Love it! Could consider adding where/when you can buy native plants
Confident-Jicama-572
this seems super helpful!
hollyrose_baker
You say “keytone” instead of “keystone” under asters
Simple_Daikon
This is a great idea!
A few minor edits: correct spelling of “Metropolitan” in MMSD heading, capitalize all genus names in the plant list and include genus at minimum for shrubs and trees, remove any medicinal claims due to potential liability, and capitalize “north america.”
Ok_Willingness_3981
Perhaps, aside from “leave your lawn”, you could add “don’t cut the withered flowers, seed stands etc. They offer shelter from the cold for lots of tiny creatures and will be gratefully accepted as a winter residence”.
No-Writer-1101
Add some color?
JeffoMcSpeffo
Hell yeah real cool, don’t have much to add other than maybe a couple extra external resources. Is this like a tour of people’s gardens in their front yards? Who is this done with and what city? I’m in Tosa and might be interested
IkaluNappa
A good start. Would add a separate splash section that highlights benefits to the homeowner. People have a transactional relationship with nature. Unfortunate but a reality that you need work with. You’ve vaguely implied the concept of host plants but didn’t name the term specifically. A section detailing your area’s ecoregion would be helpful. It’ll highlight the climate and general soil texture for the reader to work off of. Listing plants to avoid and offering alternative is a popular inclusion for brochures like these. People are surprisingly receptive to such info when you provide the whys and a actionable solution. Aim for guides over propaganda.
The plant suggestion list has some major pit falls. First is obviously the lack of growing conditions. Some goldenrods and asters are aggressive in a garden setting. I’d suggest listing specific well behaved species instead of the whole genus. You’re also being vague with other suggestions. Elderberry for example. There’s the European and the American species. Same for those trees, it’s too vague. Highlight the importance of shopping via botanical name instead of common names. You’re also listing ephemeral plants like the Virginia bluebell but not stating that they’re ephemeral. You don’t want to burn people on misguided expectations. Some of the plants have behaviors that many homeowners don’t want. Like messiness and thicket forming. Again, you want to avoid burning the naïve and ignorant as much as possible. First impression is the name of the game.
Listing resources is great. I’d suggest expanding on it. Include the nfw list of host plant, homegrown national park, and plant range database.
briskiejess
If your goal is to get people to plant a native garden, I’d start with the bullet points that make native gardens more attractive to people. Weirdly, loads of people don’t care about pollinators (it boggles my mind.
I’d probably move the bullet points about saving money and water higher up…
But if you think this is a slightly savvier crowd, I do think the pollinators point is the most important. I just don’t know if it’s the most convincing, unfortunately.
blurryrose
You recommend willows as a tree. I’m my experience, most people think of non native weeping willows when they hear Willow. Maybe be a little more specific?
Then again, given their tendency to infiltrate sewer lines, maybe not a great recommendation for a landscape plant.
mercurialmouth
From a former museum employee who used to write these:
Too much text. People won’t read it.
Your first bullet could be trimmed down to: Plant sundial lupine and golden Alexander to help support endangered native pollinators like the Karner Blue and Black Swallowtail butterflies, which can’t lay eggs on other plants.
Etc etc. It takes some practice, but in general: axe the informative sentences and add that info as supportive phrases in instructional, active sentences.
blightedbody
would use words like Extinction once or twice something on that order because that’s the truth
Lahmmom
Didn’t read. Too many words.
VogUnicornHunter
Oh, hello neighbor! This algorithm is crazy. I just joined Wehr Wild Ones and did the Delafield tour today with the Menominee Falls chapter.
I don’t have anything further to add to the good advice here already. But I would love to support Wild Ones folks like you now that I’m a member. Is it the railroad building tour?
glitzglamglue
I think this is great information and that you should definitely keep it. But I am picturing something that connects to the coneflower that you are handing out or something like this since it’s a garden tour so you’re trying to convince gardeners to go native:
“do bumble bees make you happy? Does the idea of wasting money buying fertilizer and pesticide when you could spend that money buying more seeds feel you with dread? Do you worry that your soil is too rocky or clay-y? Well, good news. Our native plants were specially designed for this environment. That means they need less watering, less fertilizer, less pesticide, and invite more pollinators to your garden.”
Agastach
Great information! I have a huge yard of clover. It’s flowers definitely supports pollinators, sequesters nitrogen for the soil and I use the clippings for c
ewbanh13
too much text, not enough color or visual interest. if you want people into this, you need to make them interested in reading it.
Brat-Fancy
Far too much text. Add an illustration, make it one page, or half a page. Get your main point across. Keep it super simple. Make the text larger.
herereadthis
I mean it’s nice, and you’re not wrong, but ain’t nobody time to read that. There are 2 kinds of gardeners
1. Those who love natives, and already know everything here
2. Those who like the pretty flowers at the garden center
If you want to hook people in #2, you gotta keep it simple. 3 reasons why native plants are better, and 3 reasons why foreign plants are not
Pros of native plants:
1. Native plants are easier to grow. (that’s it. That’s the only thing worth saying. You don’t need a paragraph to explain why. You wait for someone to ask, “but why?” and then you give them the lecture.)
2. Butterflies love native plants. Do you want butterflies in your garden?
3. Native plants bloom longer.
Cons of non-native plants:
1. 1/3 them die real fast unless you spend tons of money on fungicides, insecticides, fertilizers
2. The other 1/3 are invasive and will take over your whole property within a year or two
3. The last 1/3 won’t survive your winter.
19 Comments
Love it! Could consider adding where/when you can buy native plants
this seems super helpful!
You say “keytone” instead of “keystone” under asters
This is a great idea!
A few minor edits: correct spelling of “Metropolitan” in MMSD heading, capitalize all genus names in the plant list and include genus at minimum for shrubs and trees, remove any medicinal claims due to potential liability, and capitalize “north america.”
Perhaps, aside from “leave your lawn”, you could add “don’t cut the withered flowers, seed stands etc. They offer shelter from the cold for lots of tiny creatures and will be gratefully accepted as a winter residence”.
Add some color?
Hell yeah real cool, don’t have much to add other than maybe a couple extra external resources. Is this like a tour of people’s gardens in their front yards? Who is this done with and what city? I’m in Tosa and might be interested
A good start. Would add a separate splash section that highlights benefits to the homeowner. People have a transactional relationship with nature. Unfortunate but a reality that you need work with. You’ve vaguely implied the concept of host plants but didn’t name the term specifically. A section detailing your area’s ecoregion would be helpful. It’ll highlight the climate and general soil texture for the reader to work off of. Listing plants to avoid and offering alternative is a popular inclusion for brochures like these. People are surprisingly receptive to such info when you provide the whys and a actionable solution. Aim for guides over propaganda.
The plant suggestion list has some major pit falls. First is obviously the lack of growing conditions. Some goldenrods and asters are aggressive in a garden setting. I’d suggest listing specific well behaved species instead of the whole genus. You’re also being vague with other suggestions. Elderberry for example. There’s the European and the American species. Same for those trees, it’s too vague. Highlight the importance of shopping via botanical name instead of common names. You’re also listing ephemeral plants like the Virginia bluebell but not stating that they’re ephemeral. You don’t want to burn people on misguided expectations. Some of the plants have behaviors that many homeowners don’t want. Like messiness and thicket forming. Again, you want to avoid burning the naïve and ignorant as much as possible. First impression is the name of the game.
Listing resources is great. I’d suggest expanding on it. Include the nfw list of host plant, homegrown national park, and plant range database.
If your goal is to get people to plant a native garden, I’d start with the bullet points that make native gardens more attractive to people. Weirdly, loads of people don’t care about pollinators (it boggles my mind.
I’d probably move the bullet points about saving money and water higher up…
But if you think this is a slightly savvier crowd, I do think the pollinators point is the most important. I just don’t know if it’s the most convincing, unfortunately.
You recommend willows as a tree. I’m my experience, most people think of non native weeping willows when they hear Willow. Maybe be a little more specific?
Then again, given their tendency to infiltrate sewer lines, maybe not a great recommendation for a landscape plant.
From a former museum employee who used to write these:
Too much text. People won’t read it.
Your first bullet could be trimmed down to: Plant sundial lupine and golden Alexander to help support endangered native pollinators like the Karner Blue and Black Swallowtail butterflies, which can’t lay eggs on other plants.
Etc etc. It takes some practice, but in general: axe the informative sentences and add that info as supportive phrases in instructional, active sentences.
would use words like Extinction once or twice something on that order because that’s the truth
Didn’t read. Too many words.
Oh, hello neighbor! This algorithm is crazy. I just joined Wehr Wild Ones and did the Delafield tour today with the Menominee Falls chapter.
I don’t have anything further to add to the good advice here already. But I would love to support Wild Ones folks like you now that I’m a member. Is it the railroad building tour?
I think this is great information and that you should definitely keep it. But I am picturing something that connects to the coneflower that you are handing out or something like this since it’s a garden tour so you’re trying to convince gardeners to go native:
“do bumble bees make you happy? Does the idea of wasting money buying fertilizer and pesticide when you could spend that money buying more seeds feel you with dread? Do you worry that your soil is too rocky or clay-y? Well, good news. Our native plants were specially designed for this environment. That means they need less watering, less fertilizer, less pesticide, and invite more pollinators to your garden.”
Great information! I have a huge yard of clover. It’s flowers definitely supports pollinators, sequesters nitrogen for the soil and I use the clippings for c
too much text, not enough color or visual interest. if you want people into this, you need to make them interested in reading it.
Far too much text. Add an illustration, make it one page, or half a page. Get your main point across. Keep it super simple. Make the text larger.
I mean it’s nice, and you’re not wrong, but ain’t nobody time to read that. There are 2 kinds of gardeners
1. Those who love natives, and already know everything here
2. Those who like the pretty flowers at the garden center
If you want to hook people in #2, you gotta keep it simple. 3 reasons why native plants are better, and 3 reasons why foreign plants are not
Pros of native plants:
1. Native plants are easier to grow. (that’s it. That’s the only thing worth saying. You don’t need a paragraph to explain why. You wait for someone to ask, “but why?” and then you give them the lecture.)
2. Butterflies love native plants. Do you want butterflies in your garden?
3. Native plants bloom longer.
Cons of non-native plants:
1. 1/3 them die real fast unless you spend tons of money on fungicides, insecticides, fertilizers
2. The other 1/3 are invasive and will take over your whole property within a year or two
3. The last 1/3 won’t survive your winter.