Landscaping, Island-Style
By Brian Kerr

For years, my mother sold flowers in Fair Harbor. She was quiet, self-reliant and she loved those flowers. Over the last few years of her life, once spring came and the flowers were in her yard to sell, she seemed to gain a step. Although not trained as a gardener, she was inclined to keep track of things related to gardening. She kept a yearly calendar and noted the day’s weather. We have framed some of the pages from the calendars because her notes on them sometimes also included some observations about our family, which amuse us still.

Not only did my mother keep a journal about the garden, flowers and the weather, but she kept a detailed journal about the expenses associated with the building of their house which began in 1940. The entries, which span a period of two years, offer a glimpse into what things cost and who they paid to build their house.

According to my mother’s handwritten entries, workers from the Christian Science Church in Bay Shore were brought over to the beach and paid $4.80 per day. Mr. Fronup, from Lawrence Lane in Bay Shore, also worked on the house. He provided the labor and was reimbursed the same $4.80 per day per man. The handwriting in the journal is a work of art.

Among the other treasured items she kept were photos of the beach and our family starting back in the 1940s.

The most striking feature about these landscapes is that there was no vegetation except for beach grass. There is so much discussion about indigenous plant material these days. However, despite what anyone in the government or anywhere wants to tell you, the only plant material indigenous to Fire Island is beach grass. Everything else that exists here exists because it was brought here and cultivated.

In the 1950s, as houses began to be improved, groups of homeowners bought seedling and started to plant their property and their communities. Among those seedlings were the black pine and the locust trees. Because those trees were not indigenous, they were susceptible to blight. The turpentine beetle found its way to the black pines in the 90s and most had to be taken down.

As Fire Island homes have become more sophisticated and lavish, landscaping has followed suit. The challenge for both the homeowner and the landscaper is to assure that the nature of the barrier beach is respected.

Choosing plant material which lends itself to the beach environment and can survive the difficult wind and weather conditions is only one set of challenges. Being respectful of the deer and mindful of their need to eat is clearly another one. Is the only choice to fence in every yard? The answer is no.

If we all can respect what nature affords us, we can stay as close as possible to the way it has always been. After all, this is the beach.

Brian Kerr, who grew up spending his summers on Fire Island, owns Brian Kerr Landscaping. He welcomes comments and questions about your Fire Island landscaping at BrianKerr@BrianKerrLandscaping.com.