Last week I noticed that I have quite a few posts inspired by one particular reader, Genevieve Schmidt of North Coast Gardening, and I wanted to take a moment to thank her for her support, her thoughtful comments, and the wonderful articles she writes at her blog.
I guess Gen is my muse 
and Im proud to know her, and count her among my friends.
For many mainstream gardeners, the question of what to do with autumn leaves means only one thing: bag them up and throw them away. For me, creating welcoming habitat for wildlife is my sole purpose in having a garden, and many species of wildlife make their home in the leaf litter. Gen and I and several other gardeners had an ongoing discussion about the neat and tidy garden vs. the wildlife value of leaving the leaves in our garden.
Gen has a gift for leaving very thoughtful comments and using the gentle voice of reason to educate and inspire other gardeners to make healthier choices in their gardens. She can be very persuasive, even getting another garden writer to have a more positive view of the value of native plants for wildlife in our gardens.
Genevieve wrote a very thoughtful article about using the planting pyramid to create value for wildlife in our gardens. And that post inspired me to write my own take on the planting pyramid and how to turn it upside down.
Gen has started a wonderful meme at her blog called 5 Books and because Im one of those obsessive people who has piles of books in every room of my house I contributed two choices to this list:
Im so thrilled that Genevieve has shared some of her wisdom with the readers of Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. Shes started themes that our other writers have built on. And shes working to educate her clients to think of wildlife when planning their gardens.
So, thank you Gen for your support, your contribution, your thoughtfulness and for inspiring me and so many others!
A while back I did another reader appreciation post for Ursula Vernon, who has been a very active participant here at Ecosystem Gardening, and this is something Id like to do on a regular basis. Thanks to all of you for your support!
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