Garden Experiments
For the love of gardening and wildlife habitat
For an easy, enjoyable garden, select low-maintenance plants for your garden.
Nature produces some interesting shapes, which is true for the flower of the buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Common buttonbush (or buttonwillow) produces these crazy-looking little spiky ball-like blooms of compound florets. They’re pretty cool, actually, and both bees and butterflies agree. I recently caught this skipper butterfly …
Continue Reading about Buttonbush for Wet Soils and Cool Blooms!
As I go about my daily routine each morning, I usually have a few minutes to check out my garden before I head to the office. One of my favorite spots in my yard is the 3 feet of ground surrounding my mailbox. The soil here is terrible and I didn't do anything to amend it, but I insisted on putting some plants here so that I wouldn't have to …
It's early April, but I've already started mowing the grass. The backyard just got a little too unruly, and I have already gotten my first tick of the season. This is always a sign that it's time to mow. I try never to walk through grass higher than my ankle for that reason. Now, I try to keep the front yard nice and well maintained, so the …
When I reach my limit with the bleakness of winter and cold temperatures, the tiniest pink striped flowers start to poke their heads out of lawns and ditches. To me, the Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) is a harbinger of spring and warmer weather. These wildflowers bloom just before the false garlic – so they fill up the lawns and …
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I love this plant. Nothing says 'good morning to you' like a bright orange flower. But it's not just me! The hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies have all cast their votes too. This afternoon, I saw a ruby-throated hummingbird feeding on one of the flowers. Tithonia is excellent for attracting and feeding pollinators. Mix it in with a few …
Continue Reading about How to Grow Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia)
Despite the name, you’ll find this ‘weed’ in more and more gardens. Joe Pye Weed is a good garden staple for attracting pollinators from bees to butterflies. I planted it last fall and this summer the blooms have been prolific and I have seen all sorts of bees, wasps, and flies feeding on the nectar. Joe Pye weed flowers are gorgeous. The stem …
Continue Reading about Joe Pye Weed: Native Plant that Attracts Bees & Butterflies
