In all the busyness of installing “green” systems in your garden—drip irrigation, compost bins, solar panels, gray-water recycling—it can be easy to overlook one of the most important environmental decisions you make as a gardener: what you plant. Read Go Native
Plants & Gardens Blog
Native Flora
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Native FloraSustainable GardeningUrban Gardening
Go Native
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Native FloraSustainable Gardening
Seed Banking for Survival—Saving the World, One Seed at a Time
Seed banks, also known as seed archives, germplasm banks, and seed vaults, are gene banks for plants, and there are approximately 1,400 of them around the world. The projects range from small, geographically specific ones that support horticultural research and local restoration to larger, overarching projects that seek to provide the means to sustain life in the face of mass ecological catastrophe. Read Seed Banking for Survival—Saving the World, One Seed at a Time
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Native FloraPlant Choices
Stinging Nettle
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has an off- putting name, but it is actually a delicious and nutritious wild green. Nettles are historically and scientifically proven to be an excellent remedy against allergies and a great general anti-inflammatory. Read Stinging Nettle
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Native Flora
Wanted: Citizen Scientists—No Experience Necessary: Get Involved in Research Projects
Researchers at universities, advocacy groups, and government agencies are increasingly relying on the work of volunteers to collect information from the field. The work of volunteers is especially valuable in gathering data for large-scale, long-term research projects like those tracking changes in the distribution of native and invasive species and the impacts of climate change. Read Wanted: Citizen Scientists—No Experience Necessary: Get Involved in Research Projects
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Native FloraPlant Choices
Pretty Partridgeberry—A Native Groundcover With Lots of Star Potential
Partridgeberry, (Mitchella repens) is that rare beast—a native, shade-tolerant, broad-leaved evergreen groundcover. Seasonal eye candy includes white flowers in spring and red berries that persist through winter. Read Pretty Partridgeberry—A Native Groundcover With Lots of Star Potential
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Growing FoodNative FloraPlant Choices
Spring Beauty—A Woodland Wildflower With Tasty Tubers
One of our prettiest and earliest-blooming wildflowers—spring beauty (Claytonia virginica)—is also a delicious vegetable. Read Spring Beauty—A Woodland Wildflower With Tasty Tubers
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Garden DesignPollinators and BirdsNative FloraPlant Choices
Rain Garden Plants
The following are some native plants suitable for rain gardens, listed by region. They are also attractive to butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. Be sure to choose species appropriate for the degree of sun or shade on the site. Read Rain Garden Plants
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Native FloraPlant Choices
Ravishing Rudbeckia—Coneflowers That Light up the Fall Garden
Blooming from late summer through frost, coneflowers bring saturated warm color and height—they grow anywhere from three to ten feet tall—to beds and borders. Coneflowers are easy to cultivate and good for cutting, and they mingle well with other plants as long as their flower colors are compatible. Read Ravishing Rudbeckia—Coneflowers That Light up the Fall Garden
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Native FloraPlant Choices
Native Viburnums
Viburnums have long been popular garden plants, celebrated for their white, often fragrant spring flowers and their fall color. Read Native Viburnums
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Native FloraSustainable Gardening
Planting a Native Grass Lawn Step By Step
Follow these basic steps to plant a lawn of native grasses no matter where you live. Read Planting a Native Grass Lawn Step By Step