Today, we start a backyard Ecological Landscape Design with a theme, a prairie and pond. This should be fun, as we are going to put together a design with a strong form and a lot of plants. This design would provide a ton of ecological value compared to the existing lawn that is currently at this site. Not only will the backyard have a small prairie, but we will retain a large portion of lawn as this family has kids and wants a large play area. … [Read more...]
My names not Annabelle! It’s Haas Halo Hydrangea!
It has been a while since I wrote about a plant, the last one was the North Star Sour Cherry. That was a plant I had at my previous house and was quite familiar with. It is also a pretty old cultivar, certainly not the latest and greatest. Today, I want to talk to you about a new cultivar of an old friend, the Haas Halo hydrangea. Most people know the Illinois native Smooth Hydrangea because of the softball sized mophead white flowers of it's most widely planted cultivar, the Annabelle … [Read more...]
A (mostly) Native Perennial Plug Planting Twelve Months Later
Last year, I posted about a new perennial plug planting I did in June of 2016. In that post, Planting Plugs is a Cheap and Easy Way to Plant a Landscape, I showed how a 300 sq ft perennial bed could be prepared and planted using less work and money. … [Read more...]
Native Groundcovers beat the alternatives by not $#@ing up your environment
Like it or not non native groundcovers are a staple in traditional landscaping. They are the area rug of the landscape designer. That thing you throw on the ground that ties everything together. Why when native groundcovers can do the job just as well? Instead of arguing that you don't need them (you don't), let's look at some native groundcovers as alternatives to the commonly used Vinca, Pachysandra, Junipers, and English Ivy that seem to dominate so many of our landscapes. I do … [Read more...]
Local Inspiration for your Nature Inspired Garden Part 1
In a previous post, I wrote about using a natural area as the inspiration for your garden. In it, I wrote about using plants and materials that are native to your area. Doing this helps to bring about the feeling that your garden is actually related to the surrounding landscape. To use native plants in your garden to invoke a natural place, we need to know what plants to use as well as how they are arranged in natural areas. To do this it can help to classify the natural area we are trying to … [Read more...]
Smaller understory trees for a tight spot
I recently received the following question about how to choose a smaller understory tree. I have a small backyard, and I'd like to add a two or three small deciduous trees or shrubs that will form distinct trunks...There are some good native understory trees, like redbuds, witch hazels, hornbeam, etc. These all come in standard varieties and dwarf varieties. The redbuds, for example, have dwarf varieties like Rising Sun and Hearts of Gold, which supposedly reach a height of 10 to 12 feet. … [Read more...]
Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis), a native for today’s landscape
It’s been quite a while since I wrote about the Arkansas blue star, so it’s about time I cover another perennial. Next up is the 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year™, the blue false indigo. The Blue False Indigo is native to the US from the east coast across the country to Texas. It even extends up into Ontario Canada. It is however, most common in the south. … [Read more...]
What is native in my yard?
In my post, Do you have a plastic plant in your yard? I wrote about how our native wildlife needs native plants to survive. I also wrote how our landscapes can be excellent sources of these native plants for our local wildlife, if we choose the right ones. Well today, I put my money where my mouth is and look at the plants in my yard. Do I have the right ones? … [Read more...]
Would you want a 70 foot statue in your yard?
Last post, I talked about how exotic plants (plants from ecosystems not near you) have about as much value to wildlife as a plastic plant. Today, I would like to compare two trees. One a native and another that has about as much value to wildlife as a 70 foot statue. … [Read more...]
Do you have a plastic plant in your yard?
It is the time of year that Christmas trees are going up all over. Some of these are natural and some are artificial. No matter what kind you may have in your house, I would bet you would not consider putting a plastic plant out in your yard. This is the case even though there are ones that you can hardly tell are not real. … [Read more...]