Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Sue Reed, author of Energy-Wise Landscape Design. Make sure not to miss Part 1, Energy-Wise Landscaping where we learn how to arrange our landscapes to keep our homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Sue will teach us how to save energy in the [...]
Sustainable Landscaping for Gardeners
I received with great interest a review copy of Owen Dell’s Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies. Although I am not really a fan of the “Dummy” connotation, I’ve got to say that Owen has done an excellent job in covering this subject in a well thought out and accessible way. If you’re a subscriber to the Wren [...]
Take Care of Your Share of the Planet
Not long ago I wrote a post about helping your neighbors learn to love wildlife (and your wildlife garden), where we began a discussion about the ways we can educate our neighbors about the value of wildlife in the garden. I continue to be very interested in the many ways each of you encourages your [...]
Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants
The UN has just announced that invasive species and climate change are the biggest threat to ecosystems and biodiversity. The cost of controlling invasive plants in the US is estimated at more than $138 billion every year. But invasive plants continue to be sold by the horticultural trade who have turned a blind eye to [...]
Top 10 Herbaceous Plants to Attract Wildlife to Your Ecosystem Garden
“What should I plant” is the most frequently asked question I receive from people who’d like to attract more wildlife to their gardens. We have already discussed the top 10 woody plants to attract wildlife to your Ecosystem Garden. Now we”ll delve into the best herbaceous species. These plants have been chosen based on a [...]
Bringing Nature Home to Your Ecosystem Garden
Doug Tallamy is one of my heroes of Ecosystem Gardening, due in large part to his groundbreaking book, Bringing Nature Home. This book should be read by every homeowner or land manager with an interest in supporting wildlife on your property. He makes an incredible argument as to why native plants play such a crucial [...]
Pollinator Conservation in Your Ecosystem Garden
The Pollinator Conservation Handbook, by The Xerces Society and The Bee Works, is a wonderful resource for all Ecosystem Gardeners to support native pollinators. Most of you have probably heard of Colony Collapse Disorder, a phenomenon where honey bees are dying off by the millions. A large part of our agricultural food supply is dependent [...]
Sustainable Gardening for Florida
Sustainable Gardening for Florida is one of the best summaries of sustainable practice in our gardens that I have ever seen. With the qualification that specific plants and several garden situations may be appropriate only for Florida, the principles of sustainability presented in this book can be applied by gardeners everywhere. Ginny Stibolt has spent [...]
Introducing the Sibley Guide to Trees
David Sibley is well known to birder’s who use the Sibley Guide to Birds, but now he has turned his attention to the trees of North America with the publication of the Sibley Guide to Trees. I am very excited to get this book because David Sibley is a master of organization. His Field Guide [...]
Doug Tallamy, meet Richard Louv: How Gardeners can Save the World
You may have noticed that I am a big fan of Doug Tallamy‘s Bringing Nature Home, but now another of my favorite authors thinks so too. If you haven’t yet read this amazing book, drop everything and do so now. Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods brought attention to the plight of “nature deficit [...]
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