Native Plants
What Your Native Plants Are Doing When You’re Not Looking: In the Garden with Doug Tallamy
It is estimated that more than 90% of the insects in our home landscapes are benign or beneficial. Why then do so many folks spray pesticides that kill not only insect “pests” but all the beneficial insects, too? Instead of reaching for the spray, let’s use native plants to support beneficial insects and the natural predators that keep pests under…
Read MoreTop 10 New Year’s Resolutions for the EcoBeneficial Gardener
1. Reduce or eliminate your lawn – it’s an ecological desert. 2. Focus on increasing the health of your soil – it’s filled with life! Compost is king for most soils, not fertilizer. 3. Eliminate synthetic pesticides, herbicides + fungicides. Use organic counterparts sparingly, if at all. 4. Support beneficial insects with appropriate native plantings. They are nature’s pest control.…
Read MoreOur Allies in the Soil: Interview with Dr. Roger Koide on Mycorrhizal Fungi
Fungi are tremendously abundant organisms in our ecosystems, yet we often view them in a negative way or we don’t consider them at all. Actually, many fungi are essential for nutrient cycling as they decompose organic matter. A group of fungi with a daunting name, “mycorrhizal fungi,” are particularly valuable, as many can actually increase the nutrient and water uptake…
Read MoreLast Minute Gift Idea: Think Native Woody Plants!
Stuck trying to find a last minute holiday gift? Why not give an easy gift that keeps on giving to your loved one and the environment? A coupon for a native tree or shrub will do the trick! Make it simple by creating your own coupon on a holiday card: “Good for one native tree or shrub.” In the spring,…
Read MoreDeclining Species: A Huge Red Flag
The recent press on the dramatic decline in Monarch butterflies prompted me to write this letter just published in the “Community Views” section of The Journal News. Please read and share. We can make a tremendous positive impact through our own actions! http://www.lohud.com/article/20131219/OPINION/312190073/Declining-species-huge-red-flag from Kim Eierman at EcoBeneficial Photo: Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed Photo credit: Flickr_thoeflich
Read MoreInterview with C. Colston Burrell on Native Plants and Landscapes
I recently interviewed C. Colston Burrell (Cole), the noted author, lecturer, landscape designer and native landscape expert. Cole is the author of a number of great books on plants and gardening including: Perennial Combinations, a best selling gardening book on Amazon.com, the award winning book A Gardener’s Encyclopedia of Wildflowers, and a number of other books on native plants including:…
Read MoreUs vs. Them? Can We Afford to Remain Disconnected from Environmental Realities?
The population of Monarch butterflies has declined to the lowest level ever recorded, pollinators are in a well-reported nose dive, the 20 most common bird species have declined by 68% in the past 45 years. What does this all mean for us humans, the one species that all other species could exist without? It turns out that we need other…
Read MoreNative Edibles: The Tropical Looking Pawpaw
As the chill of winter sets in, it’s a great time to start making plans for your spring planting. Start with the structural “bones” of your landscape – native trees. In mature landscapes it may be difficult to find the space for another large tree, in that case “go small” with an understory, or smaller native tree. A smaller tree…
Read MoreInterview with Dr. Doug Tallamy, Author of Bringing Nature Home
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Doug Tallamy at his home. Doug is the author of Bringing Nature Home: How you Can Sustain Wildlife With Native Plants, a book which has sparked a new cycle of enthusiasm for native plants and ecological landscapes. Doug is Professor & Chair of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware,…
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