If you’re told to picture a pollinator garden, you’ll probably imagine a sunny patch of wildflowers and not necessarily a single big tree. But although their flowers aren’t as showy as our native perennials, trees are hugely important host plants for a wide variety of butterflies and moths. Native trees typically host way more species […]
Plant Profiles
Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan): A Great Native Annual for Containers (Or Garden Beds)
Not every plant-lover is fortunate enough to have a large yard space of their own for gardening. Gardening in containers is a worthy pursuit for many reasons, no matter if it’s due to a lack of space, the fact that you’re a renter, or if you just have a patio or porch that you’d like […]
Sedum Ternatum (Woodland Stonecrop), a Great Native, Evergreen Groundcover
Recently I took a walk through my winter garden looking for green. Most of what I saw were invasive groundcovers that are ubiquitous in my area (English ivy, vinca) and other aggressive introduced annuals like purple deadnettle. It’s a good time of the year to get ahead on some weeding without thinking too hard because […]
All About Eastern Red Columbine: Conditions, Growth, Transplanting and More
Columbine (aquilegia) is one of those garden-worthy native perennials that can be used in many different types of designs from the natural-looking to the formal. The genus contains nearly 70 different species, and you can find columbine at most mainstream garden centers. These eye-popping flowers in a wide variety of colors have many names like […]
Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus Sericea) Budding Out in Spring
Recently I was excited to see some new leaves on my red osier dogwood (cornus sericea). These tiny light green leaves will darken as they enlarge to ovals of about 5 inches long. These leaves were spotted right at the beginning of April in SW Ohio. In general, the buds of cornus sericea will leaf […]
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea): An Early Spring Emerging, Summer Blooming Wildflower
Purple coneflowers (echinacea purpurea) are one of my absolute favorite plants in my native garden. They are extremely adaptable, resilient and drought-tolerant, and bloom over a long period from summer into fall. A Look at Growing Purple Coneflower in All Seasons And they’re truly an “all-season” interest perennial because they typically emerge relatively early when […]