For the Love of Native Plants Just one makes a difference.
How I fell in love…
My Grandparents planted and tended huge vegetable gardens with rows and rows of vegetables. They worked tirelessly in their garden, and I always reaped the benefits of their efforts by eating the harvest.
Growing up, my parents had a greenhouse full of plants as well as a vegetable garden full of tomatoes, peppers, and onions. And I remember having apple and fig trees in our yard too. My Mom made delicious Apple Crisp and jars of fig preserves.
Once I graduated college and I was on my own, I always had patio vegetable plants and indoor plants. My focus was growing plants that would easily thrive in containers on my apartment balcony...like jalapeno peppers or tomatoes.
When I got married and moved into a house, my husband built raised gardens so that I could grow vegetables to my hearts’ content. We have a greenhouse, compost bins and rain barrels too. I completely “remodeled” our entire landscape by pulling out all the existing rows of boring hedges to start with a blank canvas.
Fast forward to now, I spend a lot of time in my garden growing vegetables and planting native perennials, pollinator gardens, shrubs, and trees. I love plants so much that I went back to school for a Horticulture degree and started my own Landscape Design business. I joke with friends and tell them they can call me the Crazy Plant Lady or Mrs. Smarty Plants! I almost feel as though pure plant juice is running through my veins. It brings me peace and happiness to be around nature, and all of God’s Creation. I want to give back to this world and make it a better place...one home at a time.
This love of plants is one that God instilled in my heart from a very early age. It just took me a long time to realize that I could combine my passion for plants and a love of creativity and design to build a career.
First, I became certified as a Tarrant County Master Gardener through the local county Extension Office in 2016. There was a wealth of information available for learning, and many experienced people willing to teach me. Next, I enrolled in college to secure my Horticulture degree. I graduated in 2020, but I continue taking classes and gaining certifications in this field to help grow my knowledge. With all of this new information, I used my own landscape as a blank canvas and as a demo garden to test my new knowledge firsthand. I launched my landscape design business in January 2019. I am so grateful for my wonderful and happy clients!
I am blessed to wake up excited each day doing what I love and teaching people to care for their landscapes. I enjoy watching the transformation of someone’s yard into a beautiful and sustainable landscape. And I delight in creating beautiful and relaxing outdoor rooms for clients to retreat to for peace and quiet in nature with their loved ones.
My true love is for Native plants.
Native plants have evolved naturally in a certain geographic region (like the state of Texas) over extended periods of time. Native plants are defined as any plants that occurred in North America before European Settlement (1600-1700s).
What is a Native Plant? Here is a great article about them.
Why Native Plants?
They are drought tolerant, so they preserve our precious water resources.
They provide habitat and food for birds, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife.
They do not need special pampering or fertilizing.
They are natural to their ecosystem.
They help us maintain biological diversity.
They are most resistant to pests.
And guess what the NUMBER ONE residential landscape client request is in my area?
Clients all want a very low maintenance, yet beautiful, landscape. This means that they do not want to spend a lot of time watering, weeding, pruning, or maintaining their landscape. They prefer plants that thrive and do well with little help from us!
How can you help?
Plant one native plant in your landscape.
Read about native plants in your area and learn.
Tell friends and neighbors about native plants.
Join the Native Plant Society Chapter in your area.
Slowly replace your lawn and grass with native plants
If you need some encouragement and some resources on how to get started, here is a great article about How to Turn Your Yard Into an Ecological Oasis!
Believe me, there are so many great resources and organizations that are eager and willing to help you!
A great resource to learn about Native Plants:
Where to find and buy Native Plants in Texas:
Value-added books to learn more about Native Texas Plants:
Landscaping with Native Texas Plants
Range Plants of North Central Texas
Disclaimer: I often include links to whatever I am writing about in my posts, and as such this post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission (at no extra cost to you).