Author: Joe Sarnicola Now that we have a better understanding of the differences between dirt and soil, we should probably examine what is happening in our soil a little more closely. When we look at our gardens, we probably see flowers, shrubs, trees, maybe a sandy spot for ground bees, but are we thinking about […] Continue reading "The Soil/Food Web"

Author: Joe Sarnicola After working in your garden, have you soiled your hands, or have you only gotten them dirty? You may ask in reply, “Aren’t they both the same question?” Nope, and here’s why. Soil contains living organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, all which support plant life. Dirt has none of these, […] Continue reading "The Importance of Healthy Soil"

Author: Joe Sarnicola Judging by the array of pesticides in a typical big box store it would be easy to believe that every insect should be killed on site and every flower and shrub treated to prevent any new ones from coming around. Unfortunately, that is how many casual gardeners feel. Yet, one of the […] Continue reading "Bugs in the Garden? Oh, My!"

Author: Joe Sarnicola When many of us hear the term “keystone” we may think of the wedge stone that locks the other stones of an arch in place, silent movie cops, Pennsylvania (Keystone State), or even a brand of beer. I doubt many people associate keystones with plants. But they should. Wild Ones promotes the […] Continue reading "Keystone Plants"

Author: Joe Sarnicola Biodiversity. That’s a big word we hear all the time, but what does it really mean?The word itself has its origins in both ancient Greek and Latin. “Bio” is from the Greek word for life, and “diversity” is from the Latin word for variety. Biodiversity is a contracted form of biological diversity. […] Continue reading "On Biodiversity"

Author: Joe Sarnicola For people who are new to native plant gardening it can seem a bit overwhelming at first. Latin names (anyone remember taking Latin in high school? Lot of good it did me.), bushes and shrubs are not exactly the same thing, not to mention ecozones and ecosystems, and then there is sandy, […] Continue reading "Starting Small"

Author: Joe Sarnicola This is a letter I wrote to the Citizen (Auburn’s newspaper) a couple weeks ago. I thought this would be a good place to share it as well. Over the past few years I have learned that our environment is fragile and even slightly broken. I have also learned that by converting […] Continue reading "Backyard Beginnings: How a Native Garden Can Help Heal Our Shared Home"