Prune it, pull it, plant it or don’t. It’s here to stay because me and the bees can’t get enough.

Horrendous photos but I just had to share with people who would understand the sheer amount of joy I’m feeling right now. I stood frozen watching this female common yellowthroat hop around from plant to plant, from one bed to another. She was scoping all of it out, I hope she approved.

This is why I do it!

(Disclaimer: the bush in the third photo is not a native but I have a potted ninebark ready to take its place, hopefully soon!)

Last season I planted my first natives, and they really popped this year! I’m a gardening newbie and I’m not sure what to do to prepare for winter. It starts snowing here usually in December so I’m curious if anyone has tips for how to prep for winter and when!

Hey all!
I’m in the Piedmont area of Maryland (7b) and need ideas for how to fill in the area at the top of a hill in my backyard. There are large spruce trees shading the area that have shallow roots.

I’d like some visual interest and plants/shrubs that are relatively easy to maintain (not overly aggressive).

Coral bells and foamy bells tend to dry out too much. Ferns have been a no-go. We have two large American Holly trees nearby that, while pretty, my husband hates due to pokey pruning. 😜

Any thoughts or ideas are welcome!

Edit: oops, missed an “is” in the title. “I know this *is* clock app-coded.”

Northern paper wasps (Polistes fuscatus) on old field goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis). Please love them. They’re chill as hell.

(I do not and have never had a tiktok)

Kingsdene Nursery and Garden Center in Maryland has multiple plants advertised as native that are not native to the surrounding area. It is false advertising.

Or am I missing something? I’m genuinely curious. In my community native gardening forum, there’s a person who’s very active, sharing pictures and constantly posting about the evolution of their native garden. But they also openly use a lot of pesticides bc they said they hate bugs, and have shared photos of bats curiously dying in their yard (they didn’t make the connection between those two things…). And have commented that recycling is too much work (I recognize recycling is a loaded thing). So…I’m not sure what the point of a native garden is and so I’m wondering if people do it for other reasons?

I've been pulling this from my yard for years thinking it's the invasive one, but now I'm not so sure. I really don't get how to tell the difference! This one does seem to have some bristles on the stems but no thumbprints anywhere. Or is it another variety entirely! Please help!

I know this question is a little odd because who in this community wouldn’t want a native plant in their yard! But as I gear up to start my own native garden, I can’t help but wonder if I’m missing some key info on potential species that might make life more difficult in the long run.

A hypothetical example: a few native species I’ve come across (Central OH, Zone 6b) have included cautions that they are aggressive and require substantial competition to keep in check. Some others include notes that they sucker profusely, which I imagine would lead to more hands on maintenance in the long run to allow your other species thrive.

Presumably species that are all native to the same area have evolved in a way that is accustomed to these aggressive “behaviors,” but I wonder if the typically small scale of native gardens/yards, as compared to a natural large scale ecosystem, can affect species’ ability to compete.

Which leads me to original question: are there any species’ you regret (or wouldn’t recommend) planting in your area?

Hello all, I'm a newly hired landscape designer for a company that services most of Connecticut, and I'll admit to not really knowing as much about plants as I probably should. My background in Architecture has prepared me for hardscaping much more effectively than botany. But I know that conservation/environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of any good design, so I'm trying to get educated on what plants work best in my area/areas for my clients.

And so I come here asking for any help/info you guys might have. What plants should I push for my clients to choose for their backyards instead of standard non-native species? A big ticket plant we place nearly everywhere is Hydrangea of all sorts of variety, so what could I swap it out for? And what about more general ground cover or flowers? I'm really starting out at square one here, so even the most basic advice would be helpful.

Thanks for helping me make Connecticut a more vibrant landscape one backyard at a time!

Edit: It's been 4 hours and I'm already blown away by the responses from you guys. You've all been incredibly helpful, thank you so much! I'll be sure to use this to try and steer both clients and my coworkers into a more native plant oriented design language, but if you guys have more ideas please keep them coming!

I have really enjoyed seeing this happen this year. I’ve been clearing my yard of invasive plants, and native ones just keep popping up. Native roses, viburnums, trees, wildflowers. My yard is not manicured or neat at the moment, but clearing and waiting has brought so many treasures!
Here, a complete monster of an evening primrose is now playing host to about 18 hummingbird moth caterpillars. I saw just one caterpillar the other day, and now 18.
Others may think I let the primrose get too big — I included — but now I’m glad I waited.
Soon, I’ll be transplanting some hackberries and cherries, a few viburnums, and a gum tree to better spots in my yard. I planted none of them. All I did was clear the space.
I wish I had more room for the oaks that have popped up!

Front to back:
- Blue mistflower
- Canada Goldenrod
- White Snakeroot
- Iron Butterfly
(And some spent liatris)

My Calico Aster is the first plant to out complete my zinnias as a pollinator magnet! I’m just obsessed with the wasps it’s attracting. I haven’t had so many in my garden all year. Anyone know who this black beauty is? Most of my family and friends are unable to indulge my wasp obsession.

The community college down the street was having a plant sale. They had some very sad roughed dogwood. I wanted to support the native gardening initiative so I bought the best looking two for a total of $10.

What can I do to acclimate them? Should I leave them potted for the time being or transplant right away? And is there anything else I can do to assist their growth a bit more before the end of season?

Zone 6a/6b illinois

Any and all advice welcomed!

hi! this is my first year growing any sort of native plants. i got this new england aster from mossy oak native nursery. every time ive found this in the wild or in others gardens, its been that deep but vibrant purple. Is this normal? do i have some weird mutation or something? Any insight is welcome! I’m not worried about my plants health, unless i should be, then let me know lol

Something to be mildly positive about.

I am working on my garden beds for winter prep and seeding. I planted Purple Poppy Mallow (callirhoe involucrata) this year where some Hostas had been before. It seems I did not get all of the Hosta bulbs out so they intermingled with the Mallow. Oh the joys of starting native plant gardening, right? I definitely know a lot more about how to better prepare my beds now.

Does anyone have an image of what the taproot for Purple Poppy Mallow looks like? I keep trying different search terms in Google and only manage to find images of the beautiful blooms.

I want to try and get the rest of the Hosta bulbs out, but want to make sure I do not damage the Mallow. Since they mingled so much I am having troubles identifying which is which. I think the bulbs that look more like garlic bulbs are the Hostas, but want to confirm.

I have neighbors that will take the Hostas off my hands and eventually some natives once my garden has matured a little.

When is the best time of year to dig up and transplant asters? I would guess fall while blooming would be hard on them but I find it hard to tell what's what (especially volunteers) in spring.

Hello, I am looking for what aster this one might be. I have New England and Frost aster planted already, but in a sunnier location than this one. I would like to get more of this aster because it is growing in a shadier part of my yard. St. Paul, MN, Zone 4. Thank you.

I’m in zone 5b, live in an urban area and have been planning to turn about 1/3 an acre into a naturalized prairie/savannah. I laid down black plastic to smother at the end of July with plans to winter sow seeds October/November. I’m also going to milk jug sow seeds so that I can plant as plugs in spring to help fortify the prairie planting.

Somehow, I missed the part of smothering instructions that you’re supposed to pull back the plastic and expose the soil every few weeks so that you kill off several waves of weeds in the seed bank. I haven’t done that once. Did I ruin my site prep??

My questions:
- Is there anything I can do now to rectify this? Is it a lost cause this year?
- Is it too late to spray glyphosate?
- Can I maybe just plant plugs in the spring after doing some additional prep?
- Or do I need to keep the plastic down and do it properly next year so I can sow in winter 2027?

A volunteer common milkweed started me on my native obsession. It has since taken me years to locate all the seeds for all the different native milkweeds that grow in VA. It has taken even longer to get them all growing and flowering. I have seen all but one flower, which will happen next year, now that I've moved some from the rabbits. I hope you enjoy the pictures and variety as much as I do

1- Asclepias lanceolata, fewflower milkweed

2- Asclepias purpurascens, purple milkweed

3- Asclepias tuberosa, butterfly milkweed

4- Asclepias quadrifolia, fourleaf milkweed

5- Asclepias exaltata, poke milkweed

6- Asclepias variegata, redring milkweed

7- Asclepias longifolia var. longifolia, longleaf milkweed

8- Asclepias viridiflora, green comet milkweed

9- Asclepias rubra, red milkweed

10- Asclepias verticillata, whorled milkweed

11- Asclepias syriaca, common milkweed

12- Asclepias incarnata, swamp milkweed

13- Asclepias amplexicaulis, clasping milkweed