 Page 2 ? JOANNE RICHARD Special to Sun Media Forget the fussy flora. Ditch the high-maintenance landscaping. Go for natural charm. Plant ecological diversity with wildflowers and other native plants for a fussfree experience and a healthier global environment, says gardening expert and author Lorraine Johnson. For too long we?ve been told the ?ideal? lawns and gardens have to look a certain way. ?But this ideal has significant environmental costs and requires endless weeding, watering and fertilizing,? says Johnson, author of100 Easy to Grow Native Plants (Whitecap). ?We?ve been brainwashed by decades ofadvertising from companies peddling products and by decades ofsocial convention. But as more and more people become aware ofthe risks ofsynthetic chemicals - to the environment, to our health - and aware that water is a precious resource we can no longer waste, I think more and more people are looking for alternatives.? Forget imposing human order on the natural world. Naturalized gardens that embrace the natural beauty are taking root. It?s all about low-care and sustainability. ?One of the easiest and most beneficial alternatives is to garden with native plants - plants that have grown here for thousands of years and are adapted to the climate and soils and conditions,? says Johnson. Native plants are not weeds, she stresses. ?Most garden weeds, for example, dandelions, Queen Anne?s lace, creeping Charlie - are actually non-native introduced plants.? According to the celebrated environmental gardener, when you garden with native plants and you match the plants to the conditions in your garden, you won?t need to use as much water and you won?t need to use synthetic pesticides. Plus, you?ll be attracting birds and butterflies and creating various habitats, from pretty prairie pockets oflush urban woodlands. Ifyou?ve got shade, consider planting native woodland plants. ?There are so many beautiful THE EXAMINER ? THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009 LANDSCAPING:Plant ecological diversity with wild flowersForget fussy flora, go for natural charm?We Grow It So Much Better?A suburban flower gardenRoses$ 500off 2ft. Norway Spruce, Douglas Fir and Colorado Blue Spruce, reg$1599NOW$ 9 99Horling?s Garden Centre3 kms North of Peterborough on Lakefield Hwy.652-797963603133 shade-loving natives to choose from, such as wild ginger, foamflower, hepatica.? In sun, consider native meadow SUN MEDIA photo plants, such as culver?s root, liatris, false sunflower. ?They?re effortless bloomers and provide so much colour in summer.?Come to Burns Water GardensFor everything in and around the water!Central Ontario?s supplier of top quality pond plants & equipmentFor ponds big or small?We stock it all!Water hyacinths, other tropical plants and pond fish available nowJust North of Cobourg off Highway 45 2419 Van Luven Road, Baltimore www.burnswatergardens.ca 905-372-273763621611
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