Native Plants

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ljmarkson

Dec 88 min read

Nature Doesn't Create Trash

When we moved to our home 20 years ago our yard looked like all the other yards in my upscale neighborhood centered by a lawn and...

Reframing Cues to Care for a Rewilded Yard

ljmarkson

Oct 139 min read

Ecological landscaping

Reframing Cues to Care for a Rewilded Yard

A service person recently showed up for a non-essential task that would involve a significant disruption to my rewilded yard. He put his...

Supporting Wildlife Habitat Where we Live is Not a New Idea

ljmarkson

Sep 305 min read

Landscaping for Nature

Supporting Wildlife Habitat Where we Live is Not a New Idea

When decluttering a closet recently, I found a time capsule in the form of a garden journal I made in the early 90s. The last entry was...

Connecting the Dots: Southern Pink Moths, Native Lyreleaf Sage, and Pesticides

ljmarkson

Sep 35 min read

Ecological landscaping

Connecting the Dots: Southern Pink Moths, Native Lyreleaf Sage, and Pesticides

When we create a safe and welcoming wildlife habitat, we are also supporting the natural cycles and systems we may not even be aware...

Native Partridge Pea and Invasive Chamberbitter Look Similar yet are Worlds Apart

ljmarkson

Jul 234 min read

Ecological landscaping

Native Partridge Pea and Invasive Chamberbitter Look Similar yet are Worlds Apart

(and how to tell the difference...) Partridge Pea is native to most of the Eastern half of the United States and supports habitat in a...

Native Evening Primrose as a Habitat Support Plant

ljmarkson

Jul 146 min read

Native Plants

Native Evening Primrose as a Habitat Support Plant

In an ecologically focused landscape, common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) is an example of a native plant that offers habitat...

Why Dyed Mulch is Ecologically Problematic

ljmarkson

Jun 236 min read

Landscaping for Nature

Why Dyed Mulch is Ecologically Problematic

It’s not your imagination that dyed mulch is covering your neighborhood. It's been around for 60 years, but the dyed mulch market has...

Free Atlanta Event Alert for June 1 - Essential Habitat Elements in a Rewilded Yard Hosted by North Metro GNPS

ljmarkson

May 101 min read

Nature Advocacy

Free Atlanta Event Alert for June 1 - Essential Habitat Elements in a Rewilded Yard Hosted by North Metro GNPS

I’m honored and excited to have the North Metro Atlanta Georgia Native Plant Society host me on Saturday, June 1 from 10:30-12:30 to...

ljmarkson

Apr 216 min read

Landscaping for Nature

Native Plants are Not Yard Ornaments

The transition from ornamental gardening (plants as ornaments) to ecological gardening (native plants as a functional part of an...

Make Your Yard a Safe Hummingbird Habitat!

ljmarkson

Mar 308 min read

Birds

Make Your Yard a Safe Hummingbird Habitat!

Like everyone else who eagerly anticipates their arrival, I’m checking out my yard every day looking for my first “hummer” of the...

Nurture Native Nature - Spring Habitat Yard Events!

ljmarkson

Mar 193 min read

Nature Advocacy

Nurture Native Nature - Spring Habitat Yard Events!

I'm sharing spring events Nurture Native Nature is hosting or cohosting in the next few months in Atlanta. At some point I need to figure...

Restore Habitat to Hear the Sweet Song of the Hermit Thrush

ljmarkson

Jan 73 min read

Birds

Restore Habitat to Hear the Sweet Song of the Hermit Thrush

Every habitat element in my pocket wildlife sanctuary contributes to a more biodiverse ecosystem. Hermit thrushes for example rarely...

ljmarkson

Nov 21, 20233 min read

Propagation

Attend a Native Plant Seed Swap!

Native plants are a cornerstone of creating a habitat-friendly, sustainable yard for wildlife. They offer food, shelter, coverage,...

Nature Loving Strangers are Kindred Spirits

ljmarkson

Oct 9, 20234 min read

Coexisting with Nature

Nature Loving Strangers are Kindred Spirits

I was recently looking through my lengthy list of ongoing blog ideas and catchy titles for articles yet to be written and came across...

The Future Needs More Violets and Fewer Lawns

ljmarkson

Sep 23, 20234 min read

Rewilding

The Future Needs More Violets and Fewer Lawns

I stopped to chat with an elderly neighbor who had just finished weeding her hosta beds. She showed me healthy violet patches growing in...

A Day Focused on Restoring Biodiversity in our Own Greenspaces

ljmarkson

Sep 11, 20233 min read

Landscaping for Nature

A Day Focused on Restoring Biodiversity in our Own Greenspaces

At the recent Georgia Audubon’s cleverly named Georgia Grows Native for Birds Round Robin: Transforming Your Greenspace, they partnered...

Container Gardening for Biodiversity and Habitat

ljmarkson

Jul 2, 20234 min read

Native Plant Container Gardening

Container Gardening for Biodiversity and Habitat

Using native plants in container gardens is a low maintenance and sustainable way to add biodiversity and create habitat in small spaces...

ljmarkson

Jun 18, 20234 min read

Native Plants

Native Pasture Thistle Drama

Last fall a thoughtful friend who somehow remembered my ongoing plant wish list brought me a native pasture/field thistle (Cirsium...

25 Dry Shade Tolerant Native Plants for a Southern Habitat Yard

ljmarkson

Jun 8, 20238 min read

Native Plants

25 Dry Shade Tolerant Native Plants for a Southern Habitat Yard

Back in February I wrote about how having a section of sewer pipe replaced offered me an opportunity to replant a section of my rewilded...

Connecting Grey Treefrogs and Pokeweed to Sustainable Landscaping

ljmarkson

May 18, 20233 min read

Landscaping for Nature

Connecting Grey Treefrogs and Pokeweed to Sustainable Landscaping

A new game I like to play is drilling down on how even the smallest observation in my rewilded yard can connect back to the importance of...

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