Native Wildflowers – Late Summer Bloomers
Late summer and into fall is a hard time for native wildflowers. While there are many things still blooming from earlier, not much gets going this time of the year. Except for aster and goldenrods, the 2 big powerhouses of late summer blooms. Even though not much else starts to bloom now, you can still […]
Native Plants – July Bloomers
Continuing my series on native plants, the July bloomers are quite spectacular. There are a number of new species that just begin to bloom at this time. And continuations of many June bloomers. Native plants have become more and more popular with each year, especially as climate and weather concerns grow. As you look to […]
Native Wildflowers – June Bloomers
What native wildflowers bloom in June? Well, a lot of them. June is considered to be the best month for native wildflowers. It is also Native Plant Month in Kansas, of the governor remembers to sign the proclamation anyways. There are hundreds of species of natives which begin to bloom in June, and many of […]
Native Perennials for New Gardeners
I have already gone over many of the plants which are best for new gardeners, but what about native perennials? Some of the plants listed in my other blog were natives, but this list is only natives. These native perennials are easy to grow, usually bloom in the first year or plantings, are host plants […]
Native Plants – May Bloomers
May is often referred to as the month of flowers, following April showers, but what about for native plants? Are there a lot blooming? Well, we still have some of our April bloomers still going, and of course, there are a lot of cultivars of natives which are just beginning to go crazy. I have […]
Native Plants – Early Spring Bloomers
Knowing which native plants are blooming when can help you choose the right ones for your garden. I love natives for a lot of reasons. Every since I was a child I have sought out the wild places for walking and hiking, seeking native plants and their associations with animals and insects. And I found […]
Hardworking Natives
Natives are becoming more and more popular. And with the uncertainty of fluctuating weather patterns, using natives has become more important for all gardeners. Nonnative plants can be great in the landscape, as long as they are not proven to become invasive, which a lot of them are. But using regionally selected native plants for […]
Underused Plants
As you spend your time planning for next year, look for underused plants. They come in all shapes and sizes, and many of them can be stars of the garden. I spend a lot of time with such plants, trying them in various places in my gardens. Some are ongoing trials, while others are stars […]
Bonesets – September Plant of the Month
Bonesets are the September plants of the month. Members of the Aster Family, and closely related to blazingstars, bonesets are found primarily from the Rocky Mountains eastward. The name boneset comes from break-bone fever, an influenza-like fever, which causes severe bone pain. Native Americans used Eupatorium perfoliatum (Common boneset) to treat the fever. Native to […]