Gardening with Native Trees

Glenda Chang
Jul 1
1 min read

A Tree Talk with Nikki Hanson

GreenTown hosted the Native Tree Talk for the first time (June 1st, 2025) in the Google Gradient Canopy Huddle Room. It was a fitting space as we prepared for a native plant and tree tour around the building. Nikki Hanson, Native Plant Landscape Ecologist, led us on a thoughtful journey exploring “Trees in Our Neighborhoods” challenging our assumptions about the familiar trees around us and shining a light on the often overlooked native species that support local ecosystems.

Through engaging visuals and surprising stats, Nikki revealed that many of the most common trees in urban areas are not native and more importantly, they don’t support local biodiversity the way native trees do. Her talk illustrated just how many insects (yes, the good kind!) a single native tree can support critical food sources for insects, birds, and beyond.

The green space was vibrant, fully thriving around the Google campus—monarch butterflies, bees, lizards, and birds—all depending on native trees and plants.