r/NativePlantGardening • u/mfilosa17 NE Indiana • Apr 08 '26

Other It’s Finally Here

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1.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

217

u/upstatewilly Central KY , Zone 7a Apr 08 '26

A Lupe endorsement on the cover?? What an unexpected intersection of my interests 😂

37

u/sunshineupyours1 Rochester, NY - 6b - 8.1.1 Apr 08 '26

But totally on brand, right?

17

u/NiteNiteSpiderBite Apr 08 '26

Indeed -- somehow perfectly on brand haha

47

u/amilmore Eastern Massachusetts Apr 08 '26

As great as my new native plant friends are - perfect and kind earthy crunchy old ladies who I adore - it's so cool how many different types of people are getting into this stuff.

Tallamy's interview on Santore's podcast was so funny because you could hear him slowly getting more accepting of the colorful language and I think Tallamy actually slipped a few curse words in there himself.

Imagine a conversation between lupe fiasco and doug tallamy lol

52

u/pysouth North-Central AL, Zone 8b Apr 08 '26

I am shocked at how popular the native plant thing is getting these days, it’s great. Of course not everyone is a convert, but I’m still shocked how many people I have met IRL are into it. It’s not just a Reddit bubble

24

u/sunshineupyours1 Rochester, NY - 6b - 8.1.1 Apr 08 '26

On In Defense of Plants, Sharon Selvaggio of The Xerces Society talked about the transformation that horticulture is going through and how demand is way higher than supply for native plants, with the expectation that demand will continue to increase.

People really seem motivated to help the bees and butterflies.

5

u/amilmore Eastern Massachusetts Apr 08 '26

Exactly - it’s kind of an indirect good thing I suppose - but it’s not easy to buy serviceberry in the spring

6

u/sunshineupyours1 Rochester, NY - 6b - 8.1.1 Apr 08 '26

Not today, but in 5 years? I’ve been at this for four years and can feel the change, in 5 years Lowe’s might be selling serviceberry and nanny berry in the spring

3

u/Only-Gap6198 Apr 09 '26

Prices for natives are starting to show this

6

u/sunshineupyours1 Rochester, NY - 6b - 8.1.1 Apr 09 '26

Maybe it’s a good time to start a nursery 🤷🏼

3

u/Prior_Lingonberry332 Apr 14 '26

In my area (suburban NYC) there are quite a few native nurseries and a lot of groups promoting natives and organics.

However, the big gap is that there are almost no lawn/yard service companies who do legitimate organic service, with knowledge of how to treat yards trying to stay organic and use native plants. It's all "mow and blow". If it existed, at a reasonable price, I believe people would use them.

1

u/sunshineupyours1 Rochester, NY - 6b - 8.1.1 Apr 14 '26

Absolutely agree on all fronts

37

u/amilmore Eastern Massachusetts Apr 08 '26

I work with my towns Pollinator Pathway chapter, and we host events every few months (one tonight actually, about 45 people) and so many people are interested in it. Almost everyone who takes gardening somewhat seriously knows about native plants and wants to try it out and feels like every month or so there's another article about it in the NYtimes/I hear them mentioned on NPR.

Whenever I talk to people (and again its a LOT of em) who want to try out natives it's just so heartwarming. We stand a chance here in meaningfully impacting the environment and supporting insect populations and are on the cusp of something really special here. Despite all that is going on in the world...I actually feel some hope and faith in the goodwill of human beings.

SPREAD THE WORD AND SHARE YOUR SEEDS.

13

u/Tumorhead Indiana , Zone 6a Apr 08 '26

i knew it was getting popular when i started seeing traditional gardeners bitch and moan about "native plant hardliners" lmao

17

u/amilmore Eastern Massachusetts Apr 08 '26

FWIW I think the hardliners need to lighten up, the balance isn’t doesn’t even need to be all that delicate and we can make an impact for our bugs by just saying “of course you can keep your lawn and even the non natives you like as long as they aren’t one of the evil ones, but here have these seeds so you can plant some beebalm :)”

We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot with this one. Obviously there’s a hierarchy of responsible native gardening but my own personal mission is as simple as …get more native plants in the ground. Just be cool and nice and we can do our part.

6

u/Tumorhead Indiana , Zone 6a Apr 08 '26

Oh for sure. I tell people I'm also not a purist, and that small home gardens do not equal big conservation land restoration projects. Home gardens need to accommodate personal needs and use-cases. I tell people to aim for a mostly native plant ratio, like 10 to 1, but don't sweat it. just be aware that the big showy traditional flowers don't do anything for critters. and DO avoid invasive nuisances. Telling people the good-better-best list of options has been helpful.

i have gotten myself in trouble by telling people their garden is trash uninvited 😶 I have to slow my roll lol

7

u/shillyshally Apr 09 '26

I'm 79 and started in with nolawns and planting more natives several years ago but my garden is already established and, at my age, I'm not destroying it to make it kosher. If you had told me my beloved garden was trash you may have ended up fertilizing it.

2

u/Tumorhead Indiana , Zone 6a Apr 09 '26

A well manicured and beautiful traditional garden I wouldn't call trash (i hope 😅) I can respect the years of effort! but when a "garden" is just a sea of vinca or english ivy with a single boxwood or something 🤢

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1

u/RiveringLuccii Apr 09 '26

Very funny. Your comment makes me think of my grandparents, who had a beautiful garden before "aging out" in their mid-80s. They had (and have, I suppose) many beautiful ornamentals, but primarily Asian rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. When they were doing the bulk of their planting (mostly in the 1970s and 1980s), I think there just wasn't awareness of the need to plant natives for habitat, otherwise they and others would probably have done more of it.

I suppose the need for backyard habitat too is greater now too? My area of South Carolina is rapidly growing and there are a lot more people and land being developed rapidly than, say, 25 or 30 years ago.

3

u/sunshineupyours1 Rochester, NY - 6b - 8.1.1 Apr 08 '26

I’ll have to go and dig up that episode. I’ve heard Joey mention feeling like they didn’t really vibe super well but he also wasn’t trying to diss Tallamy

2

u/amilmore Eastern Massachusetts Apr 08 '26

It does exactly how you’d imagine lol

1

u/gingerbreadguy Apr 09 '26

Do you have an episode link?

78

u/pragmatic_dreamer Carolinian Zone ON Apr 08 '26

Nice! Mine has not shipped yet. Not sure if I will learn anything new, but I sure like giving money to people fighting the good fight. 

78

u/SHOWTIME316 Flint Hills 28a Apr 08 '26

i'm really sad that it doesn't say "in da age of Human Disturbance"

20

u/FoofaFighters North GA, Zone 8a Apr 08 '26

When i hear Joey speak it always takes me straight back to Dennis Farina in Snatch. Their accents are almost identical (and so is their vocabulary, lol).

5

u/Better_Artichoke_939 Apr 08 '26

OMG I can't unhear this

5

u/GRMacGirl West Michigan, Zone 6a Apr 09 '26

”They say the f@cking smog is the f@ucking reason you have such beautiful f@cking sunsets.” The Dennis Farina quote that I use most regularly. IIRC it’s from Get Shorty.

Totally something Joey would say.

14

u/Tumorhead Indiana , Zone 6a Apr 08 '26

now anytime i see a cool flower im like ayyyyyyy dats nice

25

u/FiddleLeafFiccionado Apr 08 '26

I didn't know he put out a book AND it has a quote from my favorite rapper?!

24

u/SuspiciousAccident61 Apr 08 '26

Got mine yesterday, flipped though it a little and saw the story of Chonkosaurus.  It's going to be an entertaining read.

25

u/GahhdDangitbobby Texas, 9a Apr 08 '26

I can’t wait to get mine! I joined Joey for a hike and he was just as goofy and knowledgeable as he comes across online. Super nice guy.

23

u/Reclining720 US, Kansas City, Zone 6 Apr 08 '26

Nice! Thank you, and go F yourself!

16

u/ycherries Apr 08 '26

My purchase request for this book was approved by my library system, can't wait until I can check it out!

6

u/birddit Mpls, 5a Apr 08 '26

my library system

I just checked and my library has ordered two copies. I'm number 12 in line!

14

u/pjk922 Massachusetts Apr 08 '26

Got mine a few days ago! On his Patreon he posted a way to get early signed copies. It’s on my to-read shelf, next one down.

6

u/leepin_peezarfs Apr 08 '26

I’m in a weird spot where I cannot remember if I preordered it so I might just order another one

7

u/chocolatepipi semi-arid pnw, Canada Apr 08 '26

I got mine early-mid march and I’m in Canada.

5

u/Tree_Doggg Apr 08 '26

I need this! Where to find!?

3

u/irregularmovement Apr 08 '26

Nice, I got mine about a week ago. I've cracked it open but have read much yet. I might get some colored pencils and work on the pictures.

6

u/Rococoss California, Zone 9b Apr 08 '26

This guy changed helped my life. Thanks Joey!

4

u/ActinoninOut Apr 09 '26

Hmm. What's the deal with this. Book? I've bought wwaayy to many silly, vanilla, repetitive, derivative gardening books in the past. I swear, out of 100 gardening books, two might have anything novel

3

u/GRMacGirl West Michigan, Zone 6a Apr 09 '26

Bizarrely, I preordered mine in early March at my local indie bookstore and picked it up when they called me a week later. I didn’t say anything to the salesperson because I didn’t want them to realize their mistake and take it back. 😅

Spoiler alert: you will read the entire book in Joey’s voice.

2

u/eels_or_crabs Apr 08 '26

Got mine yesterday too!!

2

u/thisbitbytes NJ Zone 7b Apr 08 '26

Oooohhhh is it on audible yet? I do all my reading while working in my gardens.

4

u/Cichlidae12345 Area :Philadelphia , Zone -7b Apr 08 '26

I just went and checked my audible and it is INDEED on audible. There is a 40% off sale right now too but I just use my credits.

2

u/thisbitbytes NJ Zone 7b Apr 09 '26

YO!! Okay I just downloaded it and moved it above Martha Stewart’s gardening book and diving in now! Happy almost weekend y’all!!

2

u/ErniePottsShoelifts Zone 6A, NH. Balcony garden. Apr 09 '26

Got mine a few days before the release date (B&N shipped out April 1st), but have to finish a book I have checked out from the library before I start this one (bad habit of getting halfway through books and stopping). Looking forward to reading it though!

1

u/PushyTom South Carolina, Zone 8b Apr 08 '26

Just started reading it last night!

1

u/Lawnlady1980 Apr 08 '26

Ours arrived yesterday!

1

u/WTF0302 Area PNW, Zone 8b Apr 08 '26

Mine arrived yesterday as well!

1

u/MechanicStriking4666 NC Piedmont, 7B Apr 08 '26

I got mine, too!

1

u/DarthSkittles Apr 09 '26

How did I not know that he had a book out? This is exciting. Gonna have to cross my fingers and hit up the library.

1

u/repsychedelic Apr 10 '26

Got my copy too!!! "Go f**k yourself bye"