Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Support for native plant gardens continues to skyrocket

April 17, 2019

 

Two opinion pieces in the nations largest newspapers demonstrate the growing popularity of native plants as gardeners reject lawns, chemicals, and excessive watering in favor of wildflowers, birds and butterflies.

 

This week the New York Times published To Nurture Nature, Neglect Your Lawn - Why poison the earth when you can have wildflowers at your feet and songbirds in your trees without even trying?. It concludes,

“As individuals, we too often feel powerless in the face of the corporate and political forces that drive our culture, but in this matter we are not powerless. We can change our preferences and train our eyes to see the “perfect” American lawn for what it is: a field of poison. We can put away our chemicals, make a haven of our own yards and welcome the wildflowers.”

 

This reminded us of similar uplifting story from a 2017 edition of the Washington Post - As the gardening world embraces native plants, a city plot undergoes its own evolution. It includes the following very heartening quote,

‘"People used to say, 'What's a native?' " says Kirsten Johnson, president of the Maryland Native Plant Society. Founded in 1992, the organization has dramatically increased its membership since then as plant nuts — everyone from backyard gardeners to nursery owners — have championed plants native to their regions. "We used to be happy if eight people showed up for our field trips," Johnson says. "In the last five years, we've had to limit the numbers on our 50 trips. They often fill up within 24 hours."’

 

Enjoy and share these encouraging stories!

 

Native Garden. Photo (c) Doug Tallamy