Reading
Books:
Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy. This is the “why” book which provides important background on the critical importance of landscaping with native plants.
Nature’s Best Hope also by Doug Tallamy is a call to action especially suitable for helping inspire others to follow in your footsteps.
Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People by Dave Tylka. This is the only “how to” native landscaping book for the Missouri/Illinois region. No longer in print, but available used.
Tried and True: Missouri Native Plants for Your Yard by the Missouri Department of Conservation is a shorter, beginner version of the Tylka book and can be purchased at Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood for $7.00.
Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes can be a Source of Environmental Change by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher. An important book about native plant landscaping that bridges the gap between gardening and ecology.
Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm is a comprehensive book illustrating the specific relationships between native pollinators, beneficial insects, and native plants.
The Wildflower Garden Planner by former BCH Habitat Advisor Besa Schweitzer is an interactive guidebook to native landscaping in Missouri intended for beginning and intermediate gardeners or experienced gardeners new to native plants.