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Simple Prairie Planting

August 14, 2018 By Jim 7 Comments

Simple prairie planting getting leaf mulched

Turning a side yard into a simple prairie planting using plants grown from seed this year is today's blog topic. I have made gardens before with prairie plants in 1 gallon, quarts and even 38 plugs size before, but never with plugs I started from seed the same year. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conserves Money & Resources, Gardening, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity

Rain Garden for a Sunny Site

June 19, 2018 By Jim 2 Comments

sump_pump_garden_Swamp_milkweed

It's June and its raining (again). Perhaps you have water in your basement, a washed out hillside, or just some soggy areas where your grass keeps getting killed. In any case, even if it is not flooding, rain can be a problem. Read on to find out how a rain garden might help. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Design, Gardening, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity

3 Native Perennials for Fall Interest You Might Not Know

June 10, 2018 By Jim 1 Comment

When we think about fall color, we usually think first of trees or shrubs that have foliage that change colors, like red maples or burning bush. Perhaps flowering perennials like Goldenrod or Asters come to mind. They should as they are among the best for late season interest (and pollinator benefit). Here are 3 native perennials for fall interest you may not be aware of and yes I am including a Goldenrod and Aster, but lets start with one that's not. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Perennials and bulbs, Plant recommendations, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity

Backyard with a Prairie and a Pond Part 2

February 25, 2018 By Jim 2 Comments

View into Backyard

Last post, I started a backyard landscape design with a Prairie and a Pond. Today, we finish it by adding shrubs, perennials and accessories. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Design, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity Tagged With: backyard design, landscape design, meadow, native plants, Prairie

Ecological Landscape Design with a Prairie and a Pond Part 1

February 3, 2018 By Jim 1 Comment

View of Accessories added to Backyard Ecological Landscape Design

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...]

Filed Under: Design, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity Tagged With: ecological, hickory, landscape design, native plants, oak, pond, Prairie

My names not Annabelle! It’s Haas Halo Hydrangea!

January 19, 2018 By Jim 22 Comments

HYDRANGEA ARBORESCENS 'HAAS' HALO' PP24783

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...]

Filed Under: Plant recommendations, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity

A (mostly) Native Perennial Plug Planting Twelve Months Later

June 29, 2017 By Jim 3 Comments

Lanceleaf Coreopsis and Butterfly Weed

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...]

Filed Under: Conserves Money & Resources, Design, Perennials and bulbs, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity Tagged With: Butterfly Weed, Coreopsis, Liatris, native plants, perennial plugs, Prairie Dropseed, Purple Coneflower

Native Groundcovers beat the alternatives by not $#@ing up your environment

February 19, 2017 By Jim 3 Comments

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...]

Filed Under: Plant recommendations, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity

Local Inspiration for your Nature Inspired Garden Part 1

May 31, 2014 By Jim 3 Comments

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

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...]

Filed Under: Perennials and bulbs, Restorative Environment, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity Tagged With: native, Prairie

Smaller understory trees for a tight spot

May 10, 2014 By Jim 15 Comments

Small understory tree Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana)

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...]

Filed Under: Plant recommendations, Supports Wildlife & Biodiversity

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