Native plants often have a reputation for being “aggressive”, “thuggish”, or “weedy”. Sometimes this reputation is earned. Common milkweed, for example, is great for monarchs, but can be a real pain for a gardener to try to control (only plant this particular variety if you have lots of space and an informal style!). And it […]
As the days get warmer, I start dreaming about a summer vacation. Often, my family will pack up and set off in our pop-up camper to stay a few nights in one of our national or state parks. The natural places in our country hold so much beauty! This year we probably won’t be heading […]
Want to go Native? Are you ready to plant some native plants, but aren’t sure where to start? Here are some beautiful native plant alternatives to common nursery plants. Instead of: Forsythia — try Spicebush (lindera benzoin) instead! This beautiful shrub has yellow blooms in early spring before leafing out. The leaves and stems are very […]
Why Choose Native Plants? There are so many beautiful plants available in the nursery trade, why would a person choose native plants? There are many reasons to plant natives, but today we’ll focus on our lovely backyard friends, the birds and butterflies. As we develop land for necessary urban, suburban, and agricultural use, we lose […]
Even though it’s still winter, now is the time to think about monarchs! Monarchs in the western US are especially at risk of extinction, but our monarchs east of the Rockies could use some help too. The single best thing you can do to help the monarch population is to plant native milkweed! Just a […]