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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
Jul 2, 20234 min read


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...
ljmarkson
Jun 18, 20234 min read


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...
ljmarkson
Jun 8, 20238 min read


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...
ljmarkson
May 19, 20233 min read


Native Plants as Edging Plants
In the spring I’m often outside adding, moving, editing, and potting up plants until it’s so dark outside that I can’t see my hands. I’m...
ljmarkson
Apr 28, 20233 min read


Local Earth Day Activism Needs to be Every Day
The magical Earth Day event at Zonolite Park organized by hosts Steph Johnson and Josh Wayne raised awareness about protecting the...
ljmarkson
Apr 25, 20233 min read


Organizations are Not People - A Cautionary Tale
I’m sharing the following lengthy and raw personal journey post in the context of helping others who want to help repair our natural...
ljmarkson
Mar 23, 202311 min read


The Value of Edible Native Plants in Public Spaces
The woodland restoration efforts at Zonolite Park can be summed up in four words - remove invasives, plant natives. Many native edibles...
ljmarkson
Mar 20, 20235 min read


The Native Carolina Cherry Laurel Controversy
I recently watched a small flock of hungry cedar waxwings eat what berries (drupes) previous birds missed on my now blooming Carolina...
ljmarkson
Mar 14, 20234 min read


S**t Happens - and Opens up Possibilities!
One of the main lessons in my daily guided meditation is how our suffering comes from not being able to align our inner expectations with...
ljmarkson
Feb 5, 20236 min read


Native Crossvine is a Habitat Plant
I thought crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) was indestructible. It climbs by tendrils then attaches to trees with even more with roots to...
ljmarkson
Feb 3, 20232 min read


Reclaim Nature and Add Habitat with a Brush Pile
I’ve tried to maximize the edge areas of my small, semi-urban, rewilded yard by tucking away a few brush piles behind shrubs and trees to...
ljmarkson
Nov 30, 20225 min read


Grow a Native Buckeye Tree from Seed
Several of the multiple buckeye species that grow in North America are native to Georgia. Bottlebrush buckeye is native to Alabama,...
ljmarkson
Nov 22, 20224 min read

To Save Insects and Birds the Future is Now
It turned out to be a great idea for the Intown Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia native Plant Society to squeeze one more event into this...
ljmarkson
Nov 18, 20223 min read


Add Coreopsis Integrifolia to the Home Landscape
There are over two dozen coreopsis varieties in North American on BONAP and twenty grow in Georgia. Coreopsis integrifolia also known as...
ljmarkson
Nov 9, 20222 min read


Intown Atlanta GNPS Native Plant Swap & Share FAQ
I'm helping organize the Intown Atlanta GNPS Native Plants Swap & Share as part of the Annual Meeting. Since this is the first time we're...
ljmarkson
Sep 7, 20226 min read


Counting Pollinators and Making Connections at Pollinator Picnics
On August 20 people of all ages counted pollinators and helped highlight the importance of native plants as a host, habitat and nectar...
ljmarkson
Aug 28, 20221 min read


Intown Atlanta GNPS Pollinator Picnics are Family Friendly!
This year the Intown Atlanta Georgia Native Plant Society is making it easy for Atlanta families to participate in the Great Georgia...
ljmarkson
Aug 13, 20224 min read

FAQ for Intown Atlanta GNPS Pollinator Picnics
What is the Great Georgia Pollinator Census Count? The Great Georgia Pollinator Census count (GGPC) is a citizen science project...
ljmarkson
Aug 7, 20227 min read


Strategies for Identifying Agastache Species and Other Native Plants
I don’t usually get fussy or wonky about different native plant species but when I learned the range for the most common hyssop called...
ljmarkson
Jul 19, 20226 min read
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