Resources

Following are organizations, websites, and books to help you on your journey to a richer, more sustainable, more natural garden.

Organizations

I have affiliations with the following organizations. All  are dedicated to sustainable  landscaping and gardening.

Researching Your
Ecoregion & Plant Databases

For information about the most appropriate native plants for your ecoregion (click on the logos to visit their sites):

To look up your ecoregion.

Also lists locations to purchase plants and seeds

Native Plant Database

Native Plant Database

Native Plant Database

Native Plant Database

Presentations

Vocabulary

Colonization

noun
Colonization is the occupation of a habitat or territory by a biological community or of an ecological niche by a single population of a species.

Disturbance

noun
“any event that is relatively discrete” in time and space “that disrupts the structure of an ecosystem, community, or population, and changes resource availability or the physical environment” (White and Pickett, 1985)

Ecoregion
noun
area where ecosystems are generally similar.
Ecosystems
noun
a community or group of living organisms that live in and interact with each other in a specific environment.
Ecotypes
noun
a distinct form or race of a plant or animal species occupying a particular habitat.
Habitat
noun
the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Micro habitat

noun

A habitat which is of small or limited extent and which differs in character from some surrounding more extensive habitat.
Native
adjective
(of a plant or animal) of indigenous origin or growth.
Niche

noun
(1) the specific area where an organism inhabits, (2) the role or function of an organism or species in an ecosystem, or (3) the interrelationship of a species with all the biotic and abiotic factors affecting it.
biologyonline.com

Plant Community
noun
a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant community are influenced by soil type, topography, climate and human disturbance.
Senescence
noun
The condition or process of deterioration with age.
Site Analysis
noun

A study of the site or property to analyze the features found there including physical and environmental factors such as sun exposure, soil quality, drainage, existing structures or plantings.

Succession
noun

The process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time. Two different types of succession—primary and secondary—have been distinguished. Primary succession occurs in essentially lifeless areas—regions in which the soil is incapable of sustaining life as a result of such factors as lava flows, newly formed sand dunes, or rocks left from a retreating glacier. Secondary succession occurs in areas where a community that previously existed has been removed; it is typified by smaller-scale disturbances that do not eliminate all life and nutrients from the environment.

Synergistic Gardening

noun

Synergistic gardening is a system of organic gardening where after establishing the garden, there is no further digging, ploughing or tilling, and no use of external inputs such as manures and other fertilizers, or pesticides. Soil health is maintained by the selection of plants, mulching, and recycling of plant residues.

Synergistic Plant List

noun

Determining plant choices based on beneficial proximity of various species of plants. 

Books

Following is a list of books you may find helpful. I am not an affiliate, nor do I receive any compensation for your purchases.

The Secret Life of Plants
by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird

Books

Following is a list of books you may find helpful. I am not an affiliate, nor do I receive any compensation for your purchases.

Native Plants for New England Gardens
by Mark Richardson and Dan Jaffe

Where to Look for Native Seeds

Following is a list of our favorite seed suppliers.

Bluestem Natives

Prairie Moon Nursery

Ernst Seeds

F.W. Schumacher

Prairie Nursery

Roundstone Native Seed Company

Vermont Wildflower Farm

Wild Seed Project

Where to Look for Native Plants

Following is a list of our favorite nurseries to look for native plants.

Bluestem Natives

Norwell, MA

Helia Native Nursery

Stockbridge, MA

Izel Plants

Various Locations East Coast

Native Plant Trust (and Nasami Farm)

Framingham and South Deerfield, MA 

New England Wetland Plants

South Hadley, MA

North Creek Nurseries

Landenburg, PA

Pinelands Nursery

Columbus, NJ

Planters Choice

Watertown, CT 

Prairie Moon Nursery

Winona, MN

Sudbury Nurseries West

Gill, MA

Van Berkum Nurseries

Deerfield, NH

Wild Ridge Plants

Alpha, NJ