👉👉👉👉 Link to the book Garden Revolution that was mentioned in the video: www.backyardecology.net/recommendations/#gr 👈👈👈👈 🎙🎙🎙🎙 Link to the original Backyard Ecology Podcast interview with Larry Weaner this clip came from: www.backyardecology.net/ecology-based-landscaping-with-larry-weaner/ 🎙🎙🎙🎙 🦋🦋🦋🦋 Get some super helpful tips on designing a pollinator garden in this video: ruclips.net/video/lSgjfM_8uNc/видео.html 🦋🦋🦋🦋 This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.
I appreciate everything he's saying. At the same time I find myself disagreeing on a fundamental personal level. The way I work is NOT going to work for everyone, particularly folks dealing with fussy HOAs or neighbors, but in our funky, feral old neighborhood just inside the city limits of our small city, this is how we approach our landscape. I look at it first and foremost as a dialogue with the land and the environment about what we want to happen. Sometimes what the humans want wins (like when we filled in our first tiny pond and put in a bigger pond); sometimes what the land wants wins (like when violets grow into my marked-off beds). But it's always a dialogue. When we relocated our pond, for instance, it was based on years of observation of the land and how water, animals, sunlight, and plants moved over and through the area...as well as our experience with the first tiny pond. We wanted it to be accessible to larger mammals as well as getting more sunlight and taking advantage of natural drainage to bolster its water levels. I talk about this quote a lot, but it's one that guides many of my decisions about stewarding our little postage stamp of a lot--having a yard with a bunch of munched-up plants is a *badge of honor*. Dave Wagner (caterpillar guide guy) said that at a talk I attended years ago and it hit me right between the eyes. I think we need to fundamentally change the way we as humans view the rest of the environment. It's not a passive resource to be molded however we wish--it's a living, evolving entity with needs and momentum of its own that we would do well to heed. And those needs and that momentum very, very often don't align with our plans. Last note: one thing that I think has helped is going through the process of getting a "certified wildlife habitat" sign from the National Wildlife Federation and posting it in our front yard. It at least tells people that there is method to our yard madness. None of this is meant to detract from Weaner's message, which I think is a valuable one for many folks who may be hesitant to make the leap into incorporating native plants into landscaping. I just personally feel that eventually we're going to need to get beyond a simple "here's what I want from my land, so mote it be" mentality.
Well said. I do live in the suburbs. I do have close neighbors. What draws their eye to my several organized garden beds is the bunch of stunning hibiscus plants I have. Now, that being said, they stop and ask about the hibiscus, but then they see the many milkweeds, Joe pye, goldenrod, asters, purple coneflowers, etc. It's all beautiful if done right, and because of some flashy flowers, I can have a talk about the native flowers, shrubs, and trees and what they do for our area. The butterflies and birds are everywhere, and the fireflies are stunning. All in a 1/2 acre lot where it's tidy and attractive. I'm about 80% native and my neighbors are starting to follow my lead because it's interesting and fairly low maintenance. That's the best part for me. Getting the neighbors that have nothing but green grass to start planting things that benefit our ecology instead of having a huge green boring lawn and putting chemicals all over it to poison our waterways. It can also be fun!
I'll be honest I have a real struggle with the "make it attractive" ethos. I just personally have such a hard time 1, figuring out other people's sensibilities, and then 2, trying to do something to cater to those sensibilities -- which as far as I can ascertain from looking around is LAWN is the only acceptable thing around here. I do think it's gorgeous and I even do a couple things here and there I would not if I was alone, to please those around me. And still, we get complains from who knows who to the city, and then the city comes complains or threatens us. It's a constant drama. And I think we play into that to any degree to our own detriment. Because frankly.... I just want the freedom to do what is beautiful to me, to be quite frank. I'm not a landscape professional like them. So I don't really feel a duty lol. I WISH i had the care and ability to please a crowd--alas. So I just have to grow a thick skin. A few times people have also asked friendly questions or complimented it with what seemed like genuine praise, but honestly I sometimes wonder if someone is just manipulating me to get information and they secretly hate it lol. That's how hostile it feels here. It's the worst part about this hobby and this style of it; this hostility. I'm losing my passion for it over this issue. So ... the whole "make it pretty" discussion was a little blech for me. But that's just me, this is all ME problems.
I agree there should be at least a ratio of more native than non-native plants in public spaces. They can be used to educate the public on their importance and their beauty.
In our native landscape I try to keep edges trimmed. That includes both road and path edges. If I take guests on a garden tour I want them to have an enjoyable experience and I want to show a bit of pride in what I’ve designed. Birds and pollinators love it too. During winter it’s not nearly aesthetically pleasing but that’s necessary for comparison when spring begins pushing green shoots, buds and blossoms. I’ve learned to appreciate the drabness of brown, dried plants with a few evergreens with berries or needles. As people see what I do, there may be some head scratching at first but often it grows on them and it begins to make sense. Thx for the video.
In our sanitized urban environments we need more wild. They are dominated by monoculture lawn and highly manicured spaces in many cases. Often maintained by landscape companies that obviously want to keep the client happy and apply plenty of herbicides, pesticides and related and over manicure to the detriment of all our health. It's a transition and introduction of more wild helps chip away at old ideals. I live in an HOA and introducing a more wild habitat. A neighbor has done the same and was able to get a grant from the local water district to build a water retention pond integrated with pollinator garden. Lawb was replaced with buffalo grass one side. The opposite side is traditional lawn so a good mix of both. Of course one of the nazi's on the HOA board hates it but others love it.
Dealing with community guidelines is one of the biggest hurdles when trying something landscape wise. But like Larry said in the clip, a native landscape doesn't have to look wild and crazy and even if it is kept a little more controlled looking it can still be a huge ecological benefit.
That is what I often recommend. Native plants that are tidy will still get a ton of use from pollinators and birds. Our nursery plants are all in neat little rows either sitting on tables or landscape fabric. They are always covered with caterpillars and birds eating the caterpillars. It looks nothing like a natural area out in the wild.
How much of a difference is there to native plants that most people grow up around and are not allergic, vs the non native. Does that cause more allergies than the native. I would like to see the studies on that. I know if you eat local honey it helps with allergies in that area. But other honey doesn’t help with that. Just curious.
A lot depends on the individual species and how they are pollinated. Wind pollinated plants are what causes allergies and there are plenty of native and non-native wind pollinated plants. I don't know of any specific studies looking at if one is worse than the other.
It's not really a native vs. non-native thing. Male wind-pollinated trees and ragweed (Ambrosia genus) are common culprits in North American cities though. (On the trees, males have historically been preferred in many city plantings since they don't make seed/fruit => less debris on streets). Grasses that are allowed to flower are also a common cause worldwide. Every species is native somewhere. There's not much sense in the idea that plants would be especially allergenic in or out of their native ranges.
@@winrawrisyou I would believe that if I didn’t have more or less allergies in some of the places I’ve been to. I had a stopped up nose when I went to CO, but it cleared up when I got to UT. That’s what made me curious. When I’m in AR my sinuses are fine. It’s just odd, or maybe it’s my biological makeup. Who knows. But thank you for the info on the male trees 🌳
@@winrawrisyou Yep - if a plant is slinging wind borne pollen everywhere it is going to make you sneeze. The big sources here in KY in the spring are trees like oak, and in the summer it is ragweed and grass.
I will never have an “attractive” garden. Well, not for humans, at least. A garden should aim for function as a primary goal. Any attractiveness that comes with this will be secondary. In order to be functional, a garden must solely be composed of native plants.
👉👉👉👉 Link to the book Garden Revolution that was mentioned in the video: www.backyardecology.net/recommendations/#gr 👈👈👈👈
🎙🎙🎙🎙 Link to the original Backyard Ecology Podcast interview with Larry Weaner this clip came from: www.backyardecology.net/ecology-based-landscaping-with-larry-weaner/ 🎙🎙🎙🎙
🦋🦋🦋🦋 Get some super helpful tips on designing a pollinator garden in this video: ruclips.net/video/lSgjfM_8uNc/видео.html 🦋🦋🦋🦋
This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.
I appreciate everything he's saying. At the same time I find myself disagreeing on a fundamental personal level. The way I work is NOT going to work for everyone, particularly folks dealing with fussy HOAs or neighbors, but in our funky, feral old neighborhood just inside the city limits of our small city, this is how we approach our landscape.
I look at it first and foremost as a dialogue with the land and the environment about what we want to happen. Sometimes what the humans want wins (like when we filled in our first tiny pond and put in a bigger pond); sometimes what the land wants wins (like when violets grow into my marked-off beds). But it's always a dialogue. When we relocated our pond, for instance, it was based on years of observation of the land and how water, animals, sunlight, and plants moved over and through the area...as well as our experience with the first tiny pond. We wanted it to be accessible to larger mammals as well as getting more sunlight and taking advantage of natural drainage to bolster its water levels.
I talk about this quote a lot, but it's one that guides many of my decisions about stewarding our little postage stamp of a lot--having a yard with a bunch of munched-up plants is a *badge of honor*. Dave Wagner (caterpillar guide guy) said that at a talk I attended years ago and it hit me right between the eyes. I think we need to fundamentally change the way we as humans view the rest of the environment. It's not a passive resource to be molded however we wish--it's a living, evolving entity with needs and momentum of its own that we would do well to heed. And those needs and that momentum very, very often don't align with our plans.
Last note: one thing that I think has helped is going through the process of getting a "certified wildlife habitat" sign from the National Wildlife Federation and posting it in our front yard. It at least tells people that there is method to our yard madness.
None of this is meant to detract from Weaner's message, which I think is a valuable one for many folks who may be hesitant to make the leap into incorporating native plants into landscaping. I just personally feel that eventually we're going to need to get beyond a simple "here's what I want from my land, so mote it be" mentality.
Well said. I do live in the suburbs. I do have close neighbors. What draws their eye to my several organized garden beds is the bunch of stunning hibiscus plants I have. Now, that being said, they stop and ask about the hibiscus, but then they see the many milkweeds, Joe pye, goldenrod, asters, purple coneflowers, etc. It's all beautiful if done right, and because of some flashy flowers, I can have a talk about the native flowers, shrubs, and trees and what they do for our area. The butterflies and birds are everywhere, and the fireflies are stunning. All in a 1/2 acre lot where it's tidy and attractive. I'm about 80% native and my neighbors are starting to follow my lead because it's interesting and fairly low maintenance. That's the best part for me. Getting the neighbors that have nothing but green grass to start planting things that benefit our ecology instead of having a huge green boring lawn and putting chemicals all over it to poison our waterways. It can also be fun!
Awesome! Sounds like you are making an impact in your neighborhood!
I'll be honest I have a real struggle with the "make it attractive" ethos. I just personally have such a hard time 1, figuring out other people's sensibilities, and then 2, trying to do something to cater to those sensibilities -- which as far as I can ascertain from looking around is LAWN is the only acceptable thing around here. I do think it's gorgeous and I even do a couple things here and there I would not if I was alone, to please those around me. And still, we get complains from who knows who to the city, and then the city comes complains or threatens us. It's a constant drama. And I think we play into that to any degree to our own detriment. Because frankly.... I just want the freedom to do what is beautiful to me, to be quite frank. I'm not a landscape professional like them. So I don't really feel a duty lol. I WISH i had the care and ability to please a crowd--alas. So I just have to grow a thick skin. A few times people have also asked friendly questions or complimented it with what seemed like genuine praise, but honestly I sometimes wonder if someone is just manipulating me to get information and they secretly hate it lol. That's how hostile it feels here. It's the worst part about this hobby and this style of it; this hostility. I'm losing my passion for it over this issue. So ... the whole "make it pretty" discussion was a little blech for me. But that's just me, this is all ME problems.
Sorry to hear that. Sometimes there is just one douchey neighbour constantly complaining...
Should be mandatory imo, particularly for public spaces
I agree there should be at least a ratio of more native than non-native plants in public spaces. They can be used to educate the public on their importance and their beauty.
In our native landscape I try to keep edges trimmed. That includes both road and path edges. If I take guests on a garden tour I want them to have an enjoyable experience and I want to show a bit of pride in what I’ve designed. Birds and pollinators love it too. During winter it’s not nearly aesthetically pleasing but that’s necessary for comparison when spring begins pushing green shoots, buds and blossoms. I’ve learned to appreciate the drabness of brown, dried plants with a few evergreens with berries or needles. As people see what I do, there may be some head scratching at first but often it grows on them and it begins to make sense. Thx for the video.
That is a great point! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Thank you for this. I missed this podcast, going to give it a listen..
In our sanitized urban environments we need more wild. They are dominated by monoculture lawn and highly manicured spaces in many cases. Often maintained by landscape companies that obviously want to keep the client happy and apply plenty of herbicides, pesticides and related and over manicure to the detriment of all our health. It's a transition and introduction of more wild helps chip away at old ideals. I live in an HOA and introducing a more wild habitat. A neighbor has done the same and was able to get a grant from the local water district to build a water retention pond integrated with pollinator garden. Lawb was replaced with buffalo grass one side. The opposite side is traditional lawn so a good mix of both. Of course one of the nazi's on the HOA board hates it but others love it.
Dealing with community guidelines is one of the biggest hurdles when trying something landscape wise. But like Larry said in the clip, a native landscape doesn't have to look wild and crazy and even if it is kept a little more controlled looking it can still be a huge ecological benefit.
Great video! Do you have any of the native magnolias spotlight on your channel either Sweet Bay or Brackens Brown Beauty/grandiflora?
Thanks! Glad you liked the video. I haven't done the magnolias yet but do have them on my list.
You could always have your backyard be a complete native mess, while you keep the front more tidy.
That is what I often recommend. Native plants that are tidy will still get a ton of use from pollinators and birds. Our nursery plants are all in neat little rows either sitting on tables or landscape fabric. They are always covered with caterpillars and birds eating the caterpillars. It looks nothing like a natural area out in the wild.
How much of a difference is there to native plants that most people grow up around and are not allergic, vs the non native. Does that cause more allergies than the native. I would like to see the studies on that.
I know if you eat local honey it helps with allergies in that area. But other honey doesn’t help with that. Just curious.
A lot depends on the individual species and how they are pollinated. Wind pollinated plants are what causes allergies and there are plenty of native and non-native wind pollinated plants. I don't know of any specific studies looking at if one is worse than the other.
@ dealing with cedar pollen right now in Texas, but it doesn’t effect me like other pollen.
It's not really a native vs. non-native thing. Male wind-pollinated trees and ragweed (Ambrosia genus) are common culprits in North American cities though. (On the trees, males have historically been preferred in many city plantings since they don't make seed/fruit => less debris on streets). Grasses that are allowed to flower are also a common cause worldwide.
Every species is native somewhere. There's not much sense in the idea that plants would be especially allergenic in or out of their native ranges.
@@winrawrisyou I would believe that if I didn’t have more or less allergies in some of the places I’ve been to. I had a stopped up nose when I went to CO, but it cleared up when I got to UT. That’s what made me curious. When I’m in AR my sinuses are fine. It’s just odd, or maybe it’s my biological makeup. Who knows.
But thank you for the info on the male trees 🌳
@@winrawrisyou Yep - if a plant is slinging wind borne pollen everywhere it is going to make you sneeze. The big sources here in KY in the spring are trees like oak, and in the summer it is ragweed and grass.
I will never have an “attractive” garden. Well, not for humans, at least. A garden should aim for function as a primary goal. Any attractiveness that comes with this will be secondary. In order to be functional, a garden must solely be composed of native plants.