Milkweeds for North American Gardens
Milkweeds are fast becoming one of the most talked about if not grown plants in American gardens. Everyone is joining the effort in adding milkweed in their gardens to help our monarch butterflies. And the monarchs seem to be making a rebound. The 2024 season for the monarch was one of the lowest in 30 […]
Buttonbush – August Plant of the Month
About Buttonbush Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, is our August plant of the month for 2025. Common throughout the Central Great Plains Region, buttonbush grows east of the high plains of the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast. It can be found growing wild alongside lakes, rivers, and wetlands, with its feet partly in the water. But […]
Curlycup Gumweed – July Plant of the Month
Our July Plant of the Month for 2025 is Curlycup gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa). You have probably never heard of that eh? Well, this little known perennial native is actually quite common across much of North America. The only place it does not grow is along the Gulf States, except for Texas. It is quite common […]
Common Butterflies of the Central Great Plains
June is the time of year when a lot of our common butterflies start visiting the garden. We do have a plethora of butterflies, and some of them are quite spectacular. But many species are less likely to be seen or even known by many gardeners. There are 41 species of common butterflies found in […]
Edge Plantings
What is the edge? Well, it is the literal edge of the property. In most urban cases, planting along the edge of the property is considered bad form to the neighbor. However, in the rural world having edge plantings means having a separation between you and the neighbors, or a field. My mom’s house sits […]
Rattlesnake Master – June Plant of the Month
Rattlesnake master is our 2025 June Plant of the Month. This is one of my favorite native perennials, and for many reasons. The first time I came across this species was in the native plant garden at Kansas State University, while I was going to college there. I spent many hours in that garden, watching […]
Big Perennials for Sun
Sometimes, you need something big in the garden. Usually, gardeners fill large spaces with trees or shrubs. But sometimes that does not work. Say you have a large island bed in the middle of a big open space, and you want color most of the season, but you want it to have the potential to […]
Best Annuals for Pollinators
When we think about pollinators, most gardeners see swaths of perennial flowers in bloom, covered in bees and butterflies. But what are the best annuals for pollinators? Here in the Central Great Plains, I continue to expand my list of best annuals for pollinators. As each season progresses, I track insects coming into my garden, […]
Bee-Mimic Insects
The insect world is a fascinating place. Within it, there are are many which mimic other insects, for a variety of reasons. The Viceroy butterfly for instance, mimics the Monarch in order to trick birds into not eating it. While the Monarch actually tastes bad to birds because of the chemicals its caterpillars ingest from […]
