The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental nonprofit Resilient Palisades to deliver a weekly “green tip” to our readers. This week’s tip was written by Sheda Morshed.
There’s no better time to become part of the solution than by replacing any portion of your non-native lawn or other non-native plants with one or more California natives. It’s easy and incredibly rewarding: even one native plant can attract many pollinators and birds.
Whether it’s a California poppy, black sage, manzanita, ceanothus, seaside daisies or buckwheat, this simple action can bring life back to your garden and create endless hours of beauty and wonder for you and your family.
Planting regionally native plants will:
Provide food, habitat, and shelter for beneficial wildlife like native bees, butterflies and birds. In the past 50 years, North America has lost 1 in 4 birds and half of its native bees due to habitat loss, rising temperatures, and non-native monoculture gardens that depend on herbicides and pesticides.
Eliminate the need for herbicides and pesticides, including neem oil. Our region’s native plants have been around for millennia and have natural defenses against pests and diseases. A healthy, biodiverse garden will take care of itself. (Note: Overwatering can sometimes weaken a native plant’s defenses. Reduce watering and have your gardener use organic worm casting to boost the plant’s immune system. For aphids, mold and other pests, have your gardener spray leaves with soap and water every week until they’re gone—spray with diluted diatomaceous earth if aphids persist.)
Eliminate the need for fossil-fuel derived fertilizers and equipment. Natives are happier when left alone (aside from pruning one to two times per year.)
Eliminate the need to mow and blow, creating a quieter, cleaner, and safer home and community.
Conserve water and feed our aquifer. Replacing a shallow-rooted, non-native lawn with a native Carex grass or other native plants will drop your summer watering schedule from a few days a week to two to eight times per month of deep-watering; deep-rooted plants will increase the soil surface area to capture rainwater.
Now is the ideal time to plant natives, before it gets too hot. Speak with your gardener about sourcing natives from trusted nurseries like Hahamongna, Artemisia, Plant Material, C&S and Theodore Payne. Always avoid large box nurseries because they usually sell plants grown from seeds treated with toxic chemicals like RoundUp—toxins that never leave the plant’s system and end up poisoning the pollinators and birds feeding on it.
SELVA EcoGardens, UrbanFarmsLA and DirtyGirlOrganicLandcare are just a few examples of certified California native design and install experts in our area.
Got pollinators and birds? Share your pictures with us at connect@resilientpalisades.org.
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