The hidden treasure weed which monarchs love

Honey bee on honeyvine

“A weed by any other name would smell more sweet.”

I step outside the back door and immediately grow heady on the intoxicating perfume of honeyvine.

Bees, butterflies, iridescent flies, and jaw-droppingly giant wasps float in and out of my garden nectaring on this sweet feast.

Of all the flowers in my garden these [...]

Butterfly garden in a weekend

There’s a little corner of my front yard, right by the driveway, which needs some help.

I’ve issued myself a butterfly garden challenge. You too can do a butterfly garden in a weekend.

Plan your garden

I’m sure every garden has a place for at least a few butterfly plants. Whether there’s a non-native plant you’d like to [...]

Plant some Little bluestem

“Little bluestem is one of the most widespread and important of all the prairie grasses.”  Wasowski, 2002.

Little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, is a well behaved and attractive addition to your nature garden.

Features

With blue-green, delicate grass leaves, fluffy seed-heads, and attractive fall and winter color there are plenty of  reasons to plant little bluestem.

Habit

Schizachyrium scoparium [...]

Nine Reasons to Nature Garden

Hairstreak on Butterfly Weed, Carole Brown 2010

There are many reasons to plant a nature garden – my friend Carole Brown knows them all.

The following post appeared originally at Carole’s blog Ecosystem Gardening.

It’s easy to assume that you can’t possibly make a difference for wildlife from your small share of the planet. But every [...]

5 Spray-Free Ways to Control Weeds

Garden Plot by OakleyOriginals

Organic weed control methods come in four main types: heat, light, mechanical, and chemical.

Being unfamiliar with chemical organic control of weeds, I am going to stick to describing the first three methods.

You’ll find each method of control broken down by the type of tool and/or materials you need. Useful videos are [...]