This week: Does Partridgeberry Make a Tasty Jam?
Hello! Festive reds and greens are everywhere this time of year, including the forest floor. Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), a diminutive subshrub...
This week: Red Pine Is Hot and Cold
Hello, ’Tis the season to notice evergreens, and one relatively uncommon specimen worth spotting is Red Pine (Pinus resinosa). Red Pine’s native range...
This week: This Aster Is Still Blooming
Hello! Improbable as it may seem, some native flowers are still blooming near the end of November. Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) is one of...
This week: Tiny Trees on the Forest Floor
Hello! Spend any time in an eastern forest, and you’re likely to stumble upon some tiny little trees. Many times, these groves of 2- to 6-inch-tall plants...
This week: Minty Fresh Teaberry
Hello! Teaberries are a Pennsylvania thing. This low-growing evergreen groundcover lends its flavor to Clark’s Teaberry Gum, developed in Pittsburgh by the...
This week: American Witchhazel Waits Till Fall
Hello! ’Tis the season for American Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana)! It’s one of the few native plants that saves all its action for the end of the year....
This week: Spectacular Sassafras
Hello! Sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum) rank very near the top of my list of favorite trees. When I was a kid, Sassafras trees were fascinating because of...
This week: Huckleberry, a Fall Favorite
Hello! Our tour of fall foliage continues with a native shrub that is typically found in woodlands, Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata). In September and...
This week: Handsome Cinnamon Fern
Hello! Fall foliage isn’t limited to trees and shrubs. Some ferns sport outstanding autumnal colors, like the handsome Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum...
This week: Are Milkweed Bugs friends or foes?
Hello! If you grow milkweed, you may have noticed more than just Monarch caterpillars feasting on the plants. You’ve likely seen at least one form of a...
This week: Pearly Everlasting Outlasts the Fall
Hello! Now that fall is underway, Goldenrods and Asters are dotting the landscape. But, don’t overlook another fall bloomer that also happens to be in the...
This week: Advantages of Planting Plugs
Hello! This week, I planted 45 native plants in a little over an hour using only a garden knife. How was this incredible feat accomplished? I was planting...
This week: Leave Snags Standing for Birds
Hello! This newsletter is typically focused on living plants, but there is also ecological value in dead ones, often for habitat creation. We’re encouraged...
This week: American Pokeweed Is Pretty and Poisonous
Hello! I recently swiped past a social media post where someone had pruned an American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) plant into a tree shape — a strange...
This week: Ragweed and Mistaken Identity
Hello, Welcome to Ragweed season! Sadly, Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) is a native plant that can be a nuisance and is best removed. One male...
This week: Making Plans for Next Year’s Garden
Hello! As the summer winds down, it’s time to take stock of the garden. What changes, if any, should be made for next year? By evaluating it now, you can do...
This week: Cup Plant Surprises
Hello, Time for some fun facts about an interesting native plant with a dubious reputation! Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) is native to the eastern and...
This week: Butterfly Season
Hello, If you planted a garden full of native plants, you’ve probably been getting some butterfly visitors. Consider this a quick who’s who of a few common...
This week: Wild Petunia, No Relation to Annual Petunias
Hello! This summer, I’ve been experimenting with Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis). Wild Petunia is native to the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest. In Pennsylvania,...
This week: Blazing Star Blooms!
Hello! Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) is easily one of my favorite plants. While Liatris are typically associated with the Midwestern and Plains prairies,...