Written by Mark Richardson and Dan Jaffe Published by Globe Pequot Press, March 1, 2018 Reviewed by Angela Tanner As a landscape designer, my clients request low-maintenance gardens more than…
Native Plants
Sowing Native Seed
by Heather McCargo The seeds of wild plants have a different set of needs than those of common garden and vegetable species. Most gardeners think of spring as the time to…
Parasitic Plants for Gardens and Landscapes
by Ian Caton Parasitic plants for the home garden? The notion usually elicits one of two responses: “Aren’t parasites bad? Why would you want them in your garden?” or “I…
Bringing Back Native Thistles
by the Xerces Society Native thistles are a largely misunderstood and wrongly maligned group of wildflowers. Often confused with their prickly, invasive relatives such as Canada thistle, in reality, native…
“Gardens Gone Native” Garden Tour
Seven years of educating the public on the intrinsic value and benefits of gardening with California native plants by Colene Rauh In its seventh year, this Northern Sacramento Valley garden…
An Introduction to Joe-Pye
by Ian Caton Joe-Pye weed is a familiar sight in wetlands and roadside ditches and is commonly used in the landscape trade. However, understanding and identifying the differences between the…
High-Impact Native American Shrubs
by Thomas Berger In recent years homeowners have developed a consciousness about the need to include more native plants in their gardens. But when thinking of native shrubs in particular,…
![Nutritious acorns are an important food source [in winter] for birds and mammals, including the threatened Western gray squirrel.](https://www.ecolandscaping.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Q.-garryana-acorns-250x250.jpg "Prairie-Oak Ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest")
Prairie-Oak Ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest
by Eileen Stark
Plants, the primary producers on this planet, belong to irreplaceable, intricate ancient ecosystems, within which they support and depend on other species – both flora and fauna – to survive. I like to think of it as an everlasting give and take. These systems are so complex that even minor degradation messes with their function, and when we completely destroy them it’s next to impossible to bring them back. Yet it’s crucial that we try.
Native Grass and Wildflower Seeding: Q& A with the Experts
by Tara Mitchell ELA’s 23rd Annual Conference in March brought together three highly knowledgeable experts for a question and answer panel session on Native Grass and Wildflower Seeding: Mark Fiely,…
The Disconnect Between Garden Aesthetics and Local Ecology
by Curtis Jirsa Reprinted with permission from The Wild Seed Project. The horticulturist Alan Chadwick, according to his disciples, rebuked anyone caught weeding sow thistle (Sonchus) from his garden beds….
We’re in a Tight Spot — Landscape Design for Small Urban Spaces
by Amy Nyman Cities are places of condensed layers of people, vehicles, and building materials. Plants are also found there, but too often, intentionally designed landscapes and interesting plant materials…
Best Native Plants in a Drought
This year’s drought has challenged all of our plants, but native plants seem to show more resilience. We asked a few ELA members to name their top five native plants…
