Episode 31

Back to Business with Host Stephanie Barelman

Published on: 6th March, 2025

Back To Business

Episode Introduction

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

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Episode Content

Welcome to a brand new season of Plant Native Nebraska. We have an incredible lineup of episodes this year that I am anxious to share with you. Thank you to all of our listeners, sponsors, supporters that have made another year of this podcast possible.

As usual, the podcast will balance monologues and interviews to give you different perspectives navigating the world of native plants.

This is not a native plant purist show, but it is a show that is pro-native plant. We acknowledge that not all native plants are superior and not all exotic plants are inferior at providing pollen or nectar. We also acknowledge that not all exotic plants are invasive.

That being said, most landscapes without native plants are essentially food deserts. We’re not talking about your crazy neighbor’s garden that has a million annuals and exotics and is full of pollinators in the summer. We’re talking about the average person’s landscape of Kentucky bluegrass, Round-up dirt patches, a few evergreens, and a smattering of Asian shrubs for foundation plantings.

Now, we aren’t here to trash non-native landscapes. Most folks simply don’t have the time, money, or know-how to do better. Thus, the reason this podcast exists!

Most plants native to your location are suitable for your local climate, soil conditions, and are imperative for pollinator and wildlife health. This does not mean to plop a wetland plant in a dry, full-sun garden bed or to plant a prairie plant in your boggy backyard that’s always wet due to your neighbor’s sprinkling system. There’s a reason for the mantra, “Right plant, right place.” Although, who you ask about the right plant may lead to different results. Gardeners can be opinionated folks.

Lucky for us, conservationists, educators, entomologists, botanists, nurserymen, authors, and other experts are making it easier than ever to know what native plants to plant where. The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum has excellent lists, you can also visit Pollinator.org and xerces.org for ecoregion guides that directly cater to you and take the hard work out of brainstorming.

I hope this podcast will serve as one of many jumping-off points that give you a more clear idea of how to start planting. If your yard is hot and dry, look for prairie plants: tall grass or shortgrass prairie is fine. If your yard is shaded from overhead evergreens or you’re knee-deep in the woods, look at midwestern woodland plants. If you have an area that is sunny and consistently damp or perfect for a rain garden, look into wetland plants. The folks over at Midwest Natives Nursery in Lincoln, Great Plains Nursery in Weston, or Prairie Legacy in Western would be happy to help you find appropriate plants from their catalog.

Don’t neglect shrubs and trees in your quest to plant native. Extreme temperatures make that Southside oak or black cherry more appealing. Shrubs provide wonderful cover for birds, forageable food for wildlife and humans alike, and some wonderful structure when the perennials are in their growing stage or dormant during the winter.

If you aren’t yet familiar with the importance of native plant families to certain pollinators and local wildlife, we recommend the books from authors Doug Tallamy or Heather Holm, either via your local library or procuring them from your local bookseller. We also recommend publications released by Wild Ones, the Xerces Society, the National Wildlife Federation, Pollinator Partnership, and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.

A successful native garden:

Hosts insect species in their larval stage with native grasses
Provides nutritious nectar and pollen to foraging pollinators during the growing season with native wildflowers
Provides cover to birds and small mammals year-round via shrubbery and trees
Provides nutrition to overwintering birds during harsh winter months via wildflower seeds, rose hips, and other native fruiting plants
Provides a place for overwintering insects to bunker down and emerge from in spring via dormant stems

What do all these qualifiers have in common?

A functioning, ecological garden provides species survival. Pure and simple. You are creating a living paradise for species to be born and fulfill their life cycles in. You are creating a net positive in a world largely out of our control. You are creating a refuge, a haven, a habitat, and don’t forget that we also are a species that benefits from these healthy environments.

Over the last several years, countless studies have shown the effect that immersion in green spaces has on human health, happiness, and quality of life. Those struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental illness consistently report that being in nature alleviates symptoms. Some of the plants themselves have tangible benefits to us, those species that can be foraged for food, medicine, or other therapeutic benefits such as aromatherapy. Not to mention there are studies showing that simple skin contact with the soil exposes us to beneficial microbes that get this : release serotonin, strengthen the immune system, reduce allergic response, and improve mood.

Are you like the majority of us beating yourself up for not getting to the gym? Gardening targets every main muscle group with the variety of tasks you will take on during the course of a day in the garden.

So my proposal for what seems to be an already very stressful 2025 cloaked in a world of uncertainty is this: Get outside, plant some vibrant, wholesome, sustainable, native-plant-forward gardens. Get that wonderful healthy dose of serotonin, make some pollinator friends, help restore habitat, burn some calories, and harvest a few things here and there for food, medicine, or simply to fill a vase from time to time. Your life will be better for it and if you’re anything like me, the view will be a joy every time.

Tune in to the third season of Plant Native Nebraska, excepting kid drama, bad weather, and mental breakdowns, every other Wednesday from March 19th to November 26th!

Happy planting, everyone.

Additional content related to this episode:

What makes a plant native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

BNPS aforementioned

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska