permaculture

[tanya <tanyagarden@gmail.com>]

On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 9:02 AM, paul wheaton <paul@richsoil.com> wrote:

> ......there is lot of money being spent in the world of natives only.
> Billions.   Guess who is making billions on this?   ....   ....
> herbicide companies.  Specifically monsanto....
>


In fact, almost all of the people I know who advocate planting natives avoid
pesticides and herbicides because they want to attract the native fauna,
particularly insects. Doug Tallamy, in his book Bringing Nature Home,
discusses his research showing that native plants attract more native
insects, which attract more native birds. Obviously, people who plant
wildlife gardens will not use pesticides!

Two of the local garden tours showcasing native plants explicitly favor
gardens that do not use herbicides and pesticides: Going Native Garden Tour
in silicon valley and Bringing Back the Natives tour in Berkeley and the
east bay.

Furthermore, many natural areas around here are maintained by volunteers who
pull invasives to preserve a unique assemblage of species, many of which
cannot grow just anywhere. They use their hands and hand tools, and they
avoid pesticides and herbicides. Invasive species can adapt to a wider range
of conditions; certain native plants, however, flourish in special
conditions and can be overwhelmed by monocultures of broom or yellow star
thistle. Preserving existing stands of native plants and preventing
encroachment of invasives preserves the uniqueness, ecosystem functions, and
complex relationships of the natives.

Advocacy of native plants is not about hair-splitting of what was native
when or where; it's about protecting unique assemblages of flora and fauna.
For suburban gardeners, it's also about maximizing the wildlife value of
their relatively small space rather than planting something that's "merely"
decorative.