Gardening with Native Plants

Getting Started

• Why Native Plants? [Wild Ones]
• Reducing Lawns Increases Happiness: Advantages of Replacing Lawn with Native Plants [Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed]
• Create Your Garden Plan [Wild Ones]
• How to Grow a Prairie from Seed [Prairie Moon Nursery]
• Your New Oak Tree [Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed]

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Native Plant Species Information

• Native Plant Finder [National Wildlife Federation]
• Keystone Native Plants (Eastern Temperate Forest Ecoregion) [National Wildlife Federation]

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Plant Identification

• iNaturalist – Website, apps for Android & IOS (free)
• PictureThis – Website, apps for Android & IOS (free & paid options.)

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What to Plant Where

• Free Native Garden Designs [Wild Ones]
• Plant by Numbers – Native plants, Garden Guides and sample designs to support pollinators [The Ohio State University]

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Creating Habitat for Wildlife

• How to Attract Birds & Butterflies [Prairie Moon Nursery]
• How to Create Habitat for Stem-Nesting Bees [The Xerces Society]
• Nesting & Overwintering Habitat for Pollinators & Other Beneficial Insects [The Xerces Society]
• Nature Scoop Newsletters [Toni Stahl, Habitat Ambassador, The National Wildlife Federation]
• Plant lists, fact sheets, and posters for bees, wasps, and other beneficial insects. Free for educational use. [Heather Holm]

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Books

• “The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants,” by Neil Diboll & Hilary Cox
• “Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design,” by Benjamin Vogt
• “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard,” by Douglas W. Tallamy
• “The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees,” by Douglas W. Tallamy.
• “Bringing Nature Home, Updated and Expanded: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants,” (Audible audiobook) by Douglas W. Tallamy, Rick Darke – foreword, Jonathan Todd Ross – narrator
• “The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden,” by Rick Darke and Douglas W. Tallamy
• “National Wildlife Federation(R): Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife, Expanded Second Edition (Creative Homeowner) 17 Projects & Step-by-Step Instructions to Give Back to Nature,” by David Mizejewski

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For Kids

• Ohio Spring Wildflower Activity Book [Ohio Department of Natural Resources]
• “Nature’s Best Hope (Young Readers’ Edition): How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard,” by by Sarah L. Thomson, Douglas W. Tallamy