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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I understand the biodiversity and habitat arguments. I really do.

I also don't [i]want[/i] a yard full of bees, and I don't care for the look of native gardens. I want a place for my kids to play and I like to grow vegetables. I am in a constant battle against my neighbors' ivy and creeper, which a yard full of native plants would just make it harder to keep in check.

So I get it ... but I don't do it. [/quote]

Then you don't actually understand the arguments.  A loss of bees and other pollinators would be catastrophic for everyone.  Where do you think your food comes from?  LOTS of food crops rely on pollinators, and the entire ecosystem relies on the food chain of insects and birds.  You don't do it because it's not pretty and you don't like bees.  You don't get it at all.  [/quote]

Do you only plant "native" vegetables too?[/quote]
That’s kind of a red herring in that when people decide to have a vegetable garden, they’re not usually displacing a lot of habitat, whereas the people who like their big, sterile monoculture lawns make the decision to have only plants like petunias and begonias similar. Things that offer absolutely zero nutrition or habitat to native birds, bees and other insects. And what’s more they argue about this, that it doesn’t matter that there’s no habitat, that it doesn’t matter that we’ve lost 70% of our birds, that none of this matters and no actions anyone takes will have an effect.

Also, in my experience, your average vegetable gardener is usually happy to plant native flowers in their yard since they understand that we’re part of a big web. Or at least not to ignorantly argue that there’s no value to it.[/quote]

Just pointing out that a lot of what we grow and eat is NOT native, so the native plant purists are generally being hypocritical about it.  And you're making a lot of generalizations here- I used to work at a garden center and there were plenty of people who bought a whole mix of everything- annuals, veggies, perennials, shrubs.  Sadly, the proliferation of Round-up in agriculture destroyed a whole lot more habitat than the home gardeners who only plant petunias.

And I say this as someone who has a veg garden, berries, many native plants, and some non-natives (caladium! the horror!).  Simply trying to shame people to convert their yard to a meadow is not helping your cause.[/quote]
Who has shamed anyone here? I’ve posted several times in this thread and I’m one of the pro-native plant people who has said that OP should go ahead and plant hydrangeas if she likes them, but plant them [i]with[/i] lots of natives, and I’ve explained (along with a dozen other people) why natives are vital. If you’re seeing shame in these posts, I think that speaks to your feelings and not what people have written.

And no, round up in agriculture has not destroyed a lot more habitat than non-native purists. I would agree that several agricultural practices, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, monoculture, reduced hedgerows and a variety of other things have destroyed habitat, but that doesn’t let us suburbanites off the hook. 915 million acres are officially “farm” in the US, but grass is the most irrigated crop in the US. https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-biggest-crop-is-grass-2016-2 Grass. Good old turf that mostly doesn’t get played on, that just sits there and does nothing, doesn’t sequester carbon, doesn’t create habitat or food for anything. That’s what we’re drawing down the aquifers to water. https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-biggest-crop-is-grass-2016-2

Perhaps you think this is “shame.” I think this is sharing facts. Personally, I used to see grass as a net neutral plant, but I don’t see it that way anymore, especially not the intensive way it’s fertilized, sprayed and watered. It becomes an impervious surface leading to increased run off and flooding. It adds nitrogen to our waterways which create dead zones in the water and especially in the ocean. OP wanted to understand the importance of native plants and people are supplying answers.[/quote]

DP.  I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone who's converted an entire yard to native plants.  That would be cool to do, but expensive and a lot of work.  We have numerous "beds" that include many native plants (thanks to the PP for the 75% benchmark!).  Our "lawn" is a crappy looking weedscape.  So yeah, I'm not using herbicides, but clover aside, I doubt most of these weeds (many of which are invasive) are serving any ecological function either.

Now, my neighbor down the street was experimenting with letting nature take over his yard- but once the grass/weeds hit 1.5 ft high a rat infestation took hold and people started complaining (not an HOA, it's an older neighborhood)  So better to keep a lawn mowed unless you really know what you are doing.[/quote]
Where did I advocate for everyone to convert their entire yard?

And while I don’t know any of them personally, you can drive through my city (Minneapolis) and yeah, there are quite a few people who have converted their front yards (and possibly back yards, I don’t know because I’m not in them) from lawn to fully garden, not always fully native, but quite a few.

Again, I have not advocated that people destroy their entire lawns, but let’s not keep them just out of custom and because we don’t know any better. [/quote]

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