I grow and sell perennials, both native to Maine and “nice visitors from away” as I like to call them. I advocate for planting up the Appalachian spine for the reason you cite, the critters are moving up. I loved the results of the Great Dixter audit. How we garden is very important. Planting natives is really good, but just as important are these things: Less lawn, no pesticides and herbicides, less bare ground, layered planting, leaving the fallen leaves, pollen and nectar available throughout the seasons, leaving the stems, leaving the seedheads, piling fallen wood into snags, providing water and shelter. Dixter is so FULL and so fecund. It can’t help but be biodiverse, even though it does not prioritize native flora above all else.
I grow and sell perennials, both native to Maine and “nice visitors from away” as I like to call them. I advocate for planting up the Appalachian spine for the reason you cite, the critters are moving up. I loved the results of the Great Dixter audit. How we garden is very important. Planting natives is really good, but just as important are these things: Less lawn, no pesticides and herbicides, less bare ground, layered planting, leaving the fallen leaves, pollen and nectar available throughout the seasons, leaving the stems, leaving the seedheads, piling fallen wood into snags, providing water and shelter. Dixter is so FULL and so fecund. It can’t help but be biodiverse, even though it does not prioritize native flora above all else.
Hi Astrid-- completely agree! All of these actions are necessary and becoming more and more accepted, which is promising to see.