Blog
Soil Microbes – Do You Need to Add More?
I live in an urban environment and it is assumed that most soils in the city are degraded and compacted, and that is probably correct. Compacted soil with little available nutrients can negatively impact plant growth, making the plants weak and susceptible to pests...
Plants for Pollinators
We hear a lot about supporting pollinators in mainstream publications, but it is often difficult to find information that provides thorough lists of plants (not just the top 5 flowers), includes both larval food and nectar plants, includes bats and beetles rather than...
Spring Emergence of Pollinators (or When Is It Safe for Spring Cleanup?)
As pollinator habitat disappears, through development of native habitats, pesticide use, and other stresses, there has been a large body of research and instruction on how to support pollinators (and other beneficial insects) with native plants and overwintering...
Are Organic Garden Products Safe?
Organic garden products such as pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.) and fertilizers are usually marketed as a more natural and safer approach to garden maintenance. People interpret this to mean that products derived from natural sources won't harm...
Native Plants for Birds
Below are some helpful online resources showing what native plant species benefit what birds, mostly as food sources, but some as cover or nesting material. Adding a variety of these plants to your landscape can support bird ecology with cover protection, nesting...
A Busy (and Beautiful) Winter Garden
Winter often seems like an "off" season for the garden. There are no blooms, no butterflies, and many of the birds have flown south. But for those of us who live in a temperate climate, there are still a lot of things happening in the landscape. For one, the cold is...
Place Making
The feeling of Place has a strong impact on each of us. Think about where you are right now. How do you feel about this space? Do you like it? Are there things that you don’t like about it? Talking about Place makes us think about what ties us to a space. It causes us...
Save the Moss, Save the World
Ok, so I was a fan of Heros when it first came out, and you might think this is an extreme philosophical approach, but let me explain. Moss belongs to a group of very old plants, called bryophytes, that have been alive since before the Triassic period. They are...
Just Say No! (to Potential Plant Problems)
Invasive plants can be accidentally introduced into our gardens through well-intentioned sharing and our own ignorance.
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