We need more plants. Not more mulch. Not turning lawn into hardscaping and a strip of grasses on the side. Just more plants.

We need more plants to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and lock it underground. More plant roots to build soil, break up compaction, and filter runoff. More plants for our disappearing pollinators and homes for wildlife.

Look at a 100 square feet in a natural environment. Plants cover the ground. So, why in a garden would we take that same square footage plant one shrub, several perennials, and mulch the rest? We should be using a strategic mix of plant types to cover the ground and occupy as much soil as possible.

To take one more step further: we need to break the perception that more plants makes a landscape messier. Accomplishing this is going to be done with beautiful, thoughtful design and management.

The term native plant applies to species that are indigenous to a region pre-settlement. They are species that have been adapting to their geographic conditions for thousands up to millions of years. In just the last few hundred years, these native plants' homes have seen incredible change. Change that has caused entire species to become lost and endangered. Change that has led to wildlife losing their food and ability to build shelter. Although unfortunately, we fortunately have learned the importance of such plants, their varied purposes, the value in preserving them, and many's superior abilities to persist in spite of great change.

The collected knowledge of native plants has proven to be hugely beneficial to designing green spaces. Using native plants in sites with conditions they have adapted to translates into cost-savings, resiliency through change, and aid for fractured plant and wildlife communities. We know that it's working. Places are seeing long-gone pollinators return because their native host plant is now everywhere. Smartly-used native plants are more likely to persist in extreme weather. And the stewards of green spaces with native plants are seeing that fewer to zero inputs are require to sustain them.

Now let me be clear: EG is not against using plants that are non-native to Florida or ones that are exotic.*

I have a lot of love for plants that are not native to Florida, but are native to other states and regions in the U.S. For example, there are many southeastern U.S. native plants to explore and experiment with in a garden. Like anything else, the decision to use such plants should be made wisely.

Ample research and resources are available describing which exotic plants are safe to use in your region. We all have exotic plants that we love. Often times an exotic plant is exactly what you need to bring a design together. Many exotic plants offer some of the benefits that native species do. It all comes down to using these plants responsibly and thoughtfully.

*Please note that plants deemed invasive are to be avoided and should be removed.

Ecological principles refers to processes that occur naturally and strategies that have been found to benefit ecosystems (designed and not). By practicing these principles, a garden becomes more sustainable. It gives rather than takes.

Some of the go-to strategies include:

• Skip the mulch in the long-term and use green mulch

• Lean on ornamental grasses and grass-likes to stabilize soil, build soil health, suppress weeds, and provide a foundation for herbaceous flowering plants.

• "Leave the leaves"

• Design four seasons gardens

• During the dormancy period, allow stems, foliage, and seed heads to remain and cut back in late winter/early spring.

• Design with a mixture of plant morphologies, a strategy found in nature

• Practice water conservation with drought-tolerant plantings, "right plant right place," rain barrels, and rain gardens.

• Plant more to cool off areas and purify the air.

• Use hardscaping that is permeable, from recycled materials, and adds to the garden experience

• Use "keystone plants"

Gardens have influenced civilizations for many millennia. They are and have been sources of artistic expression. Many iconic and legendary works of art have been inspired by gardens. They act as portals to explore combinations of color, shape, and texture. They provide nourishment for all beings. And historically they are places of respite from the day-to-day. Gardens are places for communities large and small to gather and share. Gardens are places of wonder that invoke deep emotions that bind a person to the land. More than ever we need that emotional bond between person and landscape.

It's no secret that we are losing our relationship to nature at an accelerating rate via the loss of green spaces. Natural ecosystems that have evolved over millions of years have been lost to development. Almost 80% of the United States' population live in urbanized areas. These urbanized areas significantly lack "green and blue infrastructure" and landscape architects are scrambling to reverse this reality. Suburbia is characterized by lawns, an obsession rooted in a bygone era. Lawns that take and are greedy for more time and nonrenewable resources. Across the country, old agricultural land lies in wait to be developed. This land is left unmanaged to become homes to destructive invasive plants, yet is sometimes the only source of forage and home for wildlife.

We have become so detached from natural processes that people fear and kill harmless pollinators. Children believe that food from a home garden is worse than what comes from the store. And shockingly, many people see deciduous trees drop their leaves in winter and wrongly think they are dying.

We need many, many more gardens now. Large and small, but abundant. Gardens to restore the bond between people and landscape, encourage stewardship, and stimulate our uniquely human capability to imagine.

Are you ready to reverse the trend of disconnection? To bring back imagination and curiosity? We already know the benefits, so let's get to planting.