Native Plants
for New England

Top dress only as needed.  Remember, we are planting food sources for our native insects, and many of them will use the leaves for You can get a glove and vent your frustrations if you don’t mind the squish, you can knock the bug into Keep in mind you don’t want to cause more damage to your plants! If you moisten the top layer of soil, the rain will be able to penetrate instead of running off.

There are other amazing insects who need milkweed too, so don't assume something on your milkweed shouldn't Read our e-book, "A Mini-Guide to Gardening for Monarchs" all about this incredible insect to learn more

Here is our Top 10 list of garden chores that will keep your neighbors and local wildlife happy. Mowing and using a leaf blower can destroy the cocoons of many over-wintering moths and butterflies, If you can’t turn the barrels over, leave those drains open and be sure to securely cover the tops to These tops will decompose over the winter, improving the soil, providing bedding material for small creatures Many creatures use dead and dying wood as a habitat, including our beloved bees, birds, and an array

For obvious reasons, I don't have a ton of time for a full veggie garden anymore (hello, small business explained the need to determine the sun and soil types for a particular area, and advised us to keep in mind A bit ago, I wrote up a (sorta) step-by-step guide to how I was doing my own site analysis, and I wanted

It can be totally overwhelming when you first begin learning about native plants. Does it stay together when you open your hand, or does it crumble away? stay together well, grainy- well-drained-dry, sandy soil Reddish/brown, stays together, does not fall These plants are able to grow in environments that many standard ornamentals would wilt away in. Drats, I’ve done it again and written a mini-novella.

Hey, we do too! It's just not feasible, and there are just too many great native burning bush alternatives. I like Thin Mints, but that doesn’t mean I should sit and eat a whole sleeve of them in a sitting (don't Again, there are just too many great, native, alternatives to gamble on an experiment. The Chickadees Guide to Gardening, BackyardHabitats.org Meet the Ecologist Who Wants You to Unleash the

The eggs hatch, the caterpillars go to town munching on the tender milkweed leaves as they grow bigger We can apply this understanding to many of the native plants in our garden! Keep in mind that an estimated 90% of native insects have host plant relationships. She sent a follow up video and her pearly everlasting is the best restaurant in town! Keep in mind that not all plant “damage” is due to beneficial host relationships, there are a whole lot

For so many of us, we have been long conditioned to cleaning up the gardens in the fall to within an Beyond that, many of us do care deeply about this wildlife and often put out suet and birdseed through are able to safely leave a standing snag, you will be providing an amazing source of habitat for so many evergreen/semi-evergreen, such as Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry) and Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (Three-toothed

Many of our wonderful customers are either brand new gardeners or newer to using plants indigenous to , be sure to give it plenty of room and it will fill in an area with lush dark green foliage, sweet tiny white flowers in the Spring, and even sweeter tiny berries. a sturdy structure with interesting green foliage, white hairs along the stem, and flat clusters of tiny This is a favorite plant for many insects.

There is some emerging evidence that many cultivars do not support wildlife to the same degree that straight The work being done to the American Chestnut tree comes to mind. with seemingly little effect on ecological value include stem thickness, plant height, and moisture tolerance Many garden centers in the area will carry a handful of natives, but you will be hard pressed to find

We’ve had the time to notice that we don’t seem to have as many butterflies as we remember from our childhoods It’s not hard to see that our earth’s climate change has brought about many changes that affect our land First, a touch of education. There are so many advantages to using native plants, I’m just going to list them! Tallamy speak, many of his talks can be found on YouTube, and his books are fantastic reads.

It took me 4 years in my yard to completely eradicate the garlic mustard. cordifolia (heartleaf foamflower) Can cover a larger area relatively quickly and has shown not to be too Unlike some other ferns, this one does not tolerate standing water, rather, it thrives in moist soils with good drainage, but it is also surprisingly drought tolerant.

What I'm Reading: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison What I'm Listening to: The Native Plant Podcast Hamilton Also, my toes are cold. Britt...

Willows come to mind, as do Bayberry. Aronia ssp comes to mind as a monoecious plant (self-fertilizing), while Lindera benzoin (Spicebush)

On top of the heat, has anyone noticed the insane winds over the summer into this spring? You can use it to supplement your watering regime during town water bans, or to reduce the wear and tear

Like so many other gardeners, we have battled mildew and fungus issues, as well as a lot of aphid pressure plantings with physical barriers for the first season, and when the plants are larger and well established, many As with deer, rabbits do tend to leave strongly scented plants alone such as those in the mints and onion

Here are our top tips for keeping your native plants happy and healthy through the dry summer months. You may notice the water beading up if the top layer is really dry. Grass clippings are helpful too, as are pine needles and compost. If you are lucky enough to go away on a lovely vacation this summer, utilize tools to help keep your I know you are saying…but I planted natives because you said they were drought tolerant!