Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens
Healthy Gardens. Healthy Planet
A little over a year ago I was interviewing Doug Tallamy and we were discussing the value of native plants in our landscapes and bemoaning the fact that after so many years of him traveling around the country speaking on this topic, and the many others also speaking about this, that so few people are [...]
Recently, I read an article in Fine Gardening Magazine by Susan Morrison that I thought was really clever. The title was “Plant This, Not That“, the idea being that we over-use certain plants just because we’re familiar with them, and that it can be more fun to broaden our horticultural horizons and try something new. [...]
As a landscaper, my focus hasn’t always been on designing with natives. In fact, until a year or two ago, I only used a few sturdy natives in my designs. But once I realized that native plants play a role in sustaining local wildlife that no other types of plant can fill – well, I [...]
Because of the ridiculousness of our current turf culture, where vast seas of monocultural lawns are touted as beautiful by industries that want to sell us the chemicals to keep them that way, there’s been a backlash in many circles against the all-American lawn. And I agree with those detractors. The standard American sea of [...]
The National Wildlife Federation has a really effective educational program that allows people to certify a home, school, church, or business garden as a wildlife habitat. Why is this educational? Because in the process of certification, you learn a lot about how to create a mini ecosystem in your garden. Then, once you’re certified, everyone [...]
While I think it’s clear that native plantings can fit in beautifully with a designed, artful garden, many people still have trouble finding room for them. Even when people understand the specific wildlife benefits that only native plants can bring, and want to use them in the garden, it can be hard to change a [...]
Thanks to all of you, we’re off to a very exciting start here at Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. In case you’re just joining us, here’s a look back at what you’ve missed: Doug Tallamy gave a very thoughtful response to recent research that suggested that insects actually prefer exotic plants. Gen Schmidt came up [...]
Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens is a multi-author blog whose purpose is to discuss the value of native plants to wildlife, to energy conservation, to sustainability, and to ecosystem health. We’ve brought together some great voices to illustrate how creating healthy gardens will in turn create a healthy planet. We’ll be sharing simple tips and [...]
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