Couple Forges Path to Native Plants

A couple steps in one direction can lead to an entirely unexpected path.

In the case of Judy and Richard Bono, a couple of steps, led to many paths.  Through the woods.

Designing gardens to inspire and educate other gardeners was not on the agenda.  Full moon walks with guests along curvy garden paths would not have seemed probable. They didn’t expect architect Richard would one day protect and rescue native plants on his building sites.

A couple of steps and they were off.

City people for most of their lives, the Bonos became friends with the owner of a rural, wooded property situated along the banks of Kreutz Creek, in a place known as Owl Valley.  Little did they know they would own the six acres one day.

“It was a fluke that we bought this property.  It opened up a whole new aspect of life for us,” said Judy. A dash of buyers’ remorse set in once they realized how much work was involved in expanding the home.

That step – from city to country living – was taken 20 years ago.

Making eye contact and smiling to each other, they recalled living through the renovation and construction of the home Richard designed and the changes that followed.

Native Hydrangea

“No more antique hunting, we started hunting for native plants instead,” said Judy.

About 15 years ago, once the house was finished, they took stock of the marvelous nature around them, and made a rather maverick step.

Maybe it was the artist in them.  Maybe it was a long held appreciation of the beauty of simple.  But almost instinctively they understood they could create spectacular terrain around their home and around their impressive native trees, by copying nature, not taming her.

Before it became, well, almost trendy, they knew the lawn had to go.  Grass just didn’t go with the woods.

One of the large native sycamores on the Bono's property

They learned many of the existing plants were assets, including 20 different types of native trees, and decided to stop traditional planting. Back then, the plants on their property might have been called wildflowers.  Now, we know them as native plants.

The first step was the removal of the invasive plants.  Plants, such as multiflora roses, are introduced from other continents and over years, aggressively spread beyond gardens to overtake natural wooded areas.  Multiflora rose was brought to America back in the late 1860’s as rootstock for hybrid roses.

Our wooded areas are now littered with this invasive plant among others.

As the Bonos began to pull out the rabid roses, they found reward in their effort. They could more clearly see beauty.  They noticed how attractive the nubby bark of the native Hackberry tree is.

Buttlebrush Buckeye

Revealed, once it no longer had to compete with non-native species, was the attractiveness of the dominant understory shrub spicebush.  The graceful yellow flowers, red berries and yellow fall color of spicebush makes it a favorite.  Native Virginia creeper made it’s home as a ground cover under shrubs.

Weekends in the growing season, they would get up early and work on their gardens all day long.  Or they would drive to the Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, PA.  It was one of the few places they could buy native plants.  The Bonos were solidly on the path to restoring the woodland quality to their property.

A natural next step for them was founding the Nixon Park Native Plant sale with the Susquehanna Piedmont Preservation Society.  In 1995, the couple brought locally grown native plants to Nixon Park and held a fund raiser for preservation.  By 2007, a couple hundred people waited lined-up for the sale before the doors opened.  Maescapes now runs the sale.

Skullcap next to Snakeroot

A few key decisions and a lot of hard work later, the Bonos have winding paths surrounded by nature as it should be. While creating her native garden,  Judy became a leading native plant expert in York County.  She is well thought of for her deep knowledge of native plants and for her experience in growing them on her property, said Connie Schmotzer with Penn State Cooperative Extension.  Their property has long served as a source of learning and inspiration.

Judy can now devote herself full time to natives.  She founded the Gardener of the Owl Valley in 2007.  “ Making a living doing something that I really love and getting myself out of the corporate world has proved to be the right move,” said Judy.

A short scenic drive from either York or Lancaster takes you to a quaint cottage surrounded by native plant gardens. Visitors are treated to a good selection of locally grown Pennsylvania native plants and access Judy’s expertise.

The Gardener of the Owl Valley gift area

As well as garden items, gifts and plants, “The Gardener of the Owl Valley” offers two services.  Judy will find plants for you and will come to your home and help with landscape design.

You can follow the paths they created with nature with Judy and Richard.  They offered a Summer in Bloom tour this summer and a Full Moon Walk featuring tastes of Slow Food on August, 8th, 2009.  (Consumed by Food offers a sweet telling of the event)

Judy Bono previously worked for Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff as a merchandise manager.  Richard Bono is an architect who has completed over 120 restoration projects in the city of York.  He is currently working with the YMCA in downtown York.

Richard and Judy Bono