Winter arrived earlier than usual this year, and I woke up this morning to a frosty landscape sparkling in the early sunlight. My annuals won’t survive, so many of my plants will be turning brown and dying. This time of year, we are programmed by society to tidy up our outdoor spaces by cutting down plants and raking away fallen leaves. However, this well-intentioned winter cleanup may not be the best approach for the local wildlife that depends on our gardens for survival. Leaving plants standing and leaves in place can offer significant benefits to the wildlife that call our gardens home. Wi ..read more

I’m lucky enough to live in a zone that supports American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). This southern shrub can be an excellent choice for supporting local biodiversity. I’ll never forget walking a formal garden near Charleston, South Carolina, marveling at how beautyberry was used in the borders of so many varied spaces. With fall arriving soon, it’s the perfect time to incorporate it into your own landscape. It grows quickly, and in a single year, you may enjoy some berries a year from now. Native Range American Beautyberry is native to the southeastern United States. It’s commonly fou ..read more

When we think of pollinators in our gardens, bees and butterflies often steal the spotlight. However, there’s another group of unsung heroes that play a vital role in our ecosystems: hover flies, also known as flower flies or syrphid flies. These inconspicuous insects might resemble house flies, bees, or wasps, but they hold a unique place in our gardens, contributing to both the beauty and functionality of our outdoor spaces. The Beneficial Side of Hover Flies Hover flies are essential pollinators, supporting the reproduction of numerous plant species in North American gardens.  As they ..read more

Yesterday evening, I looked up in twilight to see hundreds of insects darting and dancing in the sky above my yard, outlined against the setting sun. At first, I thought they must be mosquitoes, there were so many of them. But as I watched, mesmerized, I realized, no, those are dragonflies! A cloud of them…. it was magical.  Dragonflies, with their intricate colors and graceful flight, have captured the hearts of gardeners and nature enthusiasts for centuries. So, today’s blog is about dragonflies in the garden, and why you should want them there. Life Cycle Much like butterflies, dragonf ..read more

When I was first gifted swamp milkweed, I wasn’t sure where to put it. I garden without irrigation, so I decided to try it in a large, half-barrel pot in partial shade. To my surprise, the plant actually thrived, and it had more monarch caterpillars on it than all my other milkweeds combined. Swamp milkweed is valuable to more than just monarchs, however. It is also used by many other pollinators. The Basics Swamp milkweed, scientifically known as Asclepias incarnata, is a perennial herbaceous plant native to North America. It belongs to the milkweed family (Apocynaceae) and is closely related ..read more

I’ve always had coreopsis in my yard, that is, until my plants were wiped out by coreopsis beetles a few years ago. I didn’t plant any last year, and I hoped without any food during a harsh year for plants and insects, maybe the beetles would die off. So I planted some again this year, and while beetles did reappear on one plant, I have two others that are blooming gloriously. I’m happy, because coreopsis is simply the most cheerful flower in my yard. The Basics Coreopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as tickseed or calliopsis. There are over 100 speci ..read more

The first Lepidoptera I saw this spring was not a butterfly. Instead, it was a white-lined sphinx. I was delighted to see it buzzing about my henbit, because I am utterly entranced by these amazing insects. Sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds because their wings beat so fast, sphinx moths are often noticed pollinating flowers during the day. Also known as hawk moths or hummingbird moths, they belong to the  Sphingidae family. There are over a thousand species of sphinx moths worldwide, with over a hundred in North America. About Sphinx Moths Sphinx moths are able to hover and feed on flow ..read more

Are you excited that spring is finally here? I know I am! So many plants are already coming up; my tulips are about to bloom, and every day I prowl my flowerbeds to see what survived last summer’s drought. I am pleasantly surprised, daily. I know many people are planning their vegetable gardens, and that often means tilling to prepare the plots. But more and more people are doing no-till gardening, and there are good reasons for that. You see, soil is a microbiome, and research shows that disturbing that microbiome may be extremely damaging and counterproductive to plant growth. Soil as a micr ..read more

Looking out my window last evening, my spouse and I watched approximately 20 white-tailed deer grazing in the field next to our house. We put out corn and other bird food all year around, so they like to come up and feed. I am incredibly lucky that these deer don’t seem to be interested in my garden plants, not even my day lilies. Aside from several small trees I’ve tried to grow, they’ve largely left my annuals and perennials alone. I do plant a lot of native plants, which are very beneficial to wildlife, and these plants have evolved together with deer. So, it makes sense that many have deve ..read more

Most of us focus on our gardens during daylight hours. We may sit and enjoy a sunset on our patios or a beer around a fire pit. But once we head off to bed, the activity doesn’t stop. In fact, if the divots I wake up to every day are any indication, our landscapes are just as busy, if not busier, at night. Many animals are nocturnal, so they don’t get up and about until after the sun has set and the humans have disappeared inside. But plants are busy, too. Here are some of the things happening in our gardens during twilight and darkness. Plants Essentially, plants make food (glucose) during th ..read more