Thursday, April 8, 2010

Let's Go Native!!

Native Plants that is! (Now what were you thinking???)

I'm sure you have read and heard that planting 'Native' plants in your garden or yard is more water-wise and earth-friendly. But are those plants really NATIVE to your area? Or someone else's??


All plants are native to someplace on Earth. What we as Gardeners need to find out is whether or not the plants that we put into our soil are native to our specific area. Or our climatic zone. Living here in the hot, humid South, I wouldn't want to plant something that is Native to New Mexico. It just wouldn't thrive - could possibly be invasive - and there's no telling what pests or diseases may afflict it.


Do your research before buying! The effort you spend getting to know your possible new plant neighbors is well worth it!

I'll have more on "Going Native" on Saturday. Stay Tuned..... 

3 comments:

Carrie Joy Byrnes said...

I really like this Jeanne. I have always wanted to try my hand at gardening - I like working outside in the earth. Don't know much though - I am staying tuned!

Carrie

Chris 'Frog Queen' Davis said...

Great post. I have really had to stop myself from buying something that just looks great in the catalog....but I know is not meant for my area.

I have had plants take over my garden, so I am now very, very sensative to what I plant in my garden.

Thanks for the great tip!

Cheers!

Brenda LaBell said...

This is a great post Jeanne. I know sometimes I see some decorative gardening species and get really bummed when it says it won't grow in my zone, sigh. But I totally agree with you when it comes to the balance of nature from one area to another.

Thanks for your visit to my blog, I will be looking into the Wool Carders, thanks for the tip. I wish we lived closer to, we could play with that wool together with our nose plugs on, a farmer I could never be, lol.

Have a great weekend Jeanne!!
Brenda