Native Plant Fanatic
Kill an invasive, you feel like an ecological hero.
Kill an exotic in full-bloom, you feel like the neighborhood eccentric.
WILD in the Garden State
Late Spring Exhaustion
It’s all like sculpting with nature. But I have to work fast knowing there are only a few more weeks or days before the summer’s heat wilt the transplants and me.
By late spring I get a bit obsessive and gardening often takes up most of my days.
GARDENING MISINFORMATION
This was my first experience with invasive species deniers. I was genuinely shocked that this was even a thing. I had followed this blog for years, it’s full of practical information. I had thought that the conventional gardening world was benign. More interested in beauty than supporting wildlife.
Turns out these garden bloggers are masters of misinformation.
Moving House
The bird expert said try moving the birdhouses at least 25’ apart and see if we get nesting birds in both birdhouses for the first time.
DON’T BLOCK TRAFFIC SIGHT-LINES
Today I moved a Beach Plum and Northern Bayberry from the sidewalk garden hellstrip where they were beginning to block the view of oncoming traffic. My practical husband pointed out that blocking traffic sight-lines is not a good way to win folks over to native plants! …
DON’T THROW OUT THE GOOD WITH THE BAD
I began to garden with no hands-on knowledge. (I’d spent decades explaining the importance of biodiversity at AMNH; but I never got my hands in the dirt until Dave and I moved to New Jersey.) Knowing how toxic conventional gardening can be, I had overlooked the good along with the bad.
Mock Strawberry
Mock Strawberry WILD in the Garden State just had a string of festival screenings. The inspiring story of gardening for wildlife is building an audience! The Q&A’s following the screenings were lively conversations where Dave and I shared our knowledge about filmmaking, design and gardening. …
Spring Cleaning in Late Winter
Is spring already here? Dave put down the kitchen binoculars and turned to me: “should we clean out the birdhouses again?”…
What Sustains You?
Native plant gardening is good for the health of the planet, your community and your personal well-being. Yes to all that, but it’s more than that.
Witnessing the moment a chickadee lands on a shrub to pluck a fat-filled berry is a bit beyond words….
Cat in the Garden
Lucinda in the Garden, July, 2021 Our cat Lucinda was struck and killed by a car. She died on the busy road in front of our house. A road she had steered clear of for the 11 years she lived with us in New Jersey. …