Hazel alder (Alnus serrulata) is blooming now with its showy yellow catkins. The female flowerheads look like little pinecones. It’s native from TX to ME & is an important wetland plant because it fixes nitrogen in its root nodules using Actinomyces, a class of anaerobic bacteria. Nature is amazing!

The winged elm (Ulmus alata) is a graceful medium-sized tree native from VA to TX & North FL. The corky extensions on its branches are the inspiration for its name. Read about how I handled this distressed winged elm & the results 10 years later: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2020/07/wing...

Climate change is real! With unusual cold spells, more droughts, more fires, & rising seas. While earth-friendly actions we take in our yards & communities may seem insignificant, many millions of homeowners are a powerful force. We can do this: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2024/12/its-...

Cute bird's nest fungi, (in the Nidulariaceae (from "nidulus": "small nest") family) covered my chip pile.

#GrowMoreFood The tomato is classified as a fruit (a berry), but in 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it's a vegetable so tomatoes would be subject to a tariff. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_v._... For more info on tomatoes as a crop, read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-...

#PlantMoreNatives! Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) appreciation post by Native Yardening. This aggressive vine is native to eastern North America & is in the grape family (Vitaceae). It supports birds & moths. For more info, here's its FNPS plant profile: www.fnps.org/plant/parthe...

Our freedom lawn* is debugged and aerated on a regular basis by flocks of white ibis (both the white adults and brown/gray juveniles). This photo shows only about 1/3 of the flock on this day. Our un-poisoned lawn plays an important role in the local ecosystem. *See below for more on freedom lawns.

#Sunrise Take a break from the news and breathe deep! This is a new day and a new opportunity to do something positive for yourself, your family, and for our only planet. I took this "fire-in-the-sky" photo on this date several years ago.

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is easy to grow in Florida. It's drought tolerant once established & makes a versatile shrub in the landscape. AND you'll never need to pay $3.15 per ounce for this wonderful Mediterranean herb again. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2017/12/holi...

#Rethinkthelawn to save money, to support pollinators, to make your yard healthier for your children & your pets, and to improve the water quality in nearby waterways. Let's work to unpoison our lawns & to make them much smaller in 2026!

#AMomentinNature was this amazing sunrise over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, FL. Ahhh... Breathe deep! #NatureHeals

Read this gift article from NY Times for a deep dive into mycorrhizae, underground fungi: “These underground ecosystems play a crucial role in regulating the climate. Soils store about 75% of Earth’s terrestrial carbon & contain close to 60% of Earth’s biodiversity." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/s...

#Sunflower I used this photo to end my presentation on Maya, Aztec, & Inca on the Viking Mars yesterday. All 3 civilizations worshipped the sun as a god & sunflowers were an important crop for them. Guest lecturing on ships is part of my outreach. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2017/03/reac...

#ThereisNoPlanetB! Sue Reed & I did not debate climate or its causes in our award-winning book, "Climate-Wise Landscaping: Practical Actions for a Sustainable Future," but we said let’s roll up our sleeves to convert our yards & communities to be more Earth-Friendly. www.climatewiselandscaping.com

Some things to think about from Native Yardening: Things my native yard provides that a lawn could never: ⛈ Stormwater management 💪 Climate resilience 🍄 Healthy soil 🐦 Wildlife habitat 🦋 Pollinator breeding grounds ♻ A living ecosystem & much more: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/05/our-...

#SoilEcosystem "A small Douglas fir tree grown in a glass box reveals the level of white, finely branched mycorrhizal threads or "mycelium" that attach to roots and feed the plant." Soil sequesters 4 times more carbon than all terrestrial plants. We must stop treating our precious soil like dirt!

When current events are too depressing, we are not helpless. We can step back and take some positive steps for ourselves, our families, & friends. And it's especially important for our grandkids that we do something positive for our only planet as this Nature Conservancy graphic suggests.

#EatMorePlants! This NY Times article highlights why grass-fed beef does not have a lighter global footprint than factory farmed beef. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...

#AMomentinNature is appreciating this magnified leaf pore (stomate), which is open & is allowing air & water to flow in & out of the leaf. The plant uses CO2 from the air for photosynthesis to make sugar with O2 released as a gas. Most organisms depend on this amazing process for energy for life.

Lichens are a result of a symbiotic relationship of a fungus, a photosynthetic partner, either green algae or cyanobacteria, or both, & as recently discovered, bacteria. FYI, lichens are beneficial in their ecosystems & do not harm trees. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2020/11/lich...

Read this article based on an interview with me. “How to turn your backyard into a carbon sink: 4 steps to replace your lawn with a carbon-sequestering garden” “I can sum it up in one sentence, “We need to stop treating our soil like dirt.” thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/38003/how-to...

#NatureHeals When current events are too depressing, getting out in nature helps to restore our well-being. Here are 2 Wood Storks, aka Ironheads, in the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, FL at sunrise. OK, breathe deep!

Salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is an easy-to-grow perennial crop in the rose family (Rosaceae) that is native to Europe & Africa. Leaves taste like cucumbers. It's easy to grow from seed. It's best to plant this with other perennial crops. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/02/sala...

#GardeningForTheBirds includes: -No landscape-wide pesticides (including lawn chemicals), -Groups of native trees, shrubs, bunching grasses, & ground covers. Ideas for bird-friendly habitat are in "Climate-Wise Landscaping: Practical Actions for a Sustainable Future." www.climatewiselandscaping.com

#AMomentinNature was seeing and listening to this Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) high in a mostly bare tree. They are exuberant singers, with one of the largest repertoires of any North American songbird. For more info: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_...

Making a resolution to garden more into the new year will be good for you in several ways. If you also want your gardening to be good for our only planet, read our award-winning book: www.climatewiselandscaping.com

#NewYear2026 Make a resolution to remove more lawn & add more native plants this coming year. Doug Tallamy's research shows that even for small yards, natives make a big difference for birds and pollinators. Tallamy wrote the Foreword for "Climate-Wise Landscaping" www.climatewiselandscaping.com

#ThereisNoPlanetB! As my daughter and granddaughter move into the future, I wish to leave our Mother Earth in the best shape possible. This is why I work so hard for environmental causes. Won't you join me? My article lists ideas to fight back: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-gr...

#PlantMoreNatives! Wax myrtle (Morella cerifera) is an easy-to-grow evergreen shrub that's native fron NJ to TX. It's dioecious (male and female flowers borne on separate plants). Female trees produce waxy fruit that feed migrating birds in winter. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/01/wax-...

#Sunrise A murder of crows decorated this sepia-toned sunrise on this date a few years ago. Sunrises are a great reminder that doing something positive for others or for our only planet each day leads to a better world in the long run.

Florida betony (Stachys floridana) is an aggressive perennial wildflower. It's also known rattlesnake weed because of its rattle-like tuber, which are edible when harvested in the spring when they are firm and white. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2026/01/flor...

#happynewyear2026! I wish ample harvests for you in the coming year! Here's a link to my article on growing tomatoes and a bit of their surprising history as a crop: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-...

Looking for a planet-friendly resolution for 2026? The easiest, most significant action you can take is to commit intentional "Lawn-i-cide." Thanks to Billy Goodnick for this quote that we used in "Climate-Wise Landscaping: Practical Actions for a Sustainable Future." www.ClimatWiseLandscaping.com

#GoodNews for our only planet in this NY Times gift article: "We Asked for Environmental Fixes in Your State. You Sent In Thousands." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

#NewYear2026 Of all the resolutions you could make for the new year, stopping all landscape-wide applications of pesticides and fertilizers is the easiest to do; is healthier for you, your family & pets; has the most impact on our only planet; & you'll save money. #ThereisNoPlanetB!

#JaneGoodall was my hero. As 2025 comes to a close without her, take a moment to reflect on steps we’ve each taken to make the world a better place. Whether planting a tree, reducing waste, or advocating for wildlife, every action adds up to something bigger. 🌍 It's up to us to carry her torch.

#NewYear2026 I urge you to be more active in #EcosystemGardening in your yard & your community (including shared community property, school yards, church yards, municipal properties & more) in the new year. Enjoy! Read my birds-of-prey article: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2020/06/bird...

Every day is an opportunity to do something to improve our only planet. #ThereisNoPlanetB!

#BoxingDay We celebrate with roselle pie & Greek yogurt for breakfast. Yummy! For more on roselle, how to grow it in Florida, & the recipe for this pie (Nantucket cranberry pie but made with roselle instead) in this article: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/11/rose...

#Science Read this NY Times gift article: Fairy lantern (Thismia selangorensis) is a mycoheterotroph, a plant that parasitizes fungi. It has short, stumpy roots that the researchers describe as “coral-like,” wherein fungi are likely housed and manipulated. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/s...

#Holidays2025 A gardener's wish for a bountiful holiday season and beyond.

#Chritmas2025 Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a drought-tolerant, winter-blooming Mediterranean shrub. It's an herb which has been immortalized in song and classic literature, plus it plays a part in a charming legend of Christmas. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2017/12/holi...

#WinterSolstice2025 is 10:03am EST. This has been celebrated for millennia because the days will get longer. So, I wish you a happy Winter Solstice, Saturnalia, Christmas, New Year's Day & know that your plants also celebrating the longer days. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2020/12/cele...

#Holidays2025 Make a resolution to add more native plants and remove more lawn this coming year. Doug Tallamy's research shows that even for small yards, natives make a big difference for birds and pollinators. Tallamy wrote the Foreword for "Climate-Wise Landscaping" www.climatewiselandscaping.com

Tropical sage (Salvia coccinea), a beautiful, easy-to-grow wildflower in the mint family, is native to SE states & most of Florida. It has a long blooming cycle, so in Florida, its red flowers are usually available for holiday decorations. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/12/trop...

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), a Mexican native, is the most popular potted plant in the US, but 90% are sold in just 6-weeks. I'd planted these 2 & put them where they'd get no artificial nighttime light, because they need long nights to bloom the next year. www.sky-bolt.com/garden/poins...

#Holidays2025 We will be spending more time outside during the holiday season to find peace that is offered by Nature every day. A bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) silhouetted by the sunrise over the St. Johns River at Spring Park in Green Cove Springs, Floirda.

Photos of 2 hibiscus plants on the same Dec. day in North Florida. The native hibiscus, scarlet rosemallow (Hibiscus coccineus) loses its leaves for winter, while exotic hibiscus plants keep blooming until they are killed back by frost. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2023/05/hibi...

#Holidays2025 The holidays are a good reminder to take better care of our only planet. To help you get started, Sue Reed & I have provided 100s of Earth-friendly actions in our award-winning book, "Climate-Wise Landscaping: Practical Actions for a Sustainable Future." www.climatewiselandscaping.com

#PlantMoreTrees because: - Trees actually cool the air. - Trees sequester carbon. - Trees produce oxygen & absorb pollutants including carbon monoxide. - Trees provide important habitat. - Trees remove pollutants & sediments from stormwater runoff. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-...