So many newbies to gardening are motivated by what they’ve heard about native plants, so naturally they look to the native-plant advocacy groups for the information they need to garden with natives. But I’ve researched these organizations’ teaching for homeowners and sadly concluded that they’re dropping the ball! They focus on the do’s and don’ts for wildlife, but offer NOTHING about starting a garden, or actually how to garden at all. And most of the (mostly young) people interested in growing natives are brand-new to gardening.

The how-to instruction that I HAVE seen offered is about prairies or meadows – solutions more suitable to large tracts and large budgets, not DIY gardeners.

(BTW, new, more gardening-focused instruction wouldn’t have to be created; native organizations could just steer their readers toward some good ones, including extension sites.  I really like this YouTube channel by a group in Illinois.)

So gardening hopefuls are warned off invasives and excited about some natives they’ve learned about, but have no fricking idea where to start. Thus, the complaints 1-2 years down the road of “Help! My native garden is a hot mess!” Or they look like this Long Island garden and get in trouble with neighbors and authorities.

But I’ve found that these newbies aren’t JUST interested in native plants; most also want a garden that’s pretty, at least to them. And to succeed at that, in my experience (with coaching clients especially) it’s best to first create the spaces to put the plants – the garden, then plant your new plants. 

So when I found a new native-plant front garden in my neighborhood that was clearly designed – and looked great – I had to find out how that came to be.  Turns out the homeowner hired a very knowledgeable person, who started by suggesting some designs for the space.  THEN she suggested plants, and then she installed them. 

Sounds like exactly the kind of professional that Doug Tallamy suggests hiring for people who’ve never gardened before.  

I asked the homeowner, new to gardening, to tell the story.

The “before” image – shade plants all gone; nothing but some lawn.

By Sharon J. Anderson 

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece,” believed Claude Monet, the French painter and leader of the Impressionist movement. I am no Claude Monet, but investing in a native plant front garden has created a Monet-like atmosphere where I have found healing and hope.

In the Fall of 2023, my neighbor removed a large Bradford Pear tree which, though invasive, had nevertheless provided shade for my front garden, which was full of shade plants, chosen in memory of my late mother, who loved to garden. Unfortunately, these plants would not survive in direct sun, so I moved them to my backyard, where half survived. 

I was left with some lawn, but otherwise a completely bare front garden.

After seeing the gardens of Susan Harris and others – and determined to do what I could to save the planet – I decided to transform my front garden into a sanctuary for locally native plants, but I knew nothing about how to do it.  The person who’d designed my shade garden was no longer available so I hired Janet Hostetler of Bloom-Wild, a local small landscaping company dedicated to “plants for the planet.” According to Janet, “Even in a tiny yard you can have a garden that is beautiful, but also one that restores habitat, supports a diversity of wildlife, conserves water, reduces the impact of climate change, and so much more. You might just need some help learning how to create it.”

My process with Janet began with a consultation that resulted in schematics of designs and suggested plants that were predominately red – my mother’s favorite color – as I’d requested. Janet chose plants that would bloom throughout the season, and planted them for me.

Today, my front yard is home to 30+ kinds of locally native plants, including bee balm, scarlet hibiscus, joe pye weed, coreopsis, prairie dropseed, blazing star and early sunflower, which attracts pollinators of all kinds. Since my garden was planted, just over a year ago, I’ve observed many kinds of bees, as well as Monarch caterpillars and butterflies, Swallowtail butterflies, and hummingbirds, to highlight just a few.

Janet tells me that my garden may thrive more than most because I touch and talk to my plants most mornings, echoing back to them the positive energy they provide to me Why? Because in so many inexplicable ways, these plants heal my spirit. They reflect my mother. They are beautiful for me, and they are beautiful for my neighbors.

For all of her scientific knowledge of native plants (out the wazoo, folks), Janet connected to native plants mostly because they bring her joy. “I am also grateful to have had the time and privilege to learn the science,” she says. “I just don’t think people should have to do that. You shouldn’t have to learn Latin or botany.

Janet is right. I didn’t have to learn Latin or botany. I only had to learn to appreciate beauty – and pay Janet the very reasonable fee of $1,500. Now I simply walk out my front door to enter a world of boundless living art.