Texas Native Plant Week: What’s Next?

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Tina

Congratulations! You’ve decided that you’ve had enough of your boring, sterile, wasteful, water-hogging, hydrocarbon-spewing, chemically dependent lawn. You’re going to remove some or all of it and plant a native plants garden!

Woohoo!!

Now what? Where do you go for information?

The thing about gardening that most folks don’t realize is that it is a region-specific endeavor. The way I garden here in Central Texas, and specifically in my part of Austin, is very different from how someone in Dallas, Texas, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, or Eugene, Oregon gardens. Gardening practices common in the Northeastern part of the U.S.do not work at all in Arizona. From temperature variations to soil considerations, appropriate plant choices and gardening practices are significantly more complicated than most people realize and require some level of knowledge and planning.

Our horticultural industry is partly (okay, largely) to blame for confusion in new gardeners: they want to sell me the same plant that they sell to a gardener in Maine, or northern California, or Florida, and it just doesn’t work. Or, probably it won’t work. Sure, there are some plants that transcend region, but few.

That’s one reason why using native plants is important. Native plants impart a sense of place–born and bred where they grow in nature, they belong to particular areas. Native plants thrive with regional temperature variations and soil complexities without help. Additionally, wildlife like insects, birds, and mammals of all sorts evolved in concert with their native plant hosts and food sources, and flock, buzz, and crawl to native plants for their sustenance and survival. Plants from “other places” cannot provide for wildlife like those that are biologically and evolutionary attuned to the nutritional and life requirements of endemic and migrating wildlife.

Gardens are more complex than a swath of green lawn and a few foundation plantings.

Where do you go to learn? Your locally owned nurseries and growers are often leaders in promoting the use of native plants. Visit and purchase from them in lieu of the big box nurseries which usually don’t sell native-to-region plants.

Most communities host a variety of garden organizations, including native plant societies, wildlife gardening groups, Master Naturalist and Master Gardener groups. Attend some meetings and ask questions; visit their plant sales and neighborhood plant swaps. For example, here in Austin we’re fortunate to enjoy an active Urban Habitat Steward program. One of those dedicated volunteers, Carleen Edgar, is hosting the Hancock Native Plant Swap, this coming Saturday, October 24th, from 8-9:30 am. The swap will be held at Mother’s Cafe & Garden, 4215 Duval Street, 78751. Carleen states:

At this swap, we will give away native (Antelope Horn) and Tropical milkweed seeds to all participants.

Here’s how it works:

Pot up and label some transplants, cuttings, or bring seeds
Set them in the appropriate area: Sun, Shade, Part Sun/Shade, or Water
Look around for plants that you would like or ask one of the experts (they will wear badges)
Take as many home as you brought

Many people just hang out talking about plants, helping others id mystery plants, and generally enjoying their coffee, free doughnut holes, and all things gardening. Master Gardeners and NWF Habitat Stewards will also be there to assist with plant identification.

Our mission is to make all yards in our neighborhoods more beautiful and easier to maintain, while consuming less water…for free!

Isn’t that cool? Free plants and conversation about plants with knowledgeable volunteers AND coffee and doughnut holes!

Goodness, it doesn’t get much better than that!!

Another resource that newby (and experienced!) gardeners should utilize are the local County Extension Service offices and websites. Every county has one, or access to one. Look’em up on your friendly neighborhood computer and call with questions or log onto their websites for plant and gardening information. The agricultural extension offices are reasonable stops for information on appropriate native plants for specific areas.

One of the absolute best places to learn about the native plants of North America is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center website at www.wildflower.org. I’m fortunate to live in Austin, where this national treasure is located and I’ve been a member since the mid-1980’s. The LBJWC is a beautiful and inspiring set of gardens and a tremendously valuable resource about North American native plants. The plant database and Ask Mr. Smarty Plants are worthwhile sections on the website to bookmark and peruse as you undertake your native education.

The National Wildlife Federation’s website, www.nwf.org is another superb resource on plant, gardening and wildlife-related information. This organization provides directives for creating wildlife and/or pollinator gardens–most of which focus on using native plants. Like the Austin Urban Habitat Stewards mentioned previously, many communities have enthusiastic volunteers, ready, able and willing to teach those wanting to learn.

Finally, there are many active and experienced garden bloggers available, at the click of your mouse or the touch of your fingertips, just itching to teach you what to do and how to do it.

Ahem.

Whether you’re interested in native plants (hopefully!), or garden design, or want to learn about another’s path of transforming a landscape from lawn to living garden, complete with native plants and accompanying wildlife, there are many good garden bloggers writing on a regular basis in the gardening blogosphere. Obviously, it’s better if you read about gardening from your specific area of the gardening world, but there’s an incredible amount of valuable information available. Great gardening ideas, solutions to gardening problems, reviews of gardening literature–it’s out there, with free and easy access from experienced gardeners and with myriad interesting perspectives.

Finally, join with like-minded neighbors and friends, as that’s often the best way to learn and gardeners love to share advice—and plants!

Then grab your trowel or shovel and plant some natives in your garden!

Texas Native Plant Week, 2015

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Tina

This week, October 18-24, 2015, is Texas Native Plant Week.

So delegated each year, the third week of October is set aside for appreciation, recognition, and promotion of Texas native plants. Activities for the week focus on educating Texans–gardeners and others–on the importance of protecting native plants in the wild and gardening with our beautiful and diverse native plant species.

If you don’t live in Texas, there are lovely native plants where you do live. Learn about them, grow them in your garden, protect them in the wild, and teach others about their value: for wildlife, for a healthy environment, and for beauty.

Check out the links below for the sponsoring organizations of Texas Native Plant Week, to learn more about what each offers in educational activities:

Native Plant Society of Texas

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center of The University of Texas at Austin

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

National Wildlife Federation

There are many reasons to go native in the garden: to benefit wildlife which is rapidly declining (with potentially catastrophic consequences), to conserve the valuable resource of water because native plants use less of it than traditional lawn and landscape plants. Plus natives don’t require fertilizers or other chemical interventions which pollute waterways.

Also, native plants are just damn pretty.

For 2014 Texas Native Plant Week I wrote a series promoting the use of native plants in the home garden. If you’d like to read some of the reasons why you should switch to native plants as well as information about some of those native plants, check out the following links:

Texas Native Plant Week

Texas Native Plant Week–Rock Rose, Pavonia lasiopetala

Texas Native Plant Week–Turk’s Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus

Texas Native Plant Week–Goldeneye, Viguiera dentata

Texas Native Plant Week–Seeds-N-Berries

Texas Native Plant Week–Autumn Stuff

Texas Native Plant Week–Garden Vignettes

Plant natives!!

Texas Native Plant Week-Garden Vignettes

Posted on October 25, 2014 by Tina

As Texas Native Plant Week concludes, I’ll share one last look at my use of native plants. The great thing about gardening (well, one of the great things about gardening), is that it’s a venture in which education is continual. There’s always an unknown plant to learn about or a new way of viewing gardening space. In designing gardens, there are endless combinations to experiment with. And as the home landscape evolves and requires change, those challenges present opportunities for further learning and experimenting. One isn’t required to use natives exclusively, but once you invite native plants to your garden party, you experience the aha moment of understanding: native plants work.

Define your plot of the Earth as Texan–use as many native Texas plants in your home landscape as possible and encourage your neighbors to do the same. If you live elsewhere, use your native plants to express the beauty of your unique place.

Save money and time by planting natives which conserve water and don’t require pesticides or herbicides. Rid yourself of the expense and hassle of chemicals and products that you don’t need when working in the garden.

Plant natives to attract wildlife–you’ll enjoy the many wild visitors you receive when you nurture them by planting appropriately. There’s no reason we can’t share our space with the plants and critters who are native, who belong here, and whose survival we want to ensure.

Within the parameters of our personal properties, we make compromises: maybe we have such blasting sun that all we want are the meanest and toughest cacti and agave–and that’s okay. Perhaps we live in shade and dappled shade and must content ourselves with a more limited garden palette. Whatever the space, native plants can and should play the starring role in any garden.

A total transformation from a “traditional” landscape of turf and shrubs to a “regionally
appropriate” blooming garden doesn’t happen during a weekend warrior marathon of work; the process can take years. You will make mistakes; I’ve certainly made lots of mistakes in my gardens–that’s how I’ve learned. Start small: for example, ridding your hellstrip grass between the sidewalk and street and planting tough perennials instead. Or, install a wildlife garden at the corner of your lot with native and seasonally interesting plants that attract pollinators and replacing the water-guzzling turf which feeds nothing. By adding a garden or two, once or twice a year, eventually you’ll increase the biological diversity of your space and conserve water too. Then as time permits, you change and augment those gardens. Before you know it, you’re mowing, watering, and tending less and enjoying the beauty and bounty of your native gardens more.

And you helped to heal the Earth, just a little.

Gardening is about personal expression as much as food production or providing for wildlife. A garden should to tell your particular story, reflecting who you are–your interests, values, and aesthetics. Perhaps my gardening style isn’t to your taste or right for your garden, but I hope the results of my journey transforming a high-maintenance, water-hogging turf “yard” to a wildlife-friendly, water-wise, and Texan garden will encourage you to do something similar.