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
Ecosystems
Ecotypes
Habitat
Micro habitat
noun
Native
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
Senescence
The condition or process of deterioration with age.
Site Analysis
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
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.

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
by Suzanne Simard

The Secret Life of Plants
by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird

National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England
by National Audubon Society

by National Audubon Society
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

Wildflowers of New England
by Ted Elliman

Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change
by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher

The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden
by Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (BBG Guides for a Greener Planet)
by C. Colston Burrell

Grasses, Sedges, Rushes: An Identification Guide
by Lauren Brown and Ted Elliman
Lists and Documents
Keystone Plants for Lepidoptera
Native Pollinator Plants by Season
Invasive Plants
Where to Source Native Plants
Ecological Garden Techniques
Landscaping for Life: The Top 10
Created by Jan Jaffe Wilder
Keystone Native Plants: Eastern Temperate Forests – Ecoregion 8
Deer Resistant Plants
Native Ground Cover
Tough Plants for Tough Spots
4 Ways Your Garden Can Support More Pollinators
Multi-season Interest/full sun dry conditions
GEGear Lab at UMass Dartmouth—Native Plants to Support MA Bee Population
MA Natural Community Fact Sheets
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