Articles tagged: native plants
home & garden: County Farm Park's Britton Woods is a native plant must-see
Posted: May 15, 2013Quick! Move fast! This warm weather is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing for obvious reasons, wearing shorts without getting goose pimples is one. It’s a curse because our wonderful spring ephemerals ... Read more »
home & garden: The life of a dead tree - plant 'bones' shelter animals, improve ground water even after death
Posted: Mar 18, 2013Native or not, a living tree is a pretty thing to see, and the shade that trees provide is a welcome relief on a hot day, and necessary for some plants to survive. Living trees ... Read more »
home & garden: The shapes of winter - native trees and shrubs show their character
Posted: Mar 13, 2013To me, when daylight savings time kicks in and the local Dairy Queens open, Michigan spring begins, so Happy Spring everyone! Since our springs are typically random weather crap-shoots as to what a particular day ... Read more »
home & garden: Cat-tails: an unsung native that acts like an 'invasive'
Posted: Feb 06, 2013If you’re lucky enough to have a wetland, pond, or persistent wet area on your property, there is a very good chance you have cat-tails there. Right now, it is sporting a puffy seedhead and ... Read more »
home & garden: 'The Native Landscape Reader' would be ideal Christmas gift for readers and gardeners
Posted: Dec 15, 2012As Christmas comes, you may be looking for an “out of the mainstream” gift for the avid reader, history buff, nature buff or gardener in your family. The Native Landscape Reader, by Robert (Bob) Grese ... Read more »
home & garden: My native plant thankful list
Posted: Dec 03, 2012It’s late, I know, but sometimes you’re still thankful for things even after Thanksgiving. So, in the spirit of times gone by (a week or so ago), I would like to offer the following personal ... Read more »
home & garden: Virginia Creeper - A native vine with powerful fall color
Posted: Oct 01, 2012If I told you to add to your landscape a vine that climbs trees and sometimes forms a ground cover, has berries that birds love, has multiple leaflets (sometimes three), is frequently found in woods ... Read more »
home & garden: Native plant saviors for a dry yard
Posted: Aug 16, 2012Well, it’s been a dry one! Sorry that I’ve been an absentee writer — I’ve been out watering my plants all summer, and trying to stay cool. But, since it has been so hot, and ... Read more »
home & garden: Native butterflies in our midst - new section of greenhouse provides a resource for attracting these beautiful insects with native plants
Posted: May 28, 2012As we’ve discussed before in this column, native plants are outstanding hosts for native butterflies, and in some cases, like monarchs or some swallowtails, native plants are the only hosts. Without them, their caterpillars will ... Read more »
home & garden: Wild Columbine: A native plant stranger to our yard
Posted: May 07, 2012In my little slice of the world there is a beautiful native flower that refuses to prosper. According to the books, it grows on rocky ledges, and it grows in rich soils, but it won’t ... Read more »
home & garden: Native plant sightings on the U-M campus
Posted: Apr 24, 2012Sometimes, when you’re all bound-up from studying, or teaching, or from eating too many burritos, it’s good to get out, get some fresh air and enjoy nature. On a built-up campus like Michigan’s however, sometimes ... Read more »
home & garden: Walks in the woods can inspire native plantings in your yard
Posted: Apr 15, 2012Early to mid-spring is, to me, the best time to take a walk in the woods. Many would argue that the colors of fall make that the best time; it really can be showy, and ... Read more »
home & garden: Boxelder: The Rodney Dangerfield of native trees
Posted: Apr 05, 2012Boxelder (Acer negundo) is the native tree that draws almost disgust as another native, Cottonwood (Populus deltoides). But why? Why should this member of the maple family draw such ire and disdain? Sure, it doesn’t ... Read more »
home & garden: Hepatica is a native plant blooming extremely early - cool or scary?
Posted: Mar 20, 2012On Saturday, in my sunny backyard, I did some yardwork including cutting down last year’s growth. Normally, about now, I'm cursing the gray, late-starting spring that we know so well in Michigan. This time, I ... Read more »
home & garden: Native plants often like wet places in your yard
Posted: Mar 12, 2012Winter, or what we call winter around here, is great for revealing what you may have forgotten since the past growing season: spots in your yard that are often or usually wet. Many people curse ... Read more »
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