Citizens Say, "Go Native"

Citizens for a Better South Florida put out a guide for using native plants called, "Go Native". The guide is printed in English and Spanish, and may be available at your local City of Miami NET office. I'm a little late in publishing this - the website states that the guides will be available February-March...but I bet a lot of the offices still have copies available. Find your NET office.

Go Native (Hazlo Nativo en español) is full of photos of the plants and shows native alternatives to commonly used but sometimes invasive plants. I had no idea that the popular ficus trees were not native, but after reading this guide, I understand why we lost so many of them during the hurricanes.

So why should you go native? The guide provides us with some great reasons:

1. Native plants provide shelter and food for a number of native animals.
2. Native plants conserve water and save money.
3. Native plants require little or no pesticides or fertilizers.
4. Many native plants are hurricane resistant.
5. Native plants preserve our heritage.

Congrats on a great job to the Citizens for a Better South Florida. I have tried to contact them for permission to publish the information in the booklet, or to encourage them to place the information online.

Want to go native and don't know where to look? Here are some Native Plant Nurseries: Citizens for a Better South Florida Nursery, Plant Creations, and Richard Lyons Nursery.