Our yards are the piece of the earth that we manage. We cannot easily change energy policy, chemical industry lobbying for less oversight, how regularly others use public transportation or food industry practices. We do control that small patch of earth that surrounds our home. So what is the best use of our land to take action to restore our environment? Easy — plant native plants.

Native plants which are local to our regions are crucial to provide habitats and food for thousands of essential creatures that work hard to keep our ecosystem in balance. By prioritizing native plants over lawns or invasive plants, we can support the wildlife that supports us.

What Are We Doing Now?

My Home Park was established to empower individuals to have a significant impact on restoring the ecosystem. What are current ways to impact this restoration? Unfortunately, as this chart to the left shows, low-cost options with an impact are limited. Electric cars and solar panels are examples of big impacts with a high entry cost. Recycling is very low cost and our most common environmental activity, and yet research shows that the impact is light. In between there is reducing consumption of meat, using public transportation and composting. These limited options have led to cynicism and reduced efforts towards taking steps to reverse our negative impact on the environment.

Converting lawns to native plants have a high impact-to-cost ratio. Native plants are an investment that increase their benefits over time as the plants grow in. Reducing grass lawns reduces the need for chemicals, additional water and fuel to mow and blow. Native plants will restore the soil and provide food and habitats for beneficial insects, bees, butterflies and birds.

How to Use My Home Park for Beauty and Restoration

1. Learn About Native Plants: MHP is more than an online native plant nursery — we are the central source of information and inspiration on native plants. Dig into our site to learn about successful native plant design and specific info on flowers, plants, grasses and shrubs that are native to your ecoregion. 
2. Find Inspirational Native Yards and Plant Designs: We have designed plant combos that will look beautiful for years and provide significant ecological benefits. Browse our designs by entering your zip code. Many native plant gardens will appear, all appropriate for your location. Additionally look through the Community Section, our Blog and the Native Yard of the Week for inspiration. If you want more details about the plants in any Combo, go to its“Plants”tab and click the individual plant for details about it.
3. Try Our Designs On Your Yard: Once you have selected your favorite My Home Park native plant combos, you can view them on a photo of your yard! Follow the directions and upload a photo of your yard. If you do not have a photo, use one of the pre-loaded templates. We call this the Native Plant Canvas.Once you have placed the first native plant combo on the photo of your yard, you can carousel your favorites and they will replace the existing plant combo. Compare the combos and change the sizes. If interested, add to the cart and have your plants shipped to your door or connect with a local native plant grower for pick-up
4. Join A Community for Native Plant Ideas: Set up your profile and explore other neighbors who are interested in native plants. Join communities of friends, neighbors and common interests. Exchange ideas, seeds, plants and photos.