Nurture Native Nature

Creating Healthy Local Ecosystems

Welcome to Nurture Native Nature, a blog about my ongoing journey creating a wildlife sanctuary in my own small piece of our precious earth. Hopefully I can help

make it easier for you to do the same.

oakleaf hydrangea, chipola river ticksee

Be Greedy About Supporting Wildlife in Your Yard!

OR How to optimize the habitat value of your yard. In his book Nature’s Best Hope Doug Tallamy explains how “greedy” he is when it...

ljmarkson

Jun 20, 20213 min read

Add a Mini Nature Center to Your Wildlife Habitat Yard

OR How I created the Homestead Nature Center with a little help from my family As restorative as my naturescaped yard is for the...

ljmarkson

Apr 26, 20213 min read

Atlanta Area Spring 2021 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

Last spring most of the spring native plant sales vanished because of the pandemic. This spring a little normalcy has returned, but...

ljmarkson

Apr 5, 20215 min read

Add Purple-Hued Spring Native Plants to Your Naturescape

Getting people to slow down and appreciate the often nuanced and diminutive delightfulness of native plant flowers, particularly in...

ljmarkson

Apr 2, 20213 min read

You Can Only Have a Native Violet Bouquet if You Grow It

Non-native roses are widely admired. Native violet’s value is underestimated. But if you grow violets in your yard. Nature will be...

ljmarkson

Mar 22, 20212 min read

Reasons to Certify Your Naturalized Yard

In the summer when everything is at their peak countless people walking by smile and warmly thank me for my magical and exuberant yard...

ljmarkson

Feb 17, 20213 min read

Native Wild Strawberry Fields Forever

On the interactive National Wildlife Federation site you can punch in your zip code and learn the top butterfly and moth host plants in...

ljmarkson

Feb 5, 20213 min read

Replace Non-native Shrubs With High Impact Native Shrubs

Rewilding a semi-urban yard to create an eco-friendly sanctuary is more emotional than I anticipated. Almost a year and a half ago after...

ljmarkson

Jan 31, 20213 min read

Native Plant Winter Sowing FAQs

Winter sowing is so popular and timely that I’ve received a number of questions since my post on the topic. Hopefully by answering the...

ljmarkson

Jan 20, 20215 min read

Native Plant Seeds are Ideal for Winter Sowing

OR Tips for Winter Sowing Native Plant Seeds Using Foil Roasting Pans With Lids. Winter sowing is a way to germinate seeds by mimicking...

ljmarkson

Jan 14, 20213 min read

Plant a Glorious Goldenrod Garden This Year!

OR Do You Think Growing 19 Varieties of Goldenrod is Enough?! I currently have more varieties of goldenrod than any other native plant...

ljmarkson

Jan 10, 20213 min read

Nine Bright and Easy Native Goldenrods to Add to Your Atlanta Naturescape (Natural Landscape)

OR Add Biodiversity to Your Native Plant Habitat with More Goldenrod` OR Can You Ever Really Have Enough Goldenrod? (Edited 12.3.22 to...

ljmarkson

Jan 5, 20214 min read

Why Goldenrod is Native Plant Gold

OR Goldenrod's Many Charms. In my previous post I explain why everyone in the native plant world is talking about goldenrod (solidago). A...

ljmarkson

Dec 31, 20202 min read

Goldenrod (Solidago) is Trending!

OR If You Only Add One Native Plant to Your Yard, Make it Goldenrod! Keystone plant species are what native plant guru Doug Tallamy calls...

ljmarkson

Dec 29, 20202 min read

In Defense of Grasshoppers

OR Without Grasshoppers We Won't Have Birds. On a recent balmy winter day, I walked down a path in my yard and a handful of grasshoppers...

ljmarkson

Dec 12, 20202 min read

I'm An Eco Bag Lady

OR I'm a Naturescape Organic Matter Scavenger Part Two. Much to the embarrassment of my sweet husband, I’m an eco bag lady. When we walk...

ljmarkson

Dec 9, 20203 min read