This has been an incredibly busy summer. I started a new/second community garden plot back in the spring. Those of you who subscribe to this blog received a post back in the spring highlighting the sweat equity my mother and I put into the garden plot. I promised an update and here it is. […]
gardening
Seasonal Autumn Foods for Sustainable Living
Autumn is the time of the richest bounty. The food that has been growing all summer is ready for harvest. Through the late summer into autumn, now is the time to buy enough food at farmers’ markets to put by for winter when less fresh food is available. I like to make jam and preserves […]
A List of Common Exotic Invasive Plants
Invasive exotic plants are plants that are not indigenous to an area but nevertheless have established themselves and reproduced. Not being indigenous to an area, the plants have no natural predators or diseases. This freedom from predators and diseases enables the exotic plants to spread unchecked. Exotic invasive plants run rampant and inhabit space that […]
Native Plants with Neat Growing Habits
In helping clients decide which native plants to place in gardens, I am often asked for plants that are “neat” in habit. I don’t know if this is because they fear native plants are “messy” or they are just neatniks. What I suggest are these plants which grow in easily managed clumps. When you choose […]
Plants for a Sunny and Dry Garden
Sometimes there is a spot that is like its’ own mini-desert. The soil is thin and dry and the spot receives full sun all day. What is a native plant lover to do? Plant the toughest customers you can find, that’s what. Curl up with a good native plant book, like Native Plants of the […]
What is a Naturalist's Garden?
I have what is called a naturalist’s garden or a backyard habitat. You can see some photos of my naturalist garden on my Flickr site. It is easy to start a naturalist’s garden. You can take an inventory of your garden and replace plants one at a time, to those that attract native animals. Or […]
Early Spring Blooming Plants to Attract Bumble Bees
Bumble Bees are among the very first insects we see flying in early spring. Gnats and flies seem to emerge first, then the hairy bees are seen several weeks later. Bumble Bees have hairy bodies which provide insulation from the still chilly weather of spring. When they are flying around the trees are beginning to […]
A Backyard Habitat Garden: What You Need to Start One
Attracting birds, hummingbirds, butterflies and other animals to your garden is a rewarding pastime. I like the convenience of walking into my garden and seeing butterflies sipping nectar at my flowers and birds eating seeds at the feeders. I always have ready made models to photograph, draw and study. I have what is called a […]
Long Bloomers: Native Flowers That Bloom A Long Time
There are few perennials that bloom for more than a month or two. Generally, to get a long season bloom, gardeners may have to resort to annuals from other places. But native plant gardeners have plants that will bloom for a long time. Many of the native perennials listed below have been tinkered with. Breeders […]
Clumping for Neatness: Tidy Native Plants
Being known as a “plant person”, I am often asked for plants that are “neat” in habit. I don’t know if this is because they fear native plants are “messy” or they are just neatniks. The “messy”, unattractive plants we often see by waysides and roadsides are often non-native plants brought here from far away […]