You may be wondering just what the heck I mean by “Ecosystem Gardening,” and I can answer that here. As you read through these articles, please be aware that I have grown in my thinking on this subject and I changed the name. In the beginning I was using the term “Conservation Gardening.” But for [...]
Choosing the Best Plants for Your Ecosystem Garden
“What should I plant?” is the most frequent question I receive from people who are interested in creating habitat for wildlife in their gardens. For all of you who have the same question and want to discover how to choose the best plants for your Ecosystem Garden, I have some answers for you. You may [...]
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 [...]
Ecosystem Gardening Best of the Web #7
Let’s continue our weekly exploration of the things that grabbed my attention this week. We’ve got Helen’s lawn reduction plan, cities creating habitat for wildlife, green roofs providing habitat for birds, an interview of me, stinkbugs, First, a shameless plug. I had the honor this week of being interviewed by Wendy Gabriel, the Fargo Green [...]
Ecosystem Gardening Weekly Best of the Web #6
Our weekly tradition continues with the articles, photos, and information I found most fascinating this week. We start with Bethe Almeras of Grass Stain Guru with a fabulous video of the importance of outdoor play for children, who will be the next environmental stewards. It is hard to protect what you are completely unfamiliar with. [...]
Creating Rest Stops for Migratory Birds in Your Ecosystem Garden
You know when you’re driving along the highway for hours and suddenly you have to find a rest stop RIGHT AWAY? Well, birds need rest stops, too! Imagine you’ve flown all night, heading south to your wintering grounds. In the pre-dawn light you know it’s time to land and rest and refuel. You’re TIRED. So [...]
Palmerton, PA sometimes Mother Nature Gets a Second Chance, Part 1
Palmerton, PA Imagine my surprise when, on the last full day of my vacation in the mountains of the Lehigh Valley in Eastern Pennsylvania, I discovered that the town in which I had been staying, Palmerton, PA, was the site of one of the largest EPA Superfund clean-up sites east of the Mississippi River. This [...]
Natives vs. Invasives: Can’t we just all get along?
I’ve talked about the native/invasive plant debate before, and by this time you know that I am a passionate advocate of the use of native plants in our landscapes because our wildlife is dependent on them for their very existance. Alison Kerr, of Loving Nature’s Garden, has written a very good summary of this debate [...]
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 [...]
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