New South Texas native plant nursery pushes importance of ‘planting native’

SAN ANTONIO – A grasp gardener and proprietor of a brand new native nursery in Converse needs to plant the seed of prioritizing native vegetation no longer simply in our minds, however within the dependancy of native gardeners.

Donald Gerber mentioned his love for vegetation got here from his mom, who confirmed him find out how to plant native with seeds.

“We would stop at the nursery on Main Street and I would go home with a pocket full of seeds,” Gerber, the landlord of Pollinatives, mentioned.

He says planting native will save each time and money.

“After the snow a couple of years ago, the heat that is setting a record for a number of days over 100 degrees, if you plant native plants, these plants are adapted to our area,” Gerber mentioned. “They are used to our climate, they are used to our soil, they are used to our rainfall.”

When the California transplant went to shop for South Texas native vegetation for his personal yard, he mentioned he noticed an issue.

“I got rid of all my grass at home and I went shopping for native plants, and it was difficult to find,” Gerber mentioned.

It’s why for the previous two years Gerber has been running on opening an all native to South Texas plant nursery. He has both grown the vegetation from seed himself or they had been grown by way of different native native plant lovers.

More importantly, he mentioned his major objective is to boost consciousness concerning the importance of planting native for our pollinators.

“You are feeding those bugs, those bugs are necessary to start the food chain, the bugs feed the birds, lizards and frogs and anything else,” Gerber mentioned. “Without those native plants, then all the rest of that native ecosystem suffers.”

It’s an ecosystem that you’ll stay alive and thriving by way of development to your personal yard with native vegetation.

“Nature is not somewhere else,” Gerber mentioned. “Nature can be right outside your door, it’s all around us.”

Pollinatives is open Wednesday thru Sunday, from 9 a.m. to six p.m. and is situated in Converse at 101 South Street.

“Native plants use less water, you lower your water bill,” Gerber mentioned. “They don’t use fertilizer. You don’t have to mow, you can get rid of your mower. You can get your time back on Sundays and watch football.”