the lowdown on 'nativars' vs. wild species, with doug tallamy; may q&a (horsetail, hydrangeas & more) |
Hello , I'm someone who loves showy plants in artful arrangements. But lately I've been looking less with a collector's eye when shopping and more from the point of view of an insect.
That means I'm layering more native plants into my landscape, but which ones tagged "native" do the best job? You've probably heard the word "nativar" for cultivar of a native plant, but how effective are these often-showier cultivated varieties at supporting food webs?
I asked Doug Tallamy, professor of entomology at University of Delaware and author of "Bringing Nature Home" and "The Living Landscape." (Win your choice of book by
commenting over on the blog.)
We talked about what a cultivar change -- bigger flowers, maybe, or colorful leaves, or smaller overall stature -- actually does to a plant from the point of view of insects. And I learned about a beta version of a Zip Code-based new tool for identifying real powerhouse natives (like the ones up top).
tackling horsetail, transplanting hydrangeas & more:
the may q&a with ken druse
Because you keep asking more Urgent Garden Questions, my friend and fellow garden writer Ken Druse keeps coming back to help me answer them. This
month's topics range from transplanting hydrangeas, to tackling horsetail or Equisetum, to growing the stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus, which tends to get all messy looking). We even talked about trying Tiger Eyes gold cutleaf sumac in a pot, and much more.
june 9 workshops in the garden, with broken arrow nursery
Visitors to my big Open Days have asked for events
with more personal attention. Now Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery and I offer “Open Day-Plus”: smaller, ticketed, workshop-style tours and sales lasting a half-day each.
Come learn about gardening for the birds, mini meadow-making, our favorite plants and more...and since Adam is a master propagator, we’ve even added a short session on taking cuttings, and how to create an easy home cuttings propagation set-up of your own. A few spots are available for the
afternoon session!
recap: a fascinating firefly 101, with a new field guide's author
Fireflies: They never fail to
bring out that sense of first-time wonder, the excitement of a child on a summer camping trip. But until a new field guide reached my desk, I hardly knew anything beyond that feeling. In time for their summer flight season, I wanted a Firefly 101: who they are and what they're doing out there.
Who better to get schooled by than Lynn Frierson Faust, author of the new "Fireflies, Glow-worms and Lightning Bugs" from University of
Georgia Press.
Did you know there are 125 different species in North America? Enter to win this approachably written while also highly expert field guide.
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