In Conservation with Susan Carpenter

There were echoes of distant thunder in the air when I arrived at the UW–Madison Arboretum to meet Susan Carpenter at the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden. Susan manages the garden and has been stewarding the four acres designed by Darrel Morrison for more than 22 years. Her connection to the Arboretum began earlier, when she came to UW–Madison for graduate school in botany and plant ecology, and later, science education. Those two threads of education and ecology have remained tightly woven throughout her career.

Susan’s work extends beyond the breathtaking garden into education, leadership, and advocacy. After the storm passed, we walked the gardens together and sat down in the library for a conversation about native plants, ecology, and land stewardship.

Ken:
Let’s start with the basics. What is a “native plant,” and why should anyone care?

Susan:
“Native” means plants that evolved in a place. Ecologically, growing and re-covering land with them—literally covering ground in connected areas—matters because they’re the base of the food web. Many have deep roots that infiltrate water, trap sediments, and help filter runoff, especially in wetland contexts. Pollinators rely on them, which in turn benefits crops and vegetable gardens. If you plant natives, life shows up. Maybe not everything, but you see a lot immediately.

Those insects then feed native birds, especially nestlings. That cascade doesn’t typically happen in conventional landscaping.

There are practical reasons, too. With natives you’re usually not mowing, watering, fertilizing, or applying insecticides or herbicides. You still get to be outside learning. If you simply start paying attention by “monitoring” in the everyday sense you’ll learn a ton about plants and insects.

Non-native ornamentals didn’t evolve with local fauna. Some get occasional visits (a butterfly on zinnias), but it’s not the same. And even within “native,” some cultivars get little to no insect visitation. Watch your garden and make choices, then swap out the dead zones.

Beyond ecology, there’s a cultural point: using plants of your place gives your garden an identity of place. Drop me into a true native garden and I can tell where I am. That’s the opposite of homogenized landscaping, where you could be anywhere.

A helpful shorthand from Chris Helzer (the Prairie Ecologist) is to think in terms of color, movement, and noise–not just how a prairie or native garden looks, but how it moves with wind and how alive it sounds. That’s a useful lens for gardeners.

Ken:
Let’s go back to the beginning. Do you remember the first moment you were inspired by the natural world?

Susan:
Probably around age five. We lived in Seattle, a mild climate, and I was outside a lot: walking to school, exploring giant blackberry thickets in vacant lots, climbing trees, and taking things apart. In high school I loved botany and ecology, but our AP Bio teacher wasn’t into those topics. They were at the back of the book and I knew she wouldn’t cover them, so I taught myself those sections. If you choose to learn, it sticks.

What worries me now is how few “in-between spaces” kids have. When my kids were young, neighborhood lawns were off-limits—not for safety, but to protect the “perfect lawn.” I’d tell the parents, “Use mine; I don’t spray.” If kids don’t get rich outdoor experiences, how do they become advocates later?

Ken:
Fast-forward 50 years. Someone walks into the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden. What do you hope they experience that connects back to your work today?

Susan:
Fifty years is a long time. No one here now will still be working here. My first hope is that the land is still here and healthy—resilient to climate change, runoff, development pressure, and highway encroachment. This was once a degraded farm; in 90 years it became what it is today. I hope that trajectory continues.

Second, I hope the ripple effect of the UW–Arboretum is even stronger. That the work here continues to engage other sources of rippling. No one era is the pinnacle; each adds something that enables the next. In practical terms, I hope there are many more native gardens and connected habitats, so pollinators don’t have to fly a mile over highways to find food and instead have stepping stones the whole way.

I’m thinking of land health the way Aldo Leopold used the term: plants, animals, soils, water, air, and people. We need teachers and doers across generations.

On Magic

There is a taboo word that occurred to me while trying to describe the effect of gardening with native plants. Despite speaking with a scientist at a research center, I could not shake the feeling that the missing ingredient with native gardening was magic. When you return the foundational ingredients of a healthy ecosystem to a space, you restore a sense of spontaneity and discovery. You will be continually inspired by what you learn.

Susan shared a story about a visitor who emailed a photo they had taken in the garden. It turned out to be the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee—now federally endangered—and that discovery launched a whole branch of Susan’s work. Today, at least half of her outreach centers on bumblebee conservation and habitat creation. This inspired her to learn more about entomology and bumblebees.

During our walk we stopped to greet a visitor who attends many of Susan’s garden tours, who was leading a group through the garden. I witnessed the ripple effect in real time, and it was deeply encouraging. We discussed the garden’s inception and arrived at another key word: advocate. Gardens need advocates to come into existence, and advocacy remains key to their long-term success. Without you, dear advocate, we lose these exceptional places.

The haven of wonder at the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden exists thanks to years of stewardship and design by Susan, Darrel, volunteer groups, students, and the conservation legends who have worked alongside the UW–Madison Arboretum.

Did you enjoy this interview format? Reply to this email with your thoughts!

This Weekend in the Midwest Garden

1. Observe: Go into your garden and truly regard your plants. (Cocktail in hand is optional) See if bees are visiting your flowers. This will help you decide what to plant more of and what to remove.

2. Make Space: I’d like to challenge you to remove 5% of your lawn to make space to plant native plants this fall. I’ll lead by example~

3. Weed Control: Now is a good time to knock down any weeds that popped up before they set seed. Use the wet soil to your advantage.

Plot Notes from my Garden

What I Loved This Week

• Learn: Land Ethic Live - Produced by the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Recommended by today’s guest Susan Carpenter.

• Connect: UW Arboretum - Follow them on Instagram for updates on their upcoming classes!

Reader Feature:

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Until next Thursday,
Ken Welch

About the Author

Ken Welch is a horticulturist and research professional at UW–Madison. He’s drawn to native ecosystems, community gardens, and helping others grow confidence in their craft.

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