Passion for the Planet
Landscapes Attract Life in Tracy McLoud’s Healing Gardens
By AMY ROGNLIE | Photography by JUSTIN BORJA
“Thistle flowers are really great early bee food,” Tracy McLoud glances at the folks gathered for her presentation on butterfly garden care in a Salado garden. “Thistle is edible for humans, but who wants to eat that?” She laughs as she fingers the leaves of what most people regard as a weed, then she ambles over to some bare branches peeking up out of the ground. “This is scarlet sage.” She squats and stirs the mulch, then calls a child over to look. “See these little green shoots? That’s going to be a huge butterfly attractor.”
Part teacher, part environmentalist, part gardener and owner of Terra Living in Belton, Tracy has nearly two decades of experience in residential and commercial landscape design, installation and maintenance. She specializes in Texas native plants and organic gardening methods. Her interests in herbalism, natural building, foraging and permaculture evolved out of her work with native plants.
“Everything is a part of a larger system, you know?” She gestures toward the budding butterfly garden. “It’s all connected intricately. We need to appreciate all the elements in a garden, not just flowering plants. Dill and fennel, for example, don’t put on flashy blooms, but they provide important food for butterfly larvae.”
Tracy’s passion extends far beyond this local garden. She is an expert on permaculture and is passionate about spreading the word. For the novice gardener, the term permaculture refers to the creation of agricultural systems that focus on diversity, stability and resilience, just like natural ecosystems. The goal is to create a landscape that provides food, energy and shelter in a sustainable way.
She talks about the newly planted butterfly garden at Salado Montessori School, partially funded by a recent grant from the nonprofit Keep Texas Beautiful, one of Terra Living’s latest projects.
“Designing and installing this butterfly garden with the Salado Montessori students, parents and community members was so rewarding,” says Tracy. “Everyone was eager to learn about how this garden will support a wide variety of pollinators—butterflies and other wildlife. They all lent a hand to ensure it’s a safe haven for many years to come.”
And to Tracy, that’s what it’s all about—helping others catch the long-term vision of her efforts. She will talk to anyone who will listen about the dangers of climate change, and she works tirelessly to foster sustainability—even in the small garden under her feet. “With the current state of our environment, I feel passionate about educating people about how they can work to heal the earth, too.”
Tracy and her staff provide educational workshops on a variety of topics, like “Creating Herbal Infusions” to “Healing with Elderberries” and, of course, “An Introduction to Permaculture.” If you can’t attend one of Tracy’s workshops, drop by and chat with her in person at the spring farmer’s market at Barrow Brewery in Salado every Saturday through June 8.
Look for Terra Living Salado on Facebook.com
Turn Your Garden Around
Step 1: Knock off the Chemicals
Avoid using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides on your lawn and garden—they’re the largest contributors to pollution in our water supply. They destroy the soil food web, an intricately balanced ecosystem in the soil. Chemicals also leave your lawn and plants dependent on their use.
Step 2: Add the Good Stuff
Promote healthy soil by nurturing microorganisms. Add high-quality compost and fertilize with products like liquid seaweed, molasses and fish emulsion. Be patient. It takes time to rebuild the natural system in your soil. Next, leave clippings on the lawn when you mow—mow over the leaves rather than raking them up. Keep bare soil covered with a thick layer of mulch or plant cover crops.
Step 3: Wean Plants off Water
Most lawns require much less water than you think. Did you know that excess water contributes to an imbalance in the soil food web and leads to fungal growth and plant root decay? Water your yard deeply and less often to encourage deep root growth, making plants less susceptible to extreme weather conditions. Never water during the heat of the day—water evaporates in higher temps and can scald a plant’s leaves. Avoid watering in the early evening, too, because wet leaves can promote fungal growth. Watering in the early morning hours is best.
Teacher’s Tips on Gardening with Kids
Alissa McClure, founder of the Salado Montessori School, introduces children to the wonders of Mother Nature.
Place big stepping stones through your veggie garden to teach kids where to walk and be respectful of young plants.
Give children tools that fit their hands. Demonstrate how to dig a hole for quick-growing, easy-care plants like strawberries and radishes.
Plant butterfly- and caterpillar-attracting native plants by your windows and front door to ensure that kiddos get to watch the full life cycle of our pollinator friends.
Photo courtesy of An Indoor Lady
Attract Butterflies with Native Plants: A Win-Win Situation
Native plants and those that are well adapted to our area support wildlife species that are threatened when exotic, invasive plants invade and endanger wildlife habitats.
Tracy’s favorite butterfly-friendly plants that grow well in Central Texas:
Lantana
Salvia (including Russian Sage, Indigo Spires and Salvia greggii)
Gregg’s Mist Flower and White Mist Flower
Turk’s Cap
Fall Aster
Copper Canyon Daisy
Bronze Fennel (feeds the butterfly larvae)
Native Milkweeds (essential for Monarch butterfly larvae)
Local Nurseries Offer Butterfly-Attracting Plants
Garden City
1315 W. Ave. O, Belton
GardenCityCenTex.com
254-831-5100
Hidden Falls Nursery
1602 W. Stan Schlueter Loop, Killeen
HiddenFallsNurseryKilleen.com
254-699-4600
Ladybug Plants & Country Store
201 S. 31st St., Temple
Facebook.com/LadybugPlantsAndAmbit/
254-721-4211
Lonesome Pine Nursery
3120 E. Adams Ave., Temple
Lonesome Pine Nursery on Facebook.com
254-791-0884
