is a powerful climate change documentary that sheds light on the critical role of native plant gardening in combating the devastating effects of climate change.
Gardening for the Planet has been accepted in the ECOCINE International Environmental and Human Rights Film Festival for 2025.
For courses in Botany, Biology, Entomology, Climate and Environmental Studies, Ecology, Ornithology, and Landscape Horticulture.
58 minutes CLOSED CAPTIONS
Join us on this journey to discover how individuals and communities can make a meaningful impact by embracing native plant gardening, offering hope and optimism in the face of environmental challenges and eco-anxiety.
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Encyclopedia Media Reviews, Kathleen H. Flynn, Science Librarian, University at Albany
“Gardening for the Planet shows how something as simple as the plants you chose for your garden can be impactful in the struggle to combat climate change. Many films about climate change can leave people feeling hopeless about the future and doubtful that they can have any impact. However, this film shows how even one person can improve the ecosystem in their tiny part of the planet, their own lawn, by planting native plants instead of invasive ones.
Speakers include professors and native plant gardeners who describe the benefits of native plants including how they can support pollinators and are more accustomed to growing and thriving in their native ecosystems. An increase in pollinators can lead to more insects, which leads to more birds and other animals in a healthy food web. On the other hand, invasive plants can outcompete native plants, and the popular monoculture grass lawn is not an ideal habitat for supporting wildlife.
The film’s visuals are beautiful, and the engaging speakers make a compelling case for the value of native plants in maintaining local ecosystems. For those who still want to achieve a landscaped look in their lawn, the film demonstrates how it is still possible while opting for native plants. The film is highly recommended for courses or library collections in botany, ecology, or environmental sciences.”
Combat Eco-Anxiety through our Climate Change Documentary
Climate change is an undeniable reality, with rising temperatures, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and warming oceans threatening our planet. Eco-anxiety, or chronic fear of environmental doom, is on the rise as people around the world grapple with the fear of environmental catastrophe. Gardening For The Planet acknowledges these challenges but presents a different narrative.
“In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators, and manage water.” Doug Tallamy
Why Climate Change Matters Now
The effects of human-induced global warming are evident, from destructive wildfires to melting glaciers and deadly heat waves. The loss of two-thirds of Earth’s wildlife since 1970 is alarming, with rampant development consuming natural habitats. In the United States, millions of acres of lawns and invasive non-native plants threaten native ecosystems.
What if you could do something to help combat climate change? Gardening For The Planet shows how each of us can make a meaningful and significant difference in combating the devastating effects of global warming and climate change through native plant gardening.
An Informed Yet Optimistic View
Climate change is real. We can actually measure that the Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate, greenhouse gasses are rising, and even the oceans are getting warmer. Gardening For the Planet, offers a ray of hope by showcasing how nurturing the environment through native plant gardening connects people to the Earth in a meaningful way and demonstrates how every gardener and every community can combat climate change in their own backyard.
Gardening For The Planet: A Climate Change Documentary takes a journalistic approach to storytelling, combining cinema verité footage, interviews, and stock footage. Rather than flashy style, we focus on compelling characters and a straightforward narrative to convey the urgency of our message.
The documentary unveils the consequences of biodiversity loss and climate change. It opens with a sobering montage showcasing the planet’s environmental deterioration. Voiceovers emphasize the impending catastrophe but also offer hope through individual and community gardening initiatives.
Stunning close-up visuals of native plants and their vibrant ecosystems fill the film. Vibrant colors, buzzing insects, and birds in action contrast with silent, sterile landscapes. Regional exploration in North Carolina highlights the significance of native plants’ adaptation to local conditions and their role in supporting local ecosystems.
Experts, from horticulturists to entomologists, guide us through the transformative power of native gardening. They share practical steps for viewers to make a difference in their landscapes, from protecting trees during construction to replacing lawns with native plants. Gardening For The Planet concludes with a powerful message: every individual can confront climate change in their own gardens, balconies, and communities.
Behind Gardening for the Planet: A Climate Change Documentary
The film’s producer and director, Joanne Hershfield, brings years of documentary experience and a deep passion for the subject.
Our main characters include Dan Stern and Becca Wait from the North Carolina Botanical Garden, passionate about conserving native plants and habitats. Doug Tallamy is an entomologist at the University of Delaware and an ecologist and conservationist. Christopher Moorman is head of the Global Change and Wildlife Lab in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University. Allen Hurlbert studies the structure of ecological communities in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Native plant nursery owners, landscape and garden designers, bird watchers, arborists, and home gardeners share their experiences and enthusiasm for native plant gardening.
What Viewers Have to Say
“What a fantastic film. Just looking at photos and listening to music was amazing, but the content is truly inspiring. Such a wonderful cast of characters- all so passionate about the issue. You did a great job in finding these folk and editing their comments. So here is hoping that many more folk will act to plant natives in their own backyard after viewing this.”
GARDENING FOR THE PLANET is a feast for the eyes and balm to the soul of anyone who thinks one person can’t do anything about the effects of the environmental degradation we suburbanites see all around us. What an inspiring educational film are this is!
“We were struck by the sheer beauty of the film, both its visual power and its nature soundtrack with all the buzzing, chirping, wind, and water. It took us into nature, making us want to preserve it all the more.
Very few of the shots were interior so the viewer spends time immersed in natural beauty. Much of this beauty is deliberately created; spaces that individuals have made, often on small plots of land.
We were impressed by how quickly native plants took hold, attracting insects and birds, and developing beauty and a thriving miniature ecosystem. Your film makes such projects look do-able, fun, and inviting. Your message is clear that all of us need to convert to native plants when possible.
We were surprised and happy to learn about the NC law promoting native plants in all government-funded locations. Good on those lawmakers!
We had our house for 19 years and hired landscapers to replace the lawn with native plants. We were moderately successful. Some thrived, some barely hung on or died. We do remember that our mountain mint attracted every kind of pollinator–a success story. We loved the grasses and enjoyed the flowers.
Gardening for the Planet is a gorgeous film with an important message. Viewers can luxuriate in the sights and sounds of nature and feel persuaded that there is something they can do to make a difference.”