My name is Shawn McDonald. I’m an outdoor educator at Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, MI. I have a bachelors degree in history from Central Michigan University. I am currently pursuing a masters degree in history from the same university.
Chippewa Nature Center introduced me to gardening. When I started there in 2005, I had not really used a trowel, hoe, cultivator, or planted anything with much consistency. It’s kind of funny what happens when you work alongside master gardeners, biologists, and naturalists. Not long after becoming part of the staff, their knowledge of plants and gardening began to impact me. And by listening, observing, reading (a lot), and just getting my hands in the soil, I became a gardener (zone 5a…Michigan genotypes). There’s no turning back now!
To say that I’m somewhat obsessed with plants and gardening in general would probably be a fair statement. There’s so many things I love about gardening. Every year I look forward to Memorial Day (the last frost date for me), because that means I’ll be putting new native plants in the ground. There’s just something about heading out to the garden on a bright summer morning that just speaks to me. There’s a connection gardeners have to plants and the land. Feeling the soil and compost in my hands is just as important to me as the plants. And then there are the benefits to wildlife. I love seeing the butterflies around the milkweeds, or the bees on the asters. In short, gardening is a feast for the senses and the soul.
This blog is an account of my experiences in native plant gardening, nature, and some other things thrown in for good measure. I’m an advocate for native plant landscaping and that philosophy will be represented here. There are plenty of lessons to be learned and it will always be a work in progress.
