Urbanish Gardening

11/12/2021

"Landscapers" kill me.

11/07/2021

Love this sign!

Would you believe we encountered a gardening company last week that was already clear-cutting perennials in September!?...some sort of super-early Fall Cleanup. Early yes, but also an outdated gardening practice which should be a thing of the past.

And so it seems we need to get our signs out earlier than anticipated if we want to have any hope of changing gardening habits and creating better land stewards.

Maybe someone will see one of our signs, ponder our message, search the web for more info, realize how much our local wildlife are struggling, maybe even discover Doug Tallamy, and start taking a gentler approach to Fall gardening 🤞🏻

05/02/2021

Dead.

Also, HOAs blow.

04/13/2021

This.

04/04/2021

Young dandelion greens. Half of tonight's dinner.

04/03/2021

Listen up.

Last year when everyone was locked up at home, many folks took up gardening to while away the time and to make their yards "nice" for quarantine.

THIS REALLY FU**ED THINGS UP.

Why?

For one, people hired companies like Mosquito Joe (just seriously, f**k those people with that folksy name, just f**k them) to rid their yards of mosquitos. Because OMG BUGS THEY ARE SO TERRIBLE!

And in doing so, they killed overwintering pollinators, too.

And, two, they started yard maintenance WAYYYY too f**king early. Again, killing off all those poor native moths & bees & bugs living in what these white normal folks deem "yard waste." Seriously, f**k all of you.

And then three: All sorts of basic-ass bi***es and their obsession with plants. Sh*tty-ass cultivars, tropicals for inside in terrible health and treated with all sorts of chemicals. Man, you guys are the f**king worst.

Then the invasive s**t. Please, don't buy your plants at hardware stores. Just don't, for one. Even the okay plants aren't ok. And when you go to the local nursery, please do you research. Those "good" plants (the natives) with funny names? They are s**tty plants. They won't outlive a layer of oak leaves. They won't take the abuse and conditions of plants actually acclimated to our environment.

Anyway, last year, in my amazing, pollinator-friendly garden, I had like ZERO butterflies, ZERO. And I suspect it was the ding dongs around me who sprayed (and sprayed a lot!) and decided to garden way too early in the season. Thanks for f**king s**t up, neighbors! You're the best.

You can fight invasive species while you shop this spring! Just because a plant is for sale doesn't mean it is not invasive or that it is good for our environment! Tell retailers you want to !

Find retailers who have committed to selling natives and no invasives at www.BuyIndianaNatives.org

03/28/2021

THIS.

The landscaping season has started again. Many of us are reluctant to start a conversation with their landscaper. We think of them as professionals with experience who know better. But it doesn't require any plant knowledge to become a landscaper and, regretfully, most landscapers know more about their engines than about the soil. Our website offers information for home owners AND landscapers. With the right information and our help, landscapers can transform conventional landscapes into sources for carbon storage, food and biodiversity. www.healthyyards.org

03/27/2021

I'll take a lawn of flowering "weeds" over grass any day. You?

03/16/2021

Big middle finger to Royse Toxic Lawn Service. Came home to the house next door and the house behind me freshly poisoned.

10/01/2020

Shrink the lawn, feed the soil...

And plant!

Native wildflowers & grasses are much more rewarding (and easier to maintain, really!) than that perfectly manicured grass. Seriously.

Americans use enormous quantities of water, fuel, fertilizers, and pesticides to make lawn grow vigorously, only to then spend time and money weekly to keep it short. So why, even amidst growing ecological awareness, do lawns continue to dominate our landscapes? Some reasons for lawns make sense, bu...

09/24/2020

It's the season to plant. And transplant.

Making room for a serviceberry tree.

And giving lots of seedlings & new shoots to friends.

Also a friendly reminder: Leave the leaves.