 3’ in height and to provide a more colorful mix for the area closest to the house. In Meadow 2, the mix was installed as recommended, excepting some species that could not be sourced and were replaced with species not on the Pollinator Action list that support other native pollinators. 

Site Managers’ Top Takeaways 

Site Preparation: Smothering was easier than repeated tilling would have been for these small areas. The cheap sandbags we used as weights began to disintegrate by midsummer, so we had to replace them - in the future, we’d use rocks, lumber, firewood, etc. for weights. 

The tarp created an ugly visual landscape element for a long season, so we might not use it in front yard spaces again. Also, since we have such a low-lying, flat site, water collected on the tarp, which created odors and bred mosquitoes; we’d be sure to cut drainage holes for future projects. 

We expected to have a hard time disposing of the tarp, but several project volunteers were happy to take tarps home to start their own projects!

Seed Mixes: We worked with Prairie Moon to customize the recommended mixes to our needs, a smooth and easy process.

Planting: We had an overwhelming response to our volunteer meadow seeding event, organized with Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley, with 30+ attendees. A smaller group of 6-8 might have actually been more efficient! Since we knew we’d have a large group, we did a lot of prep (such as removing tarps, and flagging the meadow perimeter at even intervals) beforehand. This allowed us to streamline seeding day and make it more of an educational event.

Budget