Many native plant advocates start with field trips to see wildflowers in their native habitats. Then recognizing the importance of environmental science, we turn to propagating native plants for public parks and places. At home we look to bring native plants into our homes and gardens for a sense of place. We can use less water, and support local wildlife, especially native pollinators. Once we make that switch, new pleasures open up. To sit in a native garden is to enjoy a deeper connection with nature. Your sense of beauty also changes because it is informed by values that extend beyond surface aesthetics.
Recommended Reading
- Gardening with a Wild Heart by Judith Larner Lowry
- Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy
- California Native Plants for the Garden, by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O’Brien
- California Native Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide by Helen Popper
- Care and Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens by Bart O’Brien, Betsey Landis, Ellen Mackey
Plant Community Approach to Gardening
We live on the central coast of California, and each of us gardens in one of its micro-climates and ecological niches, each of which supports a unique plant community. Gardens that reflect their location provide more than the obvious practical benefits of lower maintenance and higher value to wildlife � they reflect your spot on this earth, rather than a picture in a magazine or an idea that came with people from another � usually summer-wet � part of the world.