Keeping plants native

Sam Watters’ Lost L.A. column [“Cactus Rustling’s Prickly Past,” June 13] caught my attention right away. It dealt with stealing cactuses to be sold to unknowing or uncaring consumers, which is obviously a serious issue. But for some reason Watters found it necessary to wrangle native gardeners into the mess.

I volunteer at the Theodore Payne Foundation with other people interested in natives, and none of them are planting exotic cactuses or Joshua trees in some misguided view that this constitutes native planting.

I recently tore out my lawn and replaced it with plants such as sage, manzanita, aster, poppies and penstemon, all propagated in a sustainable way. It was easy, it is beautiful, it saves water and it supports wildlife. This is what native gardening is really about.

Anita Sheridan

Los Angeles