Here in western Massachusetts, there is a blanket of snow on the ground, but I’m dreaming about my garden. It’s what gardeners do. If we’re not out and about among the flowers, we’re planning and reading and dreaming about them.

One of the most consequential books I read last year about gardening is A New Garden Ethic by Benjamin Vogt. It advocates for gardening with native plants but is much more than a gardening book. It’s a plea for justice and fairness in the way we view our landscapes and those who share them with us. Unintentionally, it’s also a compelling argument in favor of a vegan ethic.

First, a couple of things about native plants and how they relate to veganism. Native plants have evolved naturally in their location and they share evolutionary history with native wildlife. In North America, they are plants that were here prior to European settlement. Many of our native wildlife need native plants in order to survive. But North American gardeners,  including me, are often drawn to beloved introduced plants from across the globe– ... Read More >