Transforming our relationship to the land

Over the past fifty years, much has been learned about the urgent need for ecologically responsible land stewardship. Our Church is challenging Catholics to turn away from damaging practices to help restore healthy ecosystems. Catholic parishes have been asked to take a lead in demonstrating this new way of relating to God’s creation.

While a sudden wholesale replanting of older gardens is not feasible (or desirable) for most, the consistent introduction of native plants is one of the most important contributions gardeners can make to the integral ecology called for in Laudato Sí.

The resources below are offered to aid those responding to the call to care for the earth. They provide institutional support, gardening information, and sources of inspiration to help us transform our relationship to our home gardens, parish projects, and Catholic land development.

institutional support FOR ecological GARDENing

faith-based Programs, funding, & resources

other Programs, funding, & resources

GARDENing with native plants

General

  1. Best Native Gardening Books

  2. Ogden, Scott & Ogden, Lauren Springer. Plant-Driven Design, Creating Gardens that Honor Plants, Place and Spirit. Timber Press, Portland, 2008.

  3. Weaner, Larry and Christopher, Thomas. Garden Revolution, How our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change. Timber Press, Portland, 2016.

  4. Bringing Nature Home: A Conversation with Dr. Doug Tallamy (video)

  5. Homegrown National Park (video)

  6. iNaturalist (app)

  7. Native Plant Finder (matches native plant hosts to desires species/by zipcode)

new england & massachusetts

  1. Leopold, Donald J. Native Plants of the Northeast, A Guide for Gardening Conservation. Timber Press, Portland, 2005.

  2. Richardson, Mark & Jaffe, Dan. Native Plants for New England Gardens. Globe Pequot, Guilford, 2018.

  3. Xerces: Northeast

Rooting Out Invasive plants

  • Common Milkweed

  • Mt. Laurel

  • Coneflower

  • Winterberry

Inspiration

General

  1. Armstrong, Karen. Sacred Nature, Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World. Vintage Books, Random House, New York, 2023.

  2. Deignan, Kathleen & Osgood, Libby. Teilhard de Chardin, A Book of Hours. Orbis, Maryknoll, 2023.

  3. Mahany, Barbara. The Book of Nature, The Astonishing Beauty of God’s First Sacred Text. Broadleaf Books, Minneapolis, 2023.

papal encyclicals & an exHortation