Garden Experiments
For the love of gardening and wildlife habitat
Native plants are well-suited to the growing conditions in your area and are often great nesting habitat, a food source, or a host plant for the wildlife around you. By adding native plants to your garden, you can create wildlife habitat that helps pollinators like bees and butterflies, attracts hummingbirds and songbirds, and provides cover for many small mammals. Learn about native plants and how to grow them in your garden.
Drive down a rural dirt road or along an old fence line, and you will almost certainly spot the familiar silhouette of an eastern red cedar. For generations, these trees have anchored field edges, stabilized soils, and even supplied rot-resistant fence posts. More importantly, eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) plays a critical ecological …
Continue Reading about 4 Reasons Why the Native Eastern Red Cedar is Great for Wildlife
Common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a unique, late-blooming shrub known for its striking, spidery yellow flowers that appear from late fall into early winter, as well as its amazing fall color. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, it offers significant benefits to local wildlife and a rich history as an herbal remedy and dowsing tool. About …
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Winterberry, Ilex verticillata, is a deciduous holly renowned for the stunning display of brilliant red berries (also called drupes) that last on bare branches throughout the winter months. This native shrub is not only a spectacular landscape feature but also provides crucial support for local wildlife. About Winterberry If you take a walk …
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As spring arrives, our garden has a carpet of low-growing, bright pink flowers that catch your eye. It’s a splash of bright color before the rest of our garden has awoken. It really is a sight to see. Blooming Time Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) blooms in late March through May. Flowers come in pink, lavender, magenta, purple, white, and …
Continue Reading about Creeping Phlox: Spring-blooming Ground Cover
As soon as the weather starts to warm, we begin to scour our garden for the first sign of flowers. The daffodils and crocuses are usually the first ones to show up, but if you want a carpet of color in early spring, a low-growing phlox is the way to go. Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) forms dense clusters of delicate, fragrant blooms that …
Native Ironweed Feeds Butterflies in Late Summer In the mid to late summer, the deep purple flowers of ironweed start showing up. They stand out in the landscape, not just for the bright color but also because they are so tall. What caught my eye were the many butterflies that land on the flowers to feed. American ladies, monarchs, sulfur …
Continue Reading about Ironweed Grow Guide – Late-Season Butterfly Food
