California Native Plant Society (CNPS) recently received funding for two projects funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to support pollinators statewide and to boost native plant production. Meanwhile, GGN, a landscape architecture firm in Seattle, has launched a program to streamline meadow designs, called Meadowshop.

 
According to an invasive plant research study conducted by the California Invasive Plant Council, invasive plants cost $120 billion in damage nationwide, annually. This plant type leads to damage such as blanket waterways and lowered land value such as reduced agricultural yield leaving many turning to native plants as a viable alternative.

CNPS will receive $1.9 million for the development of science-based tools for biodiversity data and plant propagation protocols which will be added to the Calscape.org site for functionality and user-friendly resources for resilient habitats.

Meadowshop meanwhile allows for the design process to be streamlined for affordable plant combinations through ecological performance by being designed and maintained by industry leaders. Over the past 15 years, GGN worked in hands-on labs to back the science of planting selection for success.

This program allows the design team to create gardens between 2,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet for $25,000 to $300,000 including the design and installation. Gardens are created by using densely seeded native plants, that minimize maintenance, through strict guidance from their horticulturists.

Programs like CNPS' projects and Meadowshop are great options for integrating native plants into the landscape.