ABOUT US

Native Gardening began as a simple homeschool project. A place for my children and me to share what we were learning about plants, ecosystems, and the small wonders happening right in our own backyard. What started as curiosity quickly grew into a community seed library, created to help others discover the joy of growing native plants and supporting local biodiversity.

Long before this project existed, I had already spent years gardening across different countries and climates. I learned to adapt to droughts in Australia, grow food on a tiny balcony in Norway, and navigate the long, cold winters of Canada. Each move taught me something new about resilience – both in plants and in people – and deepened my appreciation for sustainable, place‑based gardening. Those early lessons became the foundation for the knowledge I later shared with my kids and our community.

My love for growing things began long before that. Childhood summers spent picking beans, pulling carrots and digging for potatoes in my grandparents’ garden, watching my Oma fill her pantry with preserves, and helping my mother make raspberry jam shaped my earliest memories of food, family, and the land. Later, when I faced food insecurity abroad, gardening shifted from a hobby to a lifeline, and eventually to a form of therapy.

Everything changed again when I became a parent. Slowing down to care for two little ones opened my eyes to the life happening in the “weeds” – pollinators, caterpillars, wildflowers I had overlooked. That small shift in perspective transformed my garden into a thriving ecosystem and sparked years of learning, experimenting, and observing how nature supports itself when we give it the chance.

Today, Native Gardening has returned to its roots: a place to share knowledge, inspire curiosity, and encourage others to explore the benefits of native plants, companion planting, and ecological gardening. My kids still join in through homeschool projects, from workshops to seed sorting, and the heart of this space remains grounded in learning together.

This website isn’t a business. It’s a resource, a passion project, and an invitation to discover how even small changes in our gardens can support healthier ecosystems, stronger communities, and a deeper connection to the natural world.

Thanks for being here and growing alongside us.