In this episode we check out Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano, California - this is a nursery entirely dedicated to growing native plants from the regions of Southern California & Baja California Mexico, which are both part of the California Floristic Province.
Though the episode focuses on the charismatic flora of Southern California and Baja, the important take-away here is that EVERY region has its own list of native plants and a cast of native plant species that compose the living fabric of that particular place or region. Sadly, many of us growing up in these places often have no idea what those plant species are, so we end up planting tacky, over-used horticultural garbage from the Home Despot™️ Garden Center.
The purpose of this episode is to show how rewarding it is to grow native plants. Do you feel like attacking someone with a crowbar when you get home from work? Does life in modern society leave you feeling empty and useless and hungry for things you don't need? Does your role as a nameless consumer in a grotesque retail economy slowly eat at your soul? Native plants can serve as an antidote to that. Try to recreate the habitat that once grew where your house now stands and watch the birds and insects that once lived there come back to enjoy the plants you've planted and are now growing in your yard. Even planting non-native (but also non-invasive - there's a difference) can be extremely rewarding and make you feel less like drinking a gallon of bleach after spending an hour on the phone with the gas company after you found out they overcharged you $80.
Tree of Life Nursery is a great example of a place to procure these plants if you're unable to grow them from seed yourself, and every region usually has a native plant nursery as this healthy trend (one of the few) starts to spread.
Thanks to Kevin Allison for helping produce this episode.
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