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Poolside Pollinator Paradise

At Spadefoot, we design beautiful living landscapes, not just decorative plantings.
  • Designed for Every Property Type Project Basics

Address

Bellport

Service type

Meadows and Pollinator Habitats

Year completed

2022

Project size

~1 acre total property

  • Designed for Every Property Type Project Summary

Project Summary

A lifeless, scraggly lawn in sandy Bellport soil wasn’t just an aesthetic problem – it was a missed ecological opportunity. The property sat on land that once supported thriving wetland habitat, and the client wanted to reclaim that legacy without sacrificing the peaceful, polished feel of their summer retreat.

Spadefoot imported clay to artificially engineer a seasonal wetland, reintroducing the conditions needed to support amphibian breeding, dragonflies, and a globally rare Atlantic White Cedar swamp forest community. Careful attention to plant layering kept taller native species toward the back and shorter species near the built structures – creating seamless transitions between the wild and the manicured. A subtle bioswale captures stormwater runoff from nearby structures, preventing flooding at the base.

What surprised the clients most was the speed. Within a single season, volunteer wetland natives – cattails and others – took hold on their own, and amphibians returned to breed. Ongoing mowing was eliminated, and no chemical inputs have ever been used. The result is a property that feels curated and cared-for, with an ecological engine quietly running underneath.

  • The Challenge What They Called Us For

The challenge

Site condition when you arrived
A lifeless, scraggly patch of lawn in Bellport’s sandy soils – turf that struggled to establish in the first place and an underused stretch of property near the pool. The land sat on what was historically Atlantic White Cedar swamp habitat, a globally rare ecological community that once dominated Long Island and has been almost entirely lost.
Transform the unused lawn into something ecologically meaningful – but without sacrificing the polished, restful feel of their summer hideaway. The client was excited about biodiversity but didn’t want to feel like the pool sat in the middle of a messy jungle.
Sandy Bellport soils where conventional lawn struggles. Nearby built structures generated stormwater runoff that pooled in the area without management.
  • What We Did

Services & approach

First step on site
Reshaped grading and imported clay to construct an artificial seasonal wetland – recreating a piece of the Atlantic White Cedar swamp ecosystem that used to define this part of Long Island.
Atlantic White Cedar as the anchor species – centerpiece of a globally rare Long Island swamp forest community that supports birds, amphibians, dragonflies, and pollinators. Layered with a native palette chosen so something is almost always in bloom. Volunteer wetland natives, including cattails, returned on their own once the habitat was in place.
Constructed seasonal wetland (clay-lined to hold water seasonally), subtle bioswale to capture stormwater from nearby built structures that would otherwise flood the area, and layered planting design – taller native species at the back, stepping down to shorter species closer to the built structures and pool to keep sightlines clean.
  • Natural Purification Design Elements To Highlight

Visual & functional highlights

Key visual features worth showcasing
The constructed seasonal wetland viewable from the pool area; the deliberate front-to-back layering of plant heights that keeps the design feeling intentional rather than wild; continuous-bloom palette for season-long color.
Atlantic White Cedar – the signature of a globally rare swamp forest community that once defined Long Island and is now almost gone.
Subtle bioswale that captures stormwater from nearby built structures, and the constructed seasonal wetland itself, which functions as both habitat and centerpiece.
How quickly the fauna returned – amphibians began using the wetland for breeding, dragonflies arrived almost immediately, and volunteer wetland natives like cattails colonized on their own.
  • Streetscape Design Results & Outcomes

What changed

What changed
The lifeless lawn became a functioning seasonal wetland supporting amphibian breeding, dragonflies, birds, and insects. The system is designed to last many years with proper maintenance and, like all nature-based restorations, will continue strengthening as plantings mature.
Bare, struggling lawn replaced with established native habitat. Stormwater from nearby built structures is now captured by the bioswale rather than flooding the area.
Amphibians using the wetland for breeding, dragonflies, returning bird and insect activity, and volunteer colonization by wetland natives like cattails.
Ongoing mowing is reduced. No chemical inputs were ever used.

John Anderson

Spadefoot completely transformed our backyard. They removed all the invasive plants and replaced them with beautiful native species.

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  • Designed for Every Property Type Notes

Internal notes

Sensitivities

Anything to avoid referencing publicly? (client privacy, permit status, unresolved issues)

Frank’s notes

Anything Frank said about this project that should inform the write-up

Status

Ready to publish / Needs photos / Needs testimonial / Hold

Wetland Pool

They were interested in biodiversity, but also concerned that, you know, it would, it wouldn’t look good. Basically, they wanted to make sure that, you know, although they wanted to help the environment, they also wanted to make sure that their, you know, their summer, you know, hideaway, pool, hide, it didn’t look like it was like in the mess of them, you know, in the midst of a messy jungle.

Paid careful attention to layering, so we didn’t use some taller native plants, but those are all towards the back, and as you got closer to the to the to the build structures you had, you know, successfully shorter plant species that we used, a combination of plants to ensure that there’s something almost always in bloom. And, you know, we created a subtle bioswale area to take on extra stormwater from from like, the nearby built structures that would otherwise flood the area.