Sangha of Auspicious Companions

Native Plants and a Quiet Revolution in Relating to Land

What was once dismissed as weeds is now flying off shelves at plant nurseries across the country, as gardeners rediscover that working with nature rather than against it offers something both practical and profound. At Chicago’s Kilbourn Park, over 2,300 people lined up for the annual plant sale — double the usual attendance — with native species making up nearly one in five plants sold. “I’ve watched this for 44 years, from almost zero to now,” says Neil Diboll, whose Wisconsin native plant nursery has seen sales multiply from thirteen thousand to hundreds of thousands annually. The shift reflects a quiet revolution in how people relate to their land: choosing plants with deep roots that prevent flooding, support vanishing pollinators like Monarch butterflies, and thrive without constant intervention. As one volunteer puts it, “We’re not fighting against the climate here. We’re working with it.”

Be The Change

Today, take a walk around your neighborhood or yard and notice one plant you’ve always dismissed as a “weed” — perhaps that persistent dandelion, clover, or milkweed pushing through the sidewalk crack. Pause and consider what native pollinators might depend on it, how its deep roots might be preventing flooding, or what it reveals about the landscape that existed here long before lawns. This small shift from judgment to curiosity is where ecological gardening begins.