Growing Greener

Join pioneering nurseryman and ecologist Neil Diboll for the second half of our conversation about how gardeners can familiarize themselves with the natural characteristics of the soil on their site and use that knowledge in selecting a community of adapted, self-sufficient native plants for their gardens.

Traditional gardening emends the soil to suit the needs of the selected plants; pioneering nurseryman and ecologist Neil Diboll takes the character of the soil on site as the foundation of garden design and key to the selection of an adapted, ecologically functional, and self-sufficient plant palette

Internationally acclaimed landscape designer Edwina von Gal’s Perfect Earth Project uses imaginative strategies to connect landowners big and small with nature-based, chemical-free  and biodiversity friendly management practices

Garden activist and educator Cathy Ludden describes her encounters with hydrangeas and how transforming the flower heads to suit human aesthetics has proved both harmful and beneficial to pollinators

Richard Hayden, Senior Director of Horticulture at New York’s magical garden, the High Line, describes how it integrates  North American native plants with carefully chosen exotic species to create a whole that delights human visitors while also supporting wildlife and providing a powerful reconnection with nature

Many homeowners who admire the beauty and environmental benefits of native plants don’t care for the wilderness look of the typical naturalized native plant garden.  Garden designer Britney O’Donnell shares tricks for designing and maintaining a more domesticated native plant landscape, one that fits better a neater suburban context

Skeptics say that invasive species are not a serious threat to biodiversity, that “Nature will heal itself” despite the looming, man-made mass extinction. Today, paleobotanist Dana Royer describes the five mass extinctions of the past, and why recovery from such episodes typically took millions of years

Karen Bussolini of historic nursery White Flower Farm makes the case for how a mix of native and non-native flowers can feed pollinators better throughout the growing season

Environmentalists say the traditional lawn must go, but homeowners commonly love their turf.  Organic lawn specialist Shay Lunseth outlines how we can “meet in the middle,” and explains why fall is the critical season for organic lawns

Amanda Douridas of the Ohio State University Extension Service describes cover cropping, an ancient practice that can move your vegetable garden toward healthier, richer soil with less dependence on synthetic fertilizers and herbicides.