Let the Earth Breathe: Gardening With Native Plants

Anne Milligan and Stephen Brown have spent the last 12 years creating a Kentucky native plants, shrubs, and trees sanctuary in southeast Jefferson County, Kentucky. I, Anne Milligan, documented the journey from the very beginning via journal entries and photographs. Since we live in such a biodiverse area of the country, the native species have thrived to the extent that we had to figure out what to do with all of the extra seeds and plants, since our project is only a normal suburban lot. That is how we began the next leg of our journey, which is not only to share our produce, but also our process. "Let the Earth Breathe" is our narrative of growing with regionally native species, creating interesting, fluid, landscapes with native species, and having fun along the way. We have included lists, many photos, and ideas for new native gardeners in Kentucky and the lower Midwest region. All along the way, our first priority has always been the pollinators: Butterflies, bees, moths, birds, etc., who DEPEND on native species for their existence. And without pollinators, there is no life on our planet. To order the book, click here: Let the Earth Breathe book