Shame, shame

I follow, and often participate in, a North Texas gardening Facebook page. There’s every level of experience and expertise in the group. I’ve learned from others and had the opportunity to educate members — but never branded myself as an expert, since I’m certainly not! I also get a glimpse into just how much education is needed when it comes to buying, planting and caring for plants. No surprise, but the learning curve is enormous. (That’s a whole other topic to dive into and I’ll save it for another column.)

For the most part, perusing the posts on this page is a pleasant experience. Until one particular member pops off. It’s the same one every time. She’s a native plant purist and she’s always right (at least in her mind). She started out casually mentioning why gardeners should plant native gardens and would share ideas about which plants to try. She was also honest about her successes and failures. After a year or two of tactfully providing suggestions, she morphed into a native plant bully and discredits anyone posting to the group who’s not asking about natives, sharing pictures of natives or buying natives. She’s a blue-ribbon plant shamer. She spoils the page members’ experiences who are there to share and learn.

Plant shaming is also happening on the professional side. I saw a post on Ed Lyon’s Spellbound Garden Writing & Consultation Facebook page (he’s the director of the Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University) that addressed this topic. I loved his take: “… I’m a native plant advocate but advocacy has turned into activism in too many cases; it is the first time I have seen ‘plant shaming,’ which is alarming because there are still many ways to garden, and all forms have their benefits.” He adds, “… make sure you are balancing your knowledge and perspective with every side of the issue. The true answers generally fall somewhere in between, not on one end of the spectrum or the other.”

Ed has a talk he’s modified, now called “From Bringing Nature Home to the New Wild: A Balanced Perspective on Gardening in the Future.” I’m not letting the new year go by without seeing him make this presentation.

May you find balance and peace in all things this year, including the native vs. non-native debate.