Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens
Healthy Gardens. Healthy Planet
Recent events have shown us how powerful the effects of water can be after a major storm. While I’m certainly not advocating that a few well-placed bioswales or rain gardens could have saved the NY and NJ metro areas from Hurricane Sandy, we do need to start talking more seriously about managing storm water on many levels, including in [...]
Most Californians understand that swelling populations in the southwest are and will continue to outpace water supply both from the California State Water Project sources and the Colorado River. Additionally, Golden state residents are learning that water-wise habits in our landscape and gardens can save up to 60 percent of this precious resource. But something [...]
As I previously wrote in the posts linked below, the easiest way to create a successful native landscape is to replicate your local plant community. If you’re unfamiliar with the plant communities in your area, plan a visit to a local park or remnant to observe what is growing together and in what conditions. If [...]
Last year I planted a Cow Parsnip (a native) in my rain garden. It had already bloomed for the year, so I didn’t really appreciate how big it could get. Well, now that it is a new year I can see- it is the huge plant shown above with the large white flower umbrella tops. [...]
As I’ve posted about before here, I love Rain Gardens. Last year I removed a patch of lawn in my backyard, dug out a shallow basin, and extended two roof downspouts into it. When it rains (which it does a lot here in western Oregon), the garden fills with water and slowly infiltrates into the [...]
A type of wildlife friendly landscape that is attracting a lot of attention these days is the meadow garden. Even though this style of garden is considered one of the most beneficial and informal there are key points one should take into account before jumping in with both feet. One of the main considerations is [...]
It could be said that the most important component of what we as native plant gardeners/designers do is educate people. We feel an inherent value, Joy, and necessity to set an example for others; to provide for wildlife in our suburban landscapes. Historically some claim the idea of the native plant wildlife garden began in [...]
When people think of creating a native garden the first thing that typically comes to mind is plant material. Images of specific varieties pop up in the mind’s eye along with characteristic flower color, aroma, foliage texture and ability to attract one’s favorite garden-friendly wildlife. Rounding out the general idea is how said plants will [...]
As a child growing up I had a father that advocated the virtues of the natural food movement popularized by the 1960’s/70′s generation. Even though at the time I didn’t appreciate the benefits of eating a healthy diet, that soon changed as my palate began to mature with the onset of adult hood. During those [...]
I was getting to the finish line, writing the last chapter of Urban and Suburban Meadows, when I began to reflect on how long the movement to preserve natural landscapes, like prairies and meadows, has been around. In the Beginning In the latter half of the 19th century, visionaries like John Muir, commonly acknowledged to [...]
