Latest news with #nativeplants
New York Times
18 minutes ago
- General
- New York Times
In New Jersey, Benefits Bloom in Tiny Forests
It's a tiny space, no bigger than a couple shipping containers really. But standing there, the midsummer heat recedes. So does the roar of nearby airplanes and the fishy stench of the market next door. In this thicket of elderberry plants shaded by honey locust trees, John Evangelista finds his respite. 'This is one of the only places in Elizabeth where you can stand in the middle of a forest,' said Mr. Evangelista. 'I just love being in here.' This 45 foot by 40 foot plot, tucked inside a small urban farm behind a library in the city of Elizabeth, N.J., was the state's first 'microforest.' It's exactly what it sounds like: a miniature forest, packed with more than 260 native plants (and one anomaly, a Kentucky coffee tree). The project was the brainchild of Mr. Evangelista, a farmer and executive director of Groundwork Elizabeth, a nonprofit that planted the forest in 2021 with support from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Over the past four years, with gardening help from a paid city youth program, the group has added four more microforests. Two are outside city-owned senior housing developments and one is in a cemetery. Yet another is growing at an elementary school in a nearby town. Tell Us About Solutions Where You Live Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
11 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Annuals are the forgotten native plants. Here are 7 worth adding to the garden
As home gardeners become more educated about the benefits of native plants (supporting native insects, birds and wildlife, and the environment as a whole), the focus has mainly been on trees, shrubs and perennials. Native annuals have somehow gotten lost in the shuffle, likely because most of them aren't readily available at the garden center. And most of the annuals (and tender perennials treated as annuals) that ARE sold in local nurseries are introduced species from faraway places. As such, they don't provide much benefit to the local ecosystem. Native insects have evolved along with native plants, so they recognize them as food. Filling a garden with exotic plants essentially creates a food desert, which can have dire consequences that range from fewer insect pollinators and birds to diminishing food crops and, eventually, livestock. We know that using native plants of all types can help prevent a plethora of environmental problems. They're also easier to care for because they're naturally adapted to local conditions and are generally drought-tolerant. Unfortunately, most home gardeners don't know about or have access to native annuals. I hope that changes. The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, based in Austin, Texas, has a wonderful online plant database that allows users to search native plants by state, lifecycle, bloom time and other criteria. (It's at Consider asking your local nursery to stock them. Here are some favorite native annuals. 7 Native annuals worth adding to the garden Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), which is native from Massachusetts south to northern Florida and west to Minnesota, eastern Nebraska, Oklahoma and eastern Texas, is sadly underused. The lovely 1-to-3-foot-tall plant, which produces clusters of 1-inch-wide yellow flowers on tall, slender stems, thrives in both sun and part shade. A member of the legume family, it also releases nitrogen into the soil, which provides a natural and free fertilizer for itself and the other plants in the bed. American basket flower (Plectocephalus americanus) has a native range that spans west from Missouri to Kansas, then south to Louisiana, Texas and into Mexico. The plant, which boasts 4-inch, honey-scented, lavender-to-pinkish-purple flowers with creamy centers, thrives in full sun to part shade. Forked Bluecurls (Trichostema dichotomum) are delicate flowers that remind me a bit of Dutch irises. Growing to just over 2 feet tall, the late-summer bloomer is native to Michigan, Missouri and Texas east to the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Florida. A better-known U.S. native is the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), which, as its name implies, is native to California and Baja California. It grows up to 2 feet tall, sending up thin stems that each hold a single yellow-orange flower. Many sunflowers are North American natives, and some of those are perennials. But the Helianthus annus species, known as common or annual sunflower, is a native annual. Originating in Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota, south to Texas and west from Oregon to Baja California, Mexico, the multi-branched, bushy plant becomes covered in yellow flowers with maroon centers in summer. Indian blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella) is another U.S. native annual that I've seen at the nursery. They're not native to my home state of New York, however, but rather native from western South Dakota to Kansas and Louisiana and west to Colorado and Arizona. The 2-foot-tall plants put forth daisy-like, red-petaled flowers with yellow tips. Impatiens capensis (Orange jewelweed) should not be confused with the widely available Impatiens walleriana, which comes to us from eastern Africa, or Impatiens hawkeri (New Guinea Impatiens), which is native to the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. Instead, this North American beauty has a native range that covers Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, Canada, then extends south to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and northward to Missouri. Great for shady spots, its speckled orange flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Jessica Damiano, The Associated Press
The Independent
12 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Annuals are the forgotten native plants. Here are 7 worth adding to the garden
As home gardeners become more educated about the benefits of native plants (supporting native insects, birds and wildlife, and the environment as a whole), the focus has mainly been on trees, shrubs and perennials. Native annuals have somehow gotten lost in the shuffle, likely because most of them aren't readily available at the garden center. And most of the annuals (and tender perennials treated as annuals) that ARE sold in local nurseries are introduced species from faraway places. As such, they don't provide much benefit to the local ecosystem. Native insects have evolved along with native plants, so they recognize them as food. Filling a garden with exotic plants essentially creates a food desert, which can have dire consequences that range from fewer insect pollinators and birds to diminishing food crops and, eventually, livestock. We know that using native plants of all types can help prevent a plethora of environmental problems. They're also easier to care for because they're naturally adapted to local conditions and are generally drought-tolerant. Unfortunately, most home gardeners don't know about or have access to native annuals. I hope that changes. The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, based in Austin, Texas, has a wonderful online plant database that allows users to search native plants by state, lifecycle, bloom time and other criteria. (It's at Consider asking your local nursery to stock them. Here are some favorite native annuals. 7 Native annuals worth adding to the garden Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), which is native from Massachusetts south to northern Florida and west to Minnesota, eastern Nebraska, Oklahoma and eastern Texas, is sadly underused. The lovely 1-to-3-foot-tall plant, which produces clusters of 1-inch-wide yellow flowers on tall, slender stems, thrives in both sun and part shade. A member of the legume family, it also releases nitrogen into the soil, which provides a natural and free fertilizer for itself and the other plants in the bed. American basket flower (Plectocephalus americanus) has a native range that spans west from Missouri to Kansas, then south to Louisiana, Texas and into Mexico. The plant, which boasts 4-inch, honey-scented, lavender-to-pinkish-purple flowers with creamy centers, thrives in full sun to part shade. Forked Bluecurls (Trichostema dichotomum) are delicate flowers that remind me a bit of Dutch irises. Growing to just over 2 feet tall, the late-summer bloomer is native to Michigan, Missouri and Texas east to the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Florida. A better-known U.S. native is the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), which, as its name implies, is native to California and Baja California. It grows up to 2 feet tall, sending up thin stems that each hold a single yellow-orange flower. Many sunflowers are North American natives, and some of those are perennials. But the Helianthus annus species, known as common or annual sunflower, is a native annual. Originating in Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota, south to Texas and west from Oregon to Baja California, Mexico, the multi-branched, bushy plant becomes covered in yellow flowers with maroon centers in summer. Indian blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella) is another U.S. native annual that I've seen at the nursery. They're not native to my home state of New York, however, but rather native from western South Dakota to Kansas and Louisiana and west to Colorado and Arizona. The 2-foot-tall plants put forth daisy-like, red-petaled flowers with yellow tips. Impatiens capensis (Orange jewelweed) should not be confused with the widely available Impatiens walleriana, which comes to us from eastern Africa, or Impatiens hawkeri (New Guinea Impatiens), which is native to the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. Instead, this North American beauty has a native range that covers Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, Canada, then extends south to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and northward to Missouri. Great for shady spots, its speckled orange flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___
Associated Press
12 hours ago
- Science
- Associated Press
Annuals are the forgotten native plants. Here are 7 worth adding to the garden
As home gardeners become more educated about the benefits of native plants (supporting native insects, birds and wildlife, and the environment as a whole), the focus has mainly been on trees, shrubs and perennials. Native annuals have somehow gotten lost in the shuffle, likely because most of them aren't readily available at the garden center. And most of the annuals (and tender perennials treated as annuals) that ARE sold in local nurseries are introduced species from faraway places. As such, they don't provide much benefit to the local ecosystem. Native insects have evolved along with native plants, so they recognize them as food. Filling a garden with exotic plants essentially creates a food desert, which can have dire consequences that range from fewer insect pollinators and birds to diminishing food crops and, eventually, livestock. We know that using native plants of all types can help prevent a plethora of environmental problems. They're also easier to care for because they're naturally adapted to local conditions and are generally drought-tolerant. Unfortunately, most home gardeners don't know about or have access to native annuals. I hope that changes. The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, based in Austin, Texas, has a wonderful online plant database that allows users to search native plants by state, lifecycle, bloom time and other criteria. (It's at Consider asking your local nursery to stock them. Here are some favorite native annuals. 7 Native annuals worth adding to the gardenPartridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), which is native from Massachusetts south to northern Florida and west to Minnesota, eastern Nebraska, Oklahoma and eastern Texas, is sadly underused. The lovely 1-to-3-foot-tall plant, which produces clusters of 1-inch-wide yellow flowers on tall, slender stems, thrives in both sun and part shade. A member of the legume family, it also releases nitrogen into the soil, which provides a natural and free fertilizer for itself and the other plants in the bed. American basket flower (Plectocephalus americanus) has a native range that spans west from Missouri to Kansas, then south to Louisiana, Texas and into Mexico. The plant, which boasts 4-inch, honey-scented, lavender-to-pinkish-purple flowers with creamy centers, thrives in full sun to part shade. Forked Bluecurls (Trichostema dichotomum) are delicate flowers that remind me a bit of Dutch irises. Growing to just over 2 feet tall, the late-summer bloomer is native to Michigan, Missouri and Texas east to the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Florida. A better-known U.S. native is the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), which, as its name implies, is native to California and Baja California. It grows up to 2 feet tall, sending up thin stems that each hold a single yellow-orange flower. Many sunflowers are North American natives, and some of those are perennials. But the Helianthus annus species, known as common or annual sunflower, is a native annual. Originating in Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota, south to Texas and west from Oregon to Baja California, Mexico, the multi-branched, bushy plant becomes covered in yellow flowers with maroon centers in summer. Indian blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella) is another U.S. native annual that I've seen at the nursery. They're not native to my home state of New York, however, but rather native from western South Dakota to Kansas and Louisiana and west to Colorado and Arizona. The 2-foot-tall plants put forth daisy-like, red-petaled flowers with yellow tips. Impatiens capensis (Orange jewelweed) should not be confused with the widely available Impatiens walleriana, which comes to us from eastern Africa, or Impatiens hawkeri (New Guinea Impatiens), which is native to the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. Instead, this North American beauty has a native range that covers Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, Canada, then extends south to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and northward to Missouri. Great for shady spots, its speckled orange flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___ For more AP gardening stories, go to
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Village tries to fine Long Island woman who replaced lawn with native plants
A woman who replaced her front lawn with native plants was issued a fine because officials said it was ugly and violated the village's code. The case testing whether beauty is in the eye of the beholder unfolded on New York's Long Island. Xilin Zhang overhauled her front lawn with native plants in New Hyde Park. "It's a very natural look," she said. "There's tons of butterflies and bees and birds coming ... It's not just some grass doing nothing." It's the outgrowth of a Town of North Hempstead grant to encourage native plant gardens. But Zhang was told her yard clashes with the village code, and she received a summons with a fine up of $2,000. The village mayor, bluntly, said Zhang's yard was "hideous." "When ugly is that overwhelming, you have to call it what it is. That front yard looks hideous," Mayor Christopher Devane said. After four rounds in court, the village and Zhang reached a compromise. The summons was dismissed, but the garden must stay below 4 feet. Native plant advocates in Port Washington launched a movement to get suburbanites to ditch their lawns. Gardens, like Zhang's, have more attractive benefits, they say. "Sustainable gardens are not just beautiful for the eye. They protect our drinking water," Mindy Germain, Port Washington's water commissioner, said. "We're trying to move away from these big green lawns that are sucking up too much water from our aquifer." "There are lots of towns on Long Island which are encouraging people to put in wild flowers because they don't want all that pollution going into the bay," Raju Rajan, president of Rewild Long Island, said. Though native Long Island plants grow without chemicals and help absorb rainwater, the New Hyde Park mayor said the transformation of Zhang's yard was troubling. "Which property would you like to live next door to?" Devane said. He said the gardens need to look more pleasing for the idea to catch on. "There potentially is a happy medium. That, in my opinion, is not it," he said. Meanwhile, Zhang hopes to encourage a change in mindset about what looks good in the garden. "We need encourage people to do the right thing, do the right thing for us and for the planet," she said. She also put up a sign to make her case clear: This isn't neglect, it's a conscious choice.
