Photos: Left side (top and bottom): Formal Profusion; Center photos: Cottage Charm; Right side: Sunset Prairie By Grace Suh On our May 11th Habitat Garden Tour, we’ll visit three lovely examples of habitat gardens that are grown in the middle of traditional neighborhoods, while offering generous support to wildlife: FORMAL PROFUSION The architectural symmetry of this house belies the wildlife focus of its gardens, which include wonderfully informal, “messy” plants like Elderberry. COTTAGE CHARM This Brookside bungalow is abuzz with pollinators and native plants on every side, including the en ..read more

Photo Credits (clockwise from top left): Chris Helzer The Nature Conservancy, Norfolk Botanical Garden, MDC, Backyard Arthropod Project We know all about the benefits of our native landscapes for pollinators, but even more exciting are the benefits that those partners can provide to you, in service to your veggie gardens! In theory it’s as simple as “the more the merrier,” knowing that abundant garden visitors will naturally be drawn to pollinate plants of all types, but being deliberate about what native species you plant can support your food production gardens. Drawing in specialized polli ..read more

By Chris Cardwell There’s been another big win in Kansas City this year, but with a little less fanfare than February’s sports headlines. After years of appeals from native plant enthusiasts in Kansas and Missouri, invasive species legislation has been on the floors of both Capitols. Through dedicated education and advocacy work, bills and initiatives addressing invasive plants have been making their way through the political process. In December, Missouri State Representative Bruce Sassman introduced HB 2412 in Jefferson City, aimed to restrict the sale of five of the most problematic specie ..read more

By Grace Suh Photo Credit: Christopher Leitch Each month we’ll bring a preview of our upcoming Habitat Gardens. For our first tour, on April 13th, we’ll be visiting three woodland gardens in Merriam, including this one, called Loomis Woods. Christopher and Stuart had been looking for a house for a while. That Sunday afternoon, they were tempted to skip the last address on their list. They were tired, and sure they would hate it as much as the others. But then they pulled into the driveway. “The proportions, the light, all the space.” Christopher remembers. “Everything was right. We knew we we ..read more

By Cydney Ross, Outdoor Education Manager Photo credits: Jeff Witters (three photos on left); Jillian Gutherie (right) Walking through quality woodlands instantly brings me joy. The smell of damp earth and emergence of flora makes hiking irresistible this time of year. Enjoying the outdoors is also a great way to learn about our natural world. Pair your hike with nature enthusiasts and you’ve got yourself an adventure! This year I’m leading a series of in-person hikes with Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. On our first hike we’ll explore the spring woodlands at Cedar Niles in Olat ..read more

By Sarah Beier As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you’ll plan to fail.” If you want to start a new garden, make sure you take time to do a thorough site assessment as part of your planning. This will help set your new project up for success, all before you even head to the nursery. When considering a new garden, make sure you keep the size realistic for your time, energy, and resources. You can always expand the garden later. You might even choose to create a master plan for all the future planting areas on your property. In any case, the first step is to make a sketch of the area you ..read more

By: Josie Cummings and Thomas Kennedy-Croft; Photo by Cydney Ross In partnership with Rockhurst University, Writing for the Environment students have authored this month’s Introduction to Native Plant Gardening Beginning / Refresher Garden Series article. When ordinary people refer to the brown, mineral-filled substance which holds plants, they call it dirt. Plant lovers call it soil. Dirt is what you track in after working in the garden, while soil is full of living organisms and structured layers. The living structure of soil makes it incredibly valuable as a medium for plants. Unfortunatel ..read more

By Grace Suh One week out from Plan It Native 2024, which was held February 15-16 at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center and the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center in Kansas City, and we are delighted by the rave responses still arriving via text, email and social media. Like the Missouri Department of Conservation employee who reported her excitement at getting the exact prairie burning and tree knowledge she needs to inform her projects this spring. The university grounds crew that has already begun making landscaping choices to improve bird habitat on their large campus. A ..read more

Photo credits: Pat Whalen (left), Cydney Ross (right) Saturday, March 2nd  at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center Virtual – 10:00am-11:30am. Register here. In-Person – 1:00pm-3:30pm. Register here. Feeling inspired to start a native garden this spring? Learn various stages of native landscape design including where to draw inspiration, how to select the right plants for your space, and designing with intent. During our in-person event, enjoy an in-depth presentation from Cydney Ross, Outdoor Education Manager of Deep Roots, then chat with native plant experts and bring your ..read more

People like you are growing native plant gardens all over Kansas City! And our new Native Garden Tour program, launching this spring, will give you a chance to visit some with us every month. You’ll find more information and sign-ups in future issues of The Pollinator. For now, we welcome nominations of local residential native gardens (your own or of someone you know) to grace@deeprootskc.org. Thank you and see you in the garden! The post Deep Roots Native Garden Tours Are Blooming Soon! appeared first on Deep Roots ..read more