We sat down with Katie Schmidt from the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains to learn all about native plants.
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INTRO (00:00)
*Intro Music – you and me the adventure, me and you to the zoo*
EMILY BISHOP: Hello, and welcome to the Sedgwick County ZooCast, where we are inspiring respect and conservation for wildlife and wild places through caring, connecting, and conserving.
I’m your host, Emily Bishop, and today on the ZooCast, we’ll be sitting down with Katie Schmidt from the Dyck Arboretum to talk about native plants.
Keep listening to learn about prairie restoration, caring for native flora, and how you can start living with the land.
INTERVIEW WITH KATIE SCHMIDT OF THE DYCK ARBORETUM // LEARN ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS (00:38)
BISHOP: Well, thank you so much for joining us today on the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
So, if just to get started, you could give an introduction, talk about who you are and what it is you do.
KATIE SCHMIDT: Sure, yeah. So, my name is Katie Schmidt. I am the horticulturist and grounds manager at Dyck Arboretum in Hesston, Kansas. So, as horticulturist and grounds manager basically, I not only take care of the grounds in terms of regular maintenance, and working with volunteers to keep everything looking quite nice. I also design gardens if we’re putting in new gardens, design and dream up, you know, new renovations, and handle all the tree care. And I also run our greenhouse. We have a native plant fundraiser sale twice a year. So, I kind of run all the inventory and staffing for that.
BISHOP: Yeah. So how did you get started working kind of in horticulture and greenery?
SCHMIDT: Horticulture is- it’s so fun. It’s such an underrated career path. So, I have always been a gardener. I like vegetable gardening a lot. And I grew up doing vegetable gardening and you know, backyard flower picking. And I always really liked it.
My degree is from Bethel College and I focused on biology, but while all my friends were going kind of the med school track, I wanted to go more the botany, prairie ecosystems track. So, that- that interest in plants and- and growing them and cultivating them mixed with a really strong background in like, high school FFA programs, which is Future Farmers of America. I really can’t say enough good things about that high school program. They had a horticulture and a floriculture class. So, I was able to do some in high school and then followed up with a good scientific basis in college. So, it just primed me to work in an arboretum.
BISHOP: Yeah, that’s awesome. So, what is the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains?
SCHMIDT: We are a 30-acre public garden. We have about 13 acres that are like lawns, pathways, more formal garden or formally maintain space. And then the rest of the acreage is in prairie- prairie reconstruction and some forested hedgerows and areas. So, total about 30 acres. But there’s a lot within that 30 acres. There’s forest, and prairie, and open lawn, and a big pond, and an island. A little bit of everything.
BISHOP: Yeah, a lot… A lot of sprawling space.
SCHMIDT: Yes, a lot of space. With one horticulturalist. I think it’s sometimes not enough.
BISHOP: So, what is the Arboretum’s connection to the Sedgwick County Zoo?
SCHMIDT: A couple of months ago, we were asked to consult with- with the Horticulture Department at Sedgwick County Zoo. You guys are redoing a couple of beds. I think specifically, there’s some near the penguins. And there’s some near some very specific- some specific exhibits. But in general, your horticulture department does a great job of trying to plant things that are not only easy to maintain for- for the staff, but also that are sustainable and pollinator friendly. And that really aligns with what we- we talk about a lot here what we try to do and what we spend a lot of our time educating other people about how to integrate sustainable native plants into landscaping. So, we went out for a consultation and we had a great time. It’s a great day if I get to come to the Zoo.
BISHOP: So, going back to the Arboretum, what is the Arboretum’s mission, or vision?
SCHMIDT: Our mission is to cultivate transformative relationships between people and the land. So, I mean, that’s very catchy, but it really, really does describe what we do because our whole message is getting people outside and engaged with the land. And maybe that means through, you know, gardening with native plants, maybe that means through getting interested in birding or just jogging, you know. Being outside and creating a connection. I think too many people spend their lives, you know, indoors, and that’s great and comfortable. But it leaves- definitely leaves us as leaves the human spirit kind of missing that connection. So, we try to encourage people to start building a relationship, even if it just means walking for 10 minutes and starting to notice the trees and shrubs around you, or notice a butterfly, or figure out what species of bird that is.
BISHOP: Yeah, just going outside and touching grass.
SCHMIDT: Yeah, yeah. Just making any connection and building from there.
BISHOP: Yeah, I know, you guys kind of have like, these four kind of pillars, I guess, and they are education, community, art, and organizational sustainability.
SCHMIDT: Uh huh.
BISHOP: So, I kind of have a question related to each of those pillars. So, to get started with education, why is it important to educate people on the native landscape of Kansas?
SCHMIDT: Well, Kansas, ah, ironically, there’s a lot of people who live here that don’t know much about it. And people who don’t live here know even less about it. It’s this really unique landscape that has gone undervalued and underappreciated, because it was so easily farmed.
So, Kansas as part of the Great Plains ecosystem, meaning that it is traditionally a grass dominated landscape. And, you know, when white settlement first happened in this area, our- my European ancestors, those are mine included, they saw it and thought, “man, I can really farm this.” And they did. But that also means that the- the native grassland that was here is mostly destroyed.
I think that the number now is 1%, of the tall grass prairie remains. There used to be millions and millions of acres of this very unique ecosystem that is now completely fragmented and almost gone. So, it is important to educate people about the native landscape of Kansas, what was here, how we can rebuild it, and how we can maintain what’s left.
And why it’s- why is it important? You know, in, in elementary school, I was taught about how important rainforests are, and how important the oceans are. But nobody ever told me that my home was important, or that the grassland was important. But in reality, grasslands, they, they comprise some of the most fertile soil on Earth. And so, it’s pretty important for human existence for us to understand how those soils came to be. And they also have a lot of biodiversity. They are huge and very stable carbon sequestration. So, grasslands have a lot to offer. And I think they are less studied and less appreciated than some other landscapes.
BISHOP: Yeah, no, that’s super fair. Well, I mean, as soon as you said it, like, “oh, we always talk about the oceans and the rainforest in schools.” Immediately, I was like, yeah, I don’t think we ever really talked about, like, local environmental stuff.
SCHMIDT: No, no. And, and especially because I mean, it goes through, goes through like, marketing fads. You know, like, in the, in the 70s, people were very concerned about whaling, save the whales. And, you know, in the 80s, and 90s, we became very concerned about deforestation. And those things are definitely concerning. Don’t get me wrong, but I, I’m hoping that Kansas and the Great Plains and honestly grasslands around the world that would, that would include, you know, the African grasslands and the grasslands of the Caucus. Like, there are grasslands everywhere that definitely get overlooked. But these are places that hold, they filter the world’s water, they hold the world’s carbon, and they have very, very unique species that are that are disappearing.
BISHOP: Yeah, they’re super important.
So, pillar two, which is community. So, my question is, in what ways is the Arboretum and its mission important for building community?
SCHMIDT: Well, certainly for a small town like Hesston. We love our community here because we’re certainly not a big metropolis. We wish we had the volunteer base of Wichita. But in our area and beyond, we attract a lot of- a lot of people. And this kind of gets into the next one, through our concerts, through art, through our events. And what we hope to do is to connect people who suddenly realize they have some shared interest.
So, we’re- we try to build community especially like at our Flora Kansas Native Plant Festival. That draws sometimes hundreds of people and they are meeting each other and sharing information about their gardens and their prairie restorations. And suddenly they’re- they’re joining similar clubs, or they meet each other again in our classes. So, we like to think these types of community can arise organically when you have these people who are interested in stewardship, or interested in native flora and fauna. And you have people who are experts, meeting beginners, and that is such a wonderful act of community building when those people can get together. So, we- we try to just facilitate that and let the, let the community grow from there. We just provide a place kind of a host for those types of encounters.
BISHOP: Yeah. And you- you already started a little bit to get on to the next pillar, which- art. So, yeah, can you talk about some of the visual and auditory art projects that the arboretum uses for educational and community experiences?
SCHMIDT: Yeah, so I’ll… my coworker Brad Gore is actually our- he’s our concert coordinator. So, he does a great job. We have the Prairie Window Concert Series that runs every year. Usually, mainly through the fall and winter months, and sometimes into spring. But we have some very famous artists who come in on a stopover, we’ve been very lucky, lucky. We’ve had the Steel Wheels, before, we’ve had the famous jazz artists Cyrille Aimee, just to name a few of the people who have come to be part of our concert series.
And we also have a small gallery in our visitor center that rotates new exhibitionsm, and very small exhibitions, but that sometimes include indoor and outdoor sculptures, paintings, that kind of thing. And we- then we have some permanent art on the grounds, we have some limestone sculptures. And recently we acquired a metal sculpture. And we tried to keep- keep those things interesting and displayed in a way that is thought provoking. It’s not something that people expect when they come to this little Arboretum, but we try to make sure that the art is blending into the environment. You know, it’s not a distraction from the natural beauty but adding to it and making commentary on it.
BISHOP: Yeah, and I mean, those concerts are coming up now. This episode’s going live in November, so…
SCHMIDT: Yeah, they are. And there are some folks who buy a season ticket, and you go to all of them, or you can just buy one ticket and come to one. And those are advertised, of course, through our Facebook and Instagram and on our website. But they’re really affordable. And they are a lot of fun, and they’re very intimate. So, you know, you get a nice up-close encounter. I think if we’re having it here at the Arboretum, then usually there’s about 200 seats, or less. So, every seat is a good seat. You’re close up and you can really enjoy kind of a cozy experience.
BISHOP: Yeah, sounds like fun.
SCHMIDT: Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. And we have a local vendor who sells croissants and savory pastries in the intermission. And that’s worth it in itself.
BISHOP: Yeah. Sounds… Well sounds like a great way to spend your weekend and…
SCHMIDT: Yes, Sunday afternoon. Oh, it’s the perfect thing to do. It’s a great date. It’s a great little getaway.
BISHOP: Yeah. So on to our final pillar, organizational sustainability. Why is sustainability important?
SCHMIDT: So yeah, we’ve been talking about sustainability in these vision discussions. And these vision discussions are ongoing here at the Arboretum. Every couple of years we like to revisit this, but organizational sustainability for us is… Yes, it means stewardship and striving towards green practices on our grounds, you know, and here at our facility. But it also means, you know, financial sustainability as an organization, as a small nonprofit, and sustainable practices as a staff, you know, in terms of how many events can we really realistically do, you know, we’re a four person staff. And that’s… there’s just only so much that four people can do even with a wonderful, huge volunteer base like we have.
So, organizational sustainability for us, is a mixture of green practices and thinking about how- how our work here affects our ecosystem, and then also how our work affects the people, and can we- we want to make sure that the arboretum continues to serve the community for a long time to come. So, that is another important aspect when you think about sustainability.
LEARN ABOUT WINTER WEDNESDAY (14:58)
BISHOP: We’ll be back in a moment to learn more about native plants. But first let’s hear about upcoming events at the Zoo.
Every Wednesday from November through February, enjoy Winter Wednesdays at the Zoo. Admission is discounted all day.
Maybe watch your favorite animals frolic in the snow, step into the Tropics building to warm up, or sip on a cup of cocoa from the Beastro.
Additional information can be found at scz.org.
Bundle up and come on down to the Sedgwick County Zoo for a wild Winter Wednesday.
INTERVIEW CONTINUED (15:38)
BISHOP: Yeah, so what is prairie restoration, and why is it important?
SCHMIDT: Well, so at its base, prairie restoration… I probably should not be the one to talk about this. My lovely coworker, Brad Gore, who I talked about, he’s… He’s our concert coordinator, but he’s also our prairie restoration expert. But if I’ve learned anything from him, it’s basically just the practice of conserving and rebuilding prairies. And part of that work can look like prairie reconstruction. And that’s what we have, what we have on our grounds is a prairie reconstruction, a little bit different than a restoration. As we’re basically building a new prairie here on this spot, which… the Arboretum used to be an agricultural field.
If you restore a prairie, in general, that means that you’re restoring one that either exists but is in poor shape, or existed historically, and you’re trying to rebuild it to its… to what it was. Just lots of kind of fun lingo. But prairie restoration is really important because like I said, there’s very little tall grass prairie left. And then I don’t know what the numbers are for mixed grass and short grass prairie, but in general, they are all threatened ecosystems that really serve an integral purpose for our grassland birds, our insects, migratory birds and insects, and small mammals. And as- like I said, carbon sequestration all that stuff, prairies are, are important here. And I think a lot of people they look, you know, if you drive the highway, you see grassland, and you think, “oh, that’s healthy prairie.” But unfortunately, in our, in our region, a lot of that is pasture and some of that- sometimes that pasture is mistreated or over grazed.
So, you have species that, you know, historically should be there, but they’re completely grazed out or the seed bank is so depleted. So not all prairies are created equal. So, prairie restoration really works to identify areas that can be restored, and then working with landowners to do that. We don’t do a lot of that work ourselves. We do have a network of prairie- prairie landowners who have consulted with us about how they can go about restoring their own prairies. And we love to help people do that, to help them find the resources that they need to make a positive impact on their acreage is.
BISHOP: So how does one go about doing like a prairie reconstruction?
SCHMIDT: Oh, boy, it’s a process. I can tell you that our prairie window project, which is about, oh, let’s see 11 acres, 12 acres. The process for that was to seed with- seed that area. We did a little land prep and of course, some dirt work to help with drainage and things because it had been a wheat field. And it’s a little bit different usage. So, prep the site and then try to eradicate any invasive species that are going to out compete. You know, that might be like, yellow sweet clover, bind weed, those kinds of things. And then seed the area.
We collected seed from a radius of 60 miles. So, we tried to keep the genetic material within the seeds very close to home so that this prairie does look like a historic prairie as much as we can. And we had a great network of people who let us collect seed on their lands and a wonderful network of volunteers who spread the seed in the middle of winter, which is the best time. If you can spread seed right- right after a snow, that’s really nice, because as the snow melts, it’ll carry the seed down into the cracks of the soil and do the hard work for you.
And then, boy, then the real work starts once you do a prairie restoration. You monitor it year after year, continued to eradicate invasive, exotic species that might outcompete your natives while they’re just getting started. And, and then you burn every year, or every couple of years. And mow to simulate the grazing effects of bison. And you know, within 10 to 30 years, you might have something that looks like a prairie. It’s a long, long process.
BISHOP: Yeah, but it’s worth it.
SCHMIDT: It’s worth it. It’s very rewarding. And it’s, you know, it’s like planting an oak tree. You, you do it for the next generation, not for yourself.
BISHOP: So, if people wanted to learn more about the land that they live on, and the native flora, what could they do?
SCHMIDT: Well, I like, I like to take the ecosystems approach, because I have a natural sciences degree. So that’s pretty expected. So, I like to start with plants at the bottom of the food chain and work my way up.
The first thing you can do, of course, Dyck Arboretum offers a lot of blogs, you can search our website, and there’s a whole archive of blogs on anything from just a single plant profile, focusing in on one wonderful native plant, to, you know, an overview of how to prep your site for native landscaping. So, lots of blog material that’s available for free. We also offer lectures, classes, and online content through YouTube, and Instagram, we’ve got all of that.
So, come visit, that’s a great, easy, easy thing to do. Sit around and watch videos. The next thing you can do is look up Kansas Native Plant Society. We really appreciate those guys. They’re a very fun group of people. And they connect likeminded folks who want to learn about native plants. They go on wildflower hikes, and identification hikes. And they’re really fun to network with. I’ve been a member and I’ve never regretted it.
And then if you move up the food chain just a little bit, the Kansas State Extension service runs a Master Naturalist program, I have not been a part of it. But I have heard wonderful things. And it’s one of my goals in the coming years is to become a Kansas Natural- Master Naturalist. It’s open to everybody. And it covers not only prairies and plants, but also insects and larger animals. So, you kind of get an overview of the natural, the natural world of Kansas.
And then there’s cultural history as well. That’s closely intertwined with the history of prairie. So, you can visit, oh, there’s like a website, I think it’s NativeLands.ca. And you can find out what indigenous lands you live on. And then you can dive in and learn more about those indigenous cultures and practices that have shaped this area. I think it’s easy to talk about prairies as kind of their own standalone thing, you know that they just existed with no humans. But that’s not really true, right? People lived here, and Native Americans were integral, and the cycles of burning, burning the prairie to attract bison and burning it to prevent… to prevent it from burning around them. So, to understand the land, you got to also understand the people that were here and how they shaped the different flora and fauna that that were drawn to the area,
BISHOP: Gotta be living with the land.
SCHMIDT: Yeah, yeah, it’s… when you start diving into the history of prairies, it’s hard to know where to start, like there’s so much to, to cover from the microbiota of the soil all the way to the top of the food chain, you know, humans, so…
BISHOP: So, what are some native plants that people could grow in their own yards or gardens?
SCHMIDT: Well, too many to choose from. So, this is kind of my specialty. We- we actually do landscape consultations and design services. For folks who are interested in converting maybe their urban or suburban lawn into more… I don’t want to say prairie because a prairie is… Prairie has no pattern, has no organization. It’s definitely a wild and wild thing, something on a grand scale.
But if you, say you have quite a large yard, or even a small yard, and you want a little piece of prairie, well, you can have a prairie garden. So, so many ways to do that. We have done a lot- a lot, a lot of blogs about this, and we do a lot of classes about this. But basically, the best thing to do is to keep it simple. So, a lot of people they see that there’s all these beautiful native plants and they want one of everything. And it never works. So, I always I always tell people, if you’re going to start with the native plants in your yard, you just garden like you would garden anything else, you know if instead of going down to a big box store and buying whatever they have on sale that is almost surely non-native, and exotic, and takes a bunch of water. Find a native nursery in your area.
Maybe that means Dyck Arboretum, maybe that means… There are there are some in the area that are doing native seed and native plants. So, find a native nursery in your area and go ask the experts there because those folks are going to be able to tell you what not only looks nice, but what actually serves the ecosystem that you’re living in.
BISHOP: Yeah, great. So, if someone wanted to visit the Dyck Arboretum, when and how can they visit?
SCMIDT: It’s really easy. We are open 365 days a year. The grounds are open 365 from dawn to dusk. So, you can come anytime and the, it’s very accessible. We have paved sidewalks for half- our half-mile walking path is completely paved and wheelchair accessible. It’s also safe for bikes and dogs on leashes. The gift shop is open nine to four and we have some seasonal hours. So, if you want to go in and say use bathrooms or shop in our gift shop office area, you want to check the website for our seasonal hours.
BISHOP: Yeah, what can someone expect when they come to visit?
SCHMIDT: Well, it depends on the time of year but there is no season that the arboretum isn’t beautiful. So of course, in summer it’s buzzing with bees, and birds, and beautiful flowers. But the winter is gorgeous. Actually, the winter is my favorite time because you have a lot of winter migratory birds who are, who are stopping in, and the icicles on all the beautiful grasses especially in the morning. It’s breathtaking.
So, there is no bad season. But you can expect to see lots of kids here playing. We have lots of schools nearby that utilize the Arboretum. And people jogging, people from the retirement community here with their walkers and wheelchairs, and all ages are out here enjoying it on any given day.
LEARN ABOUT WILD LIGHTS (26:52)
BISHOP: Before Katie and I finish our conversation about native plants, let’s hear about upcoming events at the Zoo.
Follow the white rabbit to a land of wonder at this year’s Wild Lights
Come face-to-face with One-of-a-kind Asian Lantern Sculptures. Maybe a Cheshire cat will cross your path, or the queen’s guard of playing cards. Be the guest of honor at a tea party hosted by a hatter and a hare.
Wednesday through Sunday – October 11 through December 17 from 6pm to 9pm
Tickets start at $15 and are available online or in person.
Journey through the looking glass at Wild Lights
CLOSING THOUGHTS (27:37)
BISHOP: Well, just wrapping things up, I have a few more questions. I was wondering what is the question that you are asked the most about native plants?
SCHMIDT: Ah, probably… people always ask, “is it going to take over my yard? Like, is it going to be messy?” My answer is always, “well, you have weeds in your yard now. Like, are those messy?” You know, I think native plants get much maligned as being aggressive or spreading. But I have to remind people that the only reason why your- your… let’s take your hydrangeas or your Japanese maple, you know, the reason that that is not aggressive or spreading is because it’s just barely alive. You know, it’s not thriving. And then when something is aggressive or spreading, people call it weedy.
So, I tell people adjust your expectations, first of all, and then secondly, you know, lay out your goals for the… If your goal is to have a pollinator garden, or if your goal is to really improve the curb appeal, whatever your goal is, keep that in mind as you choose your plants. And that’ll- that will fix that problem. Because there are so many native plants to choose from. Literally hundreds and hundreds of species that would be I think would be garden worthy, just gorgeous. But there are some that are very, very spread and aggressive and they will take over your yard.
So, I think that’s why I… it’s very necessary to talk with an expert, even just, you know, people shoot us an email about you know, what they’re planning to put in, or if they- if we think this species is a good fit for around their house, and we are always happy to give guidance on that to prevent people from planting, say, Canada Goldenrod that while it’s beautiful, it will spread faster than you can pull it, so. Yeah, that’s mainly what people ask is, is it going to take over my yard?
BISHOP: Yeah, that’s great. Yeah, yeah.
SCHMIDT: Ask an expert and have- know what your priorities are. But no, in general, the native plants are not any more aggressive than any other plant. They just, people just think they are.
BISHOP: So, what is your favorite thing about the Dyck Arboretum?
SCHMIDT: I’m about working here? That I get to work outside every day. That’s sort of that’s a big perk. But in terms of just favorite thing about the Arboretum is, is the community, the community feeling, it’s really… it feels like it’s really beloved and kind of a hidden gem in our area. And so, we constantly have people coming here, and they’ll just, they’ll just stop in their jog and say, “thank you for taking care of it.” Or, you know, we have groups of school kids who will stop and chat with me, and our volunteers will come here just for the fellowship and to be outdoors. So, definitely the community and the people. I think when I got hired here, I said, “well, I want a job where I work outside alone.” And that is true. But I have now come to realize that actually the best part is the people and the people who are really committed to responsible stewardship of this little piece of land.
BISHOP: Do you have a favorite native plant?
SCHMIDT: Oh, man, everybody asks. I have- I actually have a volunteer who works with me almost every day. And I’ll always say, oh, I’ll point out a plan, “oh, this is my favorite.” And then he says, “you say that every day.” About different plants.
Probably- probably Purple Prairie Clover, I go back to that one the most. That’s the Latin name is Delia Purpurea. It’s a winner, man. It’s easy to grow. It’s short, and it really doesn’t spread very easily. It’s great for beginners, it attracts pollinators, beautiful cut flower, the foliage smells nice. I mean, I just… like, I don’t have anything bad to say about Purple Prairie Clover. It’s great. And especially when people are just starting out. And you know, they say, “I’m just going to put a few native plants out by my mailbox, you know, something easy.” I send them Purple Prairie Clover. That’s- that’s the one.
BISHOP: Well, those are all the questions I have. Is there anything I didn’t ask you about that you’d like to comment or say?
SCHMIDT: I mean, we could talk all day about- about native plants, and the need for people to plant native. There are lots and lots of studies out there showing that neighborhoods that are planted with native plants are- are hosting way more diverse wildlife and, and helping to reverse some of these scary population declines we see with climate change. I mean, I could talk about that all day. But I say if people are interested, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and they can subscribe to get emails. We do plant of the day as we lead up to our sales. So, anyone who’s interested just a little tiny bit, they can get more information there. And then hopefully they will become a member and become part of our little team.
OUTRO (32:48)
Thanks for listening to the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
This podcast is recorded on the traditional land of the Kiowa, Osage, Wichita, and Ute People, who have been stewards of the land since time immemorial.
This episode was researched, written, and produced by me- Emily Bishop
We’d like to give a special thank you to Katie Schmidt for sitting down and talking with us about native plants.
Thank you to the Sedgwick County Zoo’s Marketing and Communication Team
And a special thank you to our Zoo Members, whose support makes this podcast possible. If you’re interested in becoming a Zoo Member, visit scz.org/membership
Be sure to give us a follow so you never miss when we upload new episodes.
Thanks again for listening. Until next time, I’m Emily Bishop and this has been the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
