On January 27th, Andrea O’Farrell from West Seattle Meaningful Movies led a conversation about the movies INSECT APOCALYPSE and WHY LAWNS MUST DIE. She was joined by Erica Guttman of the Native Plant Salvage Foundation, a non-profit organization that also supports the habitat & water programs of WSU Extension who shared tips on how to get rid of your grass, and who also made suggestions for Waterwise plant options. After her presentation, local Northwest plant enthusiasts asked and answered questions about how to protect our native plants and help our environment in our own back yards!
INSECT APOCALYPSE tells of the alarming decline in insect populations that has been happening over the last 50 years. It delves into what is causing it and how we can make a difference by planting native plants in our gardens. The video features the renowned entomologist Doug Tallamy whose books include “Bringing Nature Home” and “Nature’s Best Hope.” https://www.documentarymania.com/player.php?title=Insect%20Apocalypse
WHY LAWNS MUST DIE takes a look at the grass lawn’s history of class exploitation and settler colonialism and how that ties into the American lawn culture we see today. Also, the turfgrass lawn has a huge environmental impact. It’s the biggest crop in the United States by area and requires a massive amount of fossil fuels, fertilizer, and chemicals to upkeep. Ultimately, the grass lawn is exacerbating climate change and the climate crisis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=megIy0mO5-4
THE LITTLE THINGS THAT RUN THE WORLD shows us how to save native bees and other insects. Doug Tallamy tells us why, and how to do this in your own backyard, in a seminar presented by the City of Guelph and Pollination Guelph https://youtu.be/HjD0bbcAFXI
RESOURCES FROM Erica Guttman – https://www.nativeplantsalvage.org/naturescaping-resources
Topics include:
Erica’s Favorite Books for Naturescaping
Tools for Naturescaping
Plants: Picking Your Plants
Plants: Veggies
Plants: Where To Get Plants
Plants: Lawns
Design & Planning: Layout
Design & Planning: Sustainable Landscaping
Design & Planning: Small Spaces Gardening
Design & Planning: Watering & Landscaping
Design & Planning: How to Select a Landscape Professional
Drainage: Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Rain Gardens & More
Maintaining: Beneficial Wildlife
Maintaining: Pest Control
Maintaining: Disease Control
Maintaining: Quality Pruning for Plant Health (general)
Maintaining: Quality Pruning for Plant Health – Fruit Trees
Maintaining: Controlling Invasive Plants
Soil
Mulch & Wood Chips
Water Resources
https://www.nwf.org/garden
https://www.nwf.org/Garden-
Keystone plants for PNW Ecoregion 6 – NW Forested Mountains
Keystone plants for PNW Ecoregion 7 – Marine West Coast Forest
RESOURCES from Andrea O’Farrell
Where to find Native Plants in the Seattle Area
King Conservation District Native Plant Sale (there are other Conservation District sales in nearby counties as well) Plant pickups will be March 12 and 13, 2022
Northwest Meadowscapes (online)
Recommended Books:
Grow Your Own Native Landscape
Written and Edited by Michael Leigh
A Guide to Identifying, Propagating & Landscaping with Western Washington Native Plants.
Live Staking (Propagate your own plants! Free and easy!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qZpkjSccUA&t=229s
Plants best suited for live staking (let’s share if we can)
Willow- Sitka willow and Pacific Willow
Black Cottonwood
Pacific Ninebark
Red Osier Dogwood
Snowberry
Hard hack
Twinberry
Indian Plum (Oso Berry)
Red Flowering Currant
Ditch Your Lawn – 12 Favorite Natives from Lawn Love
https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-native-plants-seattle/
Pacific bleeding heart
Tall mountain shooting star
Red columbine
Common camas
Wild ginger (asarum caudatum)
Red-osier dogwood
Red flowering currant
Evergreen huckleberry
Salal
Wild ginger
Indian plum
Vine maple
Oregon grape
Bringing Nature Home– Homegrown National Park
In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.
–Doug Tallamy
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationWow, what an amazing collection of resources!