Thank you so much for showing native plants in a garden setting - both new and mature! It’s much easier to understand how they will look through video rather than still photos.
Yes! Leave the Leaves! And stems with seed heads. More people are getting the message how beneficial this practice is to all our wildlife. Thank you for making videos about this!
A female American holly came up in our front yard butt up against our pin oak. It’s so beautiful and has copious berries this year. I plan to let them coexist until I need to intervene. 😁 Thx for being a voice for healthy ecosystems supporting our wildlife.
The Juncos built nest under eave of house, I love watching them coming and going feeding their hatchlings. Of course my poor cats are like why can’t we go on deck, simple the Juncos like to sit on railings 😊. Getting winter berry producing plants for the birds was on top of list this year.
Great info! Especially loved the comments about a garden being an immersive experience (though there’s nothing wrong with enjoying art as well 😉) and “Beware the ides!” 😊 Water is also key, sorry if I missed that point.
Thank you for this! Wondering if you can shed light on something for me: are the birds where these non-native plants come from more adapted to get nutrients from those sugary berries or do they simply not require as much fat in their respective climates? Those types of berries must serve a purpose where they come from, no?
Love this! I wish there was a NJ native evergreen Holly that isn’t gigantic though. I planted two straight species Red Chokeberries. What are your thoughts on Virginia Creeper as a host plant for Spotted Lanternfly. I’m torn and cut back mine bc I had so many of those invasive insects. Should I just leave the V Creeper be?
I used Virginia creeper as a trap plant for SLF. It grows up our large oak tree. By keeping it trimmed low I could daily go through and squash lots of the SLF for the last 2-3 years. This year they seem to be lessening so I’m allowing the creeper to climb out of my reach. Now it has lots of berries and I look forward to seeing the rich red foliage soon. I have seen a cardinal eating a SLF and pictures of other bird species enjoying this snack. Spiders and preying mantis also are natural predators. Hopefully things have turned in our favor. Often good comes from the “bad”.
? Lourdes, can my husband and I hire you to look at our property and give us direction in going native? We live about 36 miles from you. We want to get started this spring. Please let us know. Thanks!
