Useful Terminology for Native Gardening
Confused about the terminology associated with native gardening? If you are, it’s not surprising, since there are numerous definitions just for the simple word “native.” Native, non-native, exotic, alien, naturalized – these terms, and others, are often misused. Hopefully the following explanations will clear up some confusion! Terminology for “Native”…
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Shopper’s Protest Cards from Maryland Native Plant Society
Have you ever been to a garden center or nursery looking for a native plant, only to be told they don’t carry it. Then you search another nursery, another garden center, and another, and another – in an endless, futile search for a plant that is supposed to be…
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The Bee Informed Partnership
Honey bees (Apis millifera) have become an important part of our agricultural system in the United States – the economic value of honey bee pollination is estimated to be between $10 billion and $15 billion annually. A non-native species, honey bees were first brought to North America in 1622 by…
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The Xerces Society’s “Gardening for Butterflies”
I have to give the folks at The Xerces Society a lot of credit. They took the rare step of publishing a book on native pollinators (Attracting Native Pollinators), before coming out with their new book, Gardening for Butterflies. Both are excellent resources and well worth purchasing. Gardening for Butterflies…
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Reliable Lists of Native Plants for Bees
It’s a great time of your to start planning your garden. Make sure to include a “Pollinator Victory Garden” in part of your landscape – a way to help win the war on pollinator decline. It’s not just about honey bees – we have 4,000 species of native bees in…
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Milkweed, Monarchs and More
The connection between Monarch Butterflies and milkweed plants has practically become common knowledge with the news of the Monarch facing extinction. But did you know how robust a milkweed community really is? The handy book, Milkweed, Monarchs and More, provides an insider’s view of the numerous invertebrate species that are…
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