Resources

Native Plants and Gardening for Wildlife

Bringing Nature Home, by Douglas Tallamy, Timber Press, 2007.

If you read only one gardening book this year (or even in your lifetime), let it be this one.

A comprehensive, yet extremely readable book that details the connection between native plants, insects, and wildlife. This is a groundbreaking book in every sense of the word. I predict that this book, and the associated research, will win Dr. Tallamy the Nobel Prize one day. Dr. Tallamy makes the case that native plants play a crucial role in sustaining native insects, which in turn provide food for wildlife; populations of wildlife are suffering and will continue to decline unless native plants are incorporated back into our alien-dominated landscapes. This is not theoretical - Dr. Tallamy has done extensive research, and looked at the research of others, and the compiled evidence is convincing. This book is the reason that Sugarbush Nursery became an exclusively native plants nursery as of 2009.

The book would be worth the purchase price just for the excellent reference lists included: a complete list of the plant varieties associated with each type of butterfly found in the US, and plants with high wildlife value for all parts of the country. This is an essential reference book that every gardener should own. Available from booksellers everywhere, or at Sugarbush.


PA Native Plants with High Wildlife Value

Detailed information on the distribution of plants with high wildlife value across the state, including whether or not they are native to Berks. Developed Sugarbush by cross-referencing Dr. Tallamy's research with a floral atlas of PA.

Native Plants for Wildlife Conservation and Landscaping, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This publication is a great full-color primer on native plants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed area, with excellent reference lists for plants appropriate to all sorts of conditions. An online version is available, and very easy to use; the publication itself appears to be out of print at the moment.

Articles by Sugarbush Nursery

Other Articles of Interest


Invasive Plants

Invasive Plants of PA Tutorial from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

A full list of all invasive plants in PA, helpfully broken into categories for easy identification. This is a great place to start to try to identify if a species on your property is classified as invasive, or on the watch list.

Weeds Gone Wild, from the Plant Conservation Alliance

This is a fantastic series of fact sheets on a variety of invasive plants, with excellent tips for proper ID and management.

 

Also, see the Sugarbush Blog for a variety of entries on native plants, invasives, and general gardening.