Show #37/1711. Gardening With Less Than 10 Inches Of Rain

Native Plants

Joe makes the point that many viewers across the country may not be able to see how this show applies to them. What is Kirk's take on that thought? Kirk feels everybody can plant natives. No matter where one lives, contact your native plant society, find out what plants are best for drawing butterflies or birds to your yard, as an example. One doesn't need all natives, just plant one or two natives. If you like Monarch butterflies, plant a Butterfly weed, it will draw that butterfly to your yard. Planting natives is going to help bridge the ever widening gap between open natural spaces and the developed areas. Natives support local fauna, natives are adapted to your climate, they will grow better and easier. With other plants you often need to worry about special requirements, like intensive watering, because they might have come from an area that was colder or hotter, wetter or drier. The bottom line is once established native plants require a lot less maintenance and particularly require less water, which is a diminishing resource all over the world. Bottom line the eco systems are maintained by diversity supported by those native plants and that's important no matter where one lives.