Turned into Nature

She knew there were birds down the road in the patch of woods. She’d hung a bird feeder, but for over two years, the seed remained uneaten. Looking around at her farm, she noticed all the spaces nearby were wide open. There were lots of cultivated farm fields. There was a lawn.

In one of her many moments of tuned-into-nature clarity, Jackie Doyle, of Doyle Farm Nursery, realized there was no place for the birds to rest or hide or find food near her home. That was 1986.

Today, at Doyle’s farm, birds sing a symphony, actually kinda loud, as Doyle’s peacocks show off their tail feathers and Jackie, as she has for most of her life, tends her plants. Her home is now surrounded by gardens with tall trees and shrubs. Birders travel to her farm to watch the birds she has attracted with her plantings.

Doyle Farm Nursery specializes in native plants and is located in Southern York county. Perennials, grasses and ferns are featured.

Doyle’s evolution to native plant grower has been a curvy path through the woods illuminated by those tuned-into-nature moments of clarity. She has an extensive horticulture background and has meandered through growing organic vegetables and herbs for sale at farm markets, to finally setting up her nursery at her home.

“I like to do as nature does.” said Jackie. Describing herself as a gardener’s gardener, she hopes to share her experience with others. “ The idea is to bring more people into Natives,” said Doyle.

Explaining that she wouldn’t advocate tearing out all non-native plants, she tells her customers, “ wouldn’t it be nice to provide a host plant for a butterfly while planting a beautiful plant?” A host plant is a place where a butterfly or other species lay their eggs. Native species can only use specific native plants for hosts.

Doyle’s gardens demonstrate another of her observations from nature. Noticing how trees and shrubs regenerate themselves in woods, Doyle said a light bulb went off in her head and she came to understand what she calls, “mother planting.”

In nature, small seedlings grow up protected from wind, harsh rains or heavy snow, at the feet of large trees and shrubs. The seedling is mothered by the larger plants. The seedling grows, and as the larger plants die, the new tree is now established and strong enough to replace the original tree.

Mother planting can be used as a way to gracefully add more native plants to the landscape. Doyle has planted small native trees and shrubs inter-mixed with her older plantings. She plans to take out older non-native species as the new plantings fill in.

She has “mother planted” in another way. Doyle has inspired a community of native plant enthusiasts in the area.

Judy Bono, a knowledgeable native plant gardener and proprietor of The Gardener of the Owl Valley said, “ We started working with Jackie more than 10 years ago. She was our source of learning and a plant source. The quality of her plant material is so good.” Bono said, “She is my favorite person to talk to about herbaceous plants.” Jan Getgood of Meadowood Nursery, an all native nursery in Dauphin County, called Doyle a mentor.

Doyle is considering slowing down. She said her favorite thing in the world is sowing seeds. She may slow down by growing fewer plants, but let’s hope she continues to sow the seeds of passion for native plants and continues to share her experience.