Beginning to Nativize

As a first time homeowner, I spent a lot of time looking at homes online. Rooms, bathrooms, stoves, and fireplaces. I love the outdoors, yet did not pay any attention to what kind of trees, plants, and grasses were on the property. Not that I think that would have influenced anything, it was just an interesting observation.

Upon moving to a new property in June 2025, I have walked almost every foot of the 17 something acre property I now live on. It has been fun to watch how everything lives and breathes and interacts, from the grass to the birds to the trees. I began to wonder what these plants were, because something felt not quite right. I learned that much of what lives on this property is non-native, mostly exotic ornamental plants that feel disconnected from the land around them.

These “status plants” are not necessarily bad, but they are not breathing much life into the land either, and I began to feel more and more bothered by them. No judgment, but choosing to plant these species is far less ecologically useful than choosing natives.

This spring and summer, I’ll be working to shift the land from decorative shrubs to a fuller, more living habitat. I started by digging up the rhododendrons lining the driveway, and I’ll be replacing them with a native shrub that feels more welcoming. And no surprise, they pulled up quickly.