This week we talk about the activism embedded in native plant gardening and the creation of pollinator habitat with Lorraine Johnson.Lorraine styles herself as a “cultivation activist”. It’s a term she came up with to describe the common purpose at the intersection of everything she does, from writing books to giving talks to supporting the fight against harmful grass and weed bylaws. This episode is for anyone who:feels guilt or overwhelm when they think about gardening, native plants, and invasive speciesfeels anger or frustration about garden centres promoting invasive plantsneeds tools and resources to fight bylaws that make it hard to grow ecologically responsible gardens (even in cities that have signed pollinator pledges and are investing in flood protection!)wants to feel re-energized about the value of gardening as activismYou can find Lorraine online at https://lorrainejohnson.ca, where she shares her bibliography, her presentation topics, a blog with lots of updates on native-plant advocacy, and a (sometimes up-to-date) list of upcoming events where she’ll be presenting. Here are the resources Lorraine shared for bylaw advocacy:Network of Nature’s interactive map for finding a native plant nursery near you: https://networkofnature.org/where-to-buy.htm/ Ecological Design Lab’s Bylaws for Biodiversity toolkit for municipalities: https://ecologicaldesignlab.ca/site/uploads/2024/07/EDL_Bylaws-Biodiversity_ToolkitforMunicipalities.pdfThe David Suzuki Foundation Action Alert Bylaw toolhttps://davidsuzuki.org/action/bylaws-for-biodiversity/ The 1000 Islands Master Gardeners’ post about the Kingston, Ontario bylaw reform on which they collaborated: https://1000islandsmastergardeners.ca/2024/07/29/prohibited-plants-in-kingstons-new-bylaw/A news story about Kyla Moore’s advocacy on Thunder Bay, Ontario’s bylaw change: https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/thunder-bay-could-be-a-leader-says-boulevard-garden-advocate-9982234 Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHTImestamps00:11 Introducing Lorraine Johnson01:29 Cultivation Activist: Making Change with Plants07:53 Native-Plant Gardening for Joy, not as a Burden11:16 Tips to get Started with Native Plants12:40 Finding Your Community of Pollinator People15:52 Relieving the Burden: Do the Best You Can17:50 What has Changed in Four Decades of Native-Plant Gardening23:13 Meet People Where they're at25:45 Reclaiming Responsibility as a Joy27:14 Plants as our Kin27:20 Changing Language: Naturalized vs. Native31:44 Changing Language: Invasive Species and Groundcovers34:46 Native Groundcover Options38:00 Gardening Isn't Just for Humans40:00 Reforming Grass and Weeds Bylaws45:00 Convincing Municipalities to Change Bad Bylaws46:00 Kyla Moore's Successful Bylaw Campaign in Thunder Bay, Ontario47:41 Proactive Bylaw Reform in Kingston, Ontario48:48 Native Plant Suggestions for New Developments51:07 Street Trees and Project Swallowtail in Toronto54:01 The Canadian Coalition for Invasive Plant Regulation58:50 "Nothing Will Grow Here." Working with the Land1:05:55 2025: A Year of Abundance1:09:01 Shout-Out: David Suzuki Foundation Action Alert Bylaws1:11:12 Finding Lorraine Online1:14:04 Outro and Contact Us
