Native Plant Gardening

Basically the title. Despite being interested in plants as a teen and trying to germinate exotics under my first grow light, I didn't get into natives until much later...completely on accident.

I stopped growing anything for like 6 years. Climbed out of the hole I was in and felt the itch to watch a plant from seed the first year in mostly shade. I decided on a variety of impatiens and anise hyssop for the pollinators (pretty much randomly decided on this too, just because)

The impatiens didn't like it at all when I didn't water for 2 days and they died. But the hyssop didn't care at all. Over the course of summer I forgot about them a lot, they drooped some but never died in the summer heat in these containers. I was amazed. Some natives are built different!

When they started to flower it was really cool. But when I saw bees and butterflies buzzing those small plants...it just hit different. It really warmed my heart. I was amazed by how many bugs were attracted to otherwise small and unassuming plants. I was just hooked.

It wasn't long afterword that I dug a couple of small beds to experiment with other species. I've learned so much this year from the failures and successes of all this. It really feels like this is going to last a life time for me. Observing the relationships these plants have with their environment is endlessly fascinating. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Link - https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion

This is a great resource I've used in the past to help plan out plants I'd like to grow in my pollinator beds. It lists genera of plants that are known to support large numbers of pollinators and/or birds separated by North American ecoregions. Select your ecoregion to get a pdf with your local keystone genera. From there, pick out some species from those genera that you like and are native or near-native to you. I use BONAP (http://bonap.net/NAPA/Genus/Traditional/County) to help pick out species once I have genera I'm interested in.

Hope this helps!

I rent, so I got a limited space to work with. That said, I counted 12 bees buzzing my 3 anise hyssop plants (Two are 2 years old in the ground, 1 in a container from seed this year) and my (Monarda Citriodora) lemon bee balm! This is the most I have seen in my yard so far!

Walking conservation areas around here I've noticed they show extreme preference toward common milkweed and butterfly weed, and somewhat to nearby mountain mint. I have seen a few buzzing my salvia as well.

What other native species have you seen bees go crazy for?

All seeds harvested within 100 miles and in same ecoregion. I have a nursery license and have sold some (at cost) at a few yard sales, but am looking to sell more or do a plant giveaway before winter. Have been looking for examples of others doing this and haven't found much. Want to ensure people buying them/taking them actually plant them and have some education. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Rash Treatment and prevention

If you have been (or, think you may have been) exposed to poison oak or poison ivy plants, washing with a cleanser designed to remove urushiol (rash-causing oil from the plants) within 8 hours after exposure will help remove the resin before a rash begins.

There are two brands I swear by. Zanfel and Tecnu. Zanfel is expensive. At $50 for a small tube, I only use it after I get a rash. It has a gritty texture and really helps relieve the itch. After I've been in the yard doing things that may have exposed me, I always use the cheaper Tecnu. It's about $15 a tube and you get more of it. I wash everywhere with it. I mean, everywhere I may have touched.

https://www.zanfel.com/help

https://teclabsinc.com/product/tecnu-extreme-poison-ivy-scrub/

Eradication

Poison ivy is a perennial. You have to kill it down to the roots.

Poison Ivy still has the urushiol oil on dry leaves. Urushiol WILL be carried in the smoke when it's burned. Urushiol is on the stems and roots, not just the leaves. It's less, but it's there. Don't burn poison ivy, you can wind up in the hospital. Don't pull it out, you will get it on you somehow.

To eradicate poison oak and poison ivy chemically, use an herbicide that contains glyphosate, triclopyr, or a 3-way herbicide that contains 2,4-D amine, dicamba, and mecoprop. Ortho GroundClear Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer works great. I hate poison sprays, since I'm a beekeeper, but I make an exception for poison ivy because it kills the plant down to the roots and it doesn't come back.

You can kill poison ivy without harsher chemicals by dissolving one cup of salt, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and one tablespoon of dish soap in a gallon of water. Spray it with a spray bottle. It may come back the next year with this method. Remember where it was so you can do it again.

I also like to use old rugs, tarps and cardboard to smother the plants. Leave them in place until there is nothing but bare dirt left. It may still come back.

You can also rent goats. Yes, goats. They love it. It may still grow back.

Coneflowers and beebalm.

Yes, I killed that spotted lanternfly after I took the photo.

Hope this is an acceptable contribution here. I've been converting areas of my Midwestern yard to native plant habitat for the past 2+ years. It's sparkling with fireflies tonight while the surrounding grass yards are dark. Gives me a bit of a boost to get ready for tackling the sprouts of pokeweed and thistle tomorrow.

This is the second year I've had them (Monarda fistulosa). I think they were already a season old by the time I planted them in my flower bed. I had also planted red beebalm (Monarda didyma) and spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata) in the same flower bed. Both of the latter flowered the first year and the red beebalm is already flowering this year. However, the M. fistulosa didn't flower last year and show no signs of flowering this year. They just keep getting taller. I'm certain they're getting enough sun light. Every other flower around them requiring full(er) sun are creating bulbs. I would say this bush is just a dud, but I planted two of these and they're both having the same issue.

Anyone have ideas?

Love this community, very excited.

Anyone familiar with UK native species? I am a foreigner and have a small little garden. I have abandoned veggies because they are too much work and we do not eat them fast enough. What kinds of things would thrive that are low-maintenance and help our local ecosystem?

It's really hot down here, can get dry and the soil isn't super great. The plot is full sun and the cats like to nap in it. We just had a fence replaced, and now it is ready to go again. It is under a dark garden cloth for now. We have berries, roses herbs and fruit in pots and in the ground. Our grape vine is absolutely mental for a hint on what would thrive.