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Perhaps you have read about regenerative gardening, also commonly referred to as eco gardening, and wondered what was in it for you.There’s an upcoming festival, featuring dozens of experts, on Sept. 15 at SymbiOp Garden Shop in Southeast Portland to help you answer that very question.Meanwhile, there’s this from LeAnn Locher, the statewide outreach coordinator for Oregon State University’s Master Gardener volunteer program:“Gardeners can be the first to see the impacts of climate change,” she explained, “and can be part of the solution through collective work.”Like ecological gardening.Native plants attract wildlife to gardensSymbiOp Landscape TeamSome gardeners prefer to go with a woodland approach to their garden design.SymbiOp Landscape TeamWHAT IT ISAt its roots, ecological gardening includes using native plants and not using any chemicals to create habitats for pollinators, birds and small mammals.It can cover acres or be as small as a few containers on a townhouse balcony.The primary goal of ecological gardening is to leave your patch of Earth healthier than it was before.And that can mean “learning more about native plants and creating water-wise gardens and fire-wise landscapes,” Locher said.For those who already appreciate the personal positive impact of gardening, both mental and physical, taking an ecological approach can boost that impact considerably.”If you feel called to gardening with an ecology and native species focus,” said Caitlin Costello of the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, “the benefits are tenfold.”Such an approach, she said, can “purify the air, cool the city down and potentially provide food and resources to humans and animals alike.”And interest in eco gardening is growing.In the Portland area alone, the Master Gardener program, which promotes Earth-friendly gardening, has a waiting list “in the thousands” to become Master Gardener volunteers, Locher said.Then there’s the 2022 survey by the National Wildlife Federation, which found that more than one-third of people buying plants wanted ones that would help wildlife and one-quarter said they were purchasing only native plants.Using ecological gardening principles, a site is turned into a rain garden.Columbia Slough Watershed CouncilHOW TO GET STARTEDAt its core, eco gardening begins with a gardener asking a somewhat different question than “Will this be pretty to look at?”The question instead, according to JT Yu, one of SymbiOp’s owners, is “How can my garden be beneficial for me, the environment and the ecosystem?”Which admittedly is a little more difficult to answer.”Research native plants specific to your region and learn how they interact,” said landscape designer Matt Gravel, who owns Bloomsday Natives (and is also a SymbiOp co-owner). “Play in the garden. Learn. Observe.”Both Gravel and Costello agree on a big initial step to get started, which boils down to “kill the lawn.” But don’t use herbicides. Never use herbicides.Costello said getting rid of the grass would be a big boost to the health of the watershed.”Opt for native plants,” she said, “flowers, trees, ground covers, even edible native plants like salal, thimbleberry, wild strawberry, huckleberries” and others.It would also be a good time to remove some of the major invasive species such as English ivy and holly.”Every single landscape is different,” Gravel said. ”See what your landscape is saying to you.” Is it going to be, for example, a meadowscape or an oak savanna?As for plants, Gravel said it comes down to what you’re trying to attract.Yarrow is the most popular for gardeners going the ecological route, he said, explaining it “attracts beneficials, has medicinal properties, deep roots, can grow in any situation and attracts pollinators.”Another popular plant, he said, is the Douglas aster, which an Oregon State study found supports the most native bees.You can read more about the study in the OSU publication Native Plant Picks for Bees, Locher said.She also had some advice for anyone getting started.“Know and identify problems you may have so that you can act specifically in response, followed by ‘do the least harm,’” she said.And again, plant natives.“They require the least supplemental water and support native pollinators,” Locher said.Gravel took it a step further.Native plants are “more climate adapted,” he said, “require less water (often no water after their first year) and generally less maintenance after they mature (two-three years).”And fall, Yu is quick to point out, “is the best time to plant many natives.”An eco pond can act as its own mini-ecosystem.SymbiOp Landscape TeamWHAT’S NEXT/GARDEN FUTUREOregon State University’s Extension Service has launched a project called Garden Future to build resources, Locher said, “to support Oregonians in creating resilient gardens in a changing climate.”To do so, gardeners are invited, she said, “to share how they’re witnessing climate change in gardens.”Anyone who wants to participate can go to https://extension.oregonstate.edu/garden-future.- Yarrow is a very popular plant pick for those embracing ecological gardening.Dawn Pisto- Douglas aster attracts more native bees than any other plant, according to an OSU study.Dawn PistoPICKING THE PLANTSFive tips on getting started with the right plants for ecological gardening from Nutmeg Minneboo, a landscape designer and one of the founders of SymbiOp.1. If your yard gets a lot of rain, look into installing a native rain garden, because they not only create habitats for wildlife but also filter out pollutants, which keep watersheds and rivers clean.2. If your yard is mostly sunny throughout the day, Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) and common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) are great habitats for native wildlife. And if you have space for it, Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) is a keystone species that supports over 200 wildlife species.3. If your yard is partly shaded throughout the day, native birds and bees love cascara (Rhamnus purshiana), western columbine (Aquilegia formosa), and Douglas aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum).4. Creeping Oregon grape (Mahonia repens), tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa), and common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) do great in a mostly shaded yard.5. For privacy hedges, Pacific wax myrtle (Morella californica), mountain balm (Ceanothus velutinus), and evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) are great native evergreen shrubs that you can plant instead of ornamental shrubs.Eco Garden FestWhat: A gathering of approximately 30 local organizations, including gardening educators and environmental nonprofits, dedicated to making eco gardening more accessible.What to expect: SymbiOp’s JT Yu says attendees will have a “chance to talk to a lot of passionate people who care about native plants, edible plants and ecological gardening.” And can see “a lot of great plants,” too.When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15; admission is freeWhere: SymbiOp Garden Shop, 3454 S.E. Powell Blvd., PortlandMore information: symbiop.com— Dennis Peck, for The Oregonian/OregonLive

JT Yu, one of SymbiOp Garden Shop’s owners, encourages gardeners to ask: “How can my garden be beneficial for me, the environment and the ecosystem?”