The Problem of 'Photographed and Forgotten' Gardens
You've probably seen it before: A native garden starts out lush and intentional, then slowly unravels. A meadow is overtaken by weeds. Native grasses are cut down to sad little stumps. A pollinator garden somehow loses its pollinators by year two. The vision was there. The follow-through wasn't.
Haven Kiers, an associate professor of landscape architecture and environmental design at UC Davis, has a name for this phenomenon: 'photographed and forgotten.' Over the past year, she has delved into one of the least glamorous corners of her field: what happens to biodiverse landscapes after the designer packs up and leaves. The answer, she found, is often not good.
'We do our designs, maintenance is there for maybe a year, we take our pictures and then it's gone,' said Kiers. 'Without that long-term maintenance, you don't get the long-term performance we're designing for.'
From Arboretum to Research: The Genesis of an Idea
Kiers' obsession with maintenance started at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, where working closely with grounds crews opened her eyes to a side of landscape design she'd never heard from—the people trying to keep it alive. This hands-on experience revealed the critical gap between design intentions and the realities of upkeep.
Kiers now teaches a design course in which she invites grounds crew members to lecture about the mistakes designers make. This innovative approach brings the often-overlooked maintenance perspective into the classroom, preparing future designers to consider the full lifecycle of their projects.
Research Findings: Design and Maintenance in Silos
Her findings from the past year resulted in a report produced with Sacramento-based landscape architect Brenna Castro of Atlas Lab and funded by the Landscape Architecture Foundation. The work drew on interviews and surveys of landscape architects and maintenance professionals who work on biodiverse public lands across the country.
One finding is both obvious and universally ignored: Design and maintenance exist in silos, and those silos are setting up projects to fail. This disconnect means that even well-intentioned designs often lack the necessary support to thrive over time.
Why Native and Biodiverse Landscapes Fail
The problem shows up most acutely in large public spaces such as university campuses or city parks, where budgets are thin. Maintenance crews learned their trade on conventional landscapes—manicured lawns, trimmed hedges, and seasonal annuals—and are often ill-equipped to care for native plantings that require different techniques.
For example, native grasses should be cut back only at certain times of the year to support wildlife, but crews may mow them down at the wrong time, destroying habitat for overwintering insects. Similarly, what looks like 'weeds' to an untrained eye might be essential components of a healthy meadow ecosystem.
The lack of communication between designers and maintenance staff exacerbates the problem. Designers rarely provide detailed maintenance plans, and maintenance crews are seldom consulted during the design phase. This leads to misunderstandings and inappropriate care that can doom a project.
The Importance of Long-Term Maintenance
Kiers emphasizes that without long-term maintenance, the ecological benefits of biodiverse landscapes—such as supporting pollinators, improving soil health, and reducing water use—are lost. 'We're designing for performance, but performance requires ongoing care,' she says.
Her research highlights that many projects fail not because of poor design, but because of inadequate maintenance. By addressing this gap, we can ensure that biodiverse landscapes fulfill their promise and contribute to conservation efforts.
Bridging the Gap: Education and Collaboration
Kiers' work suggests several solutions. First, landscape architecture curricula should include maintenance training, so designers understand the practical implications of their choices. Second, maintenance crews should be involved early in the design process, providing input on feasibility and long-term care.
Third, budgets for public projects should include provisions for long-term maintenance, not just initial installation. This requires a shift in how projects are funded and managed, with a greater emphasis on stewardship rather than one-time creation.
Case Studies and Real-World Examples
The report includes case studies from across the country, illustrating both successes and failures. In some instances, well-maintained native gardens have become thriving habitats, attracting a diversity of wildlife and serving as models for sustainable landscaping. In others, neglect has led to degraded landscapes that reinforce negative perceptions of native gardening.
Kiers hopes that by sharing these examples, she can inspire a new approach to landscape design that prioritizes longevity and ecological health.
Conclusion: A Call to Action
'We need to change the way we think about landscape design,' Kiers says. 'It's not just about creating a pretty picture; it's about fostering ecosystems that can endure.' Her research is a call to action for designers, maintenance professionals, and policymakers to work together to save biodiverse landscapes—one unkempt garden at a time.
By acknowledging the problem and implementing solutions, we can ensure that the native gardens we create today will continue to thrive for generations to come.
This article is based on reporting by Phys.org. Read the original article.
Originally published on phys.org
