How My Front Yard Became a Tiny Native Plant Classroom
With a Little Free Library, four simple garden icons, and help from Primex Garden Center, I’m experimenting with ways to make native plants easier for neighbors to understand and easier to bring home.
From Stickers to Signposts: The Next Stage of the Native Plant Guide at Primex
The latest version of the pilot uses larger signs placed among groups of native plants. Instead of searching for a small sticker on a pot, shoppers can now spot a sign from farther away and use it to understand the section around them. A milkweed sign identifies a Caterpillar Café plant. An aster sign highlights a Pollinator Pit Stop. Another sign introduces heliopsis as a native plant and helps it stand out among a busy display.
Looking for More Birds in your Garden? Open up the Bird Buffet
A bird buffet is a planted place that feeds birds through seeds, berries, insects, caterpillars, shelter, and cover. The best bird gardens are not just pretty in bloom, they keep working after the flowers fade.
Want More Butterflies? Plant a Caterpillar Café
A caterpillar café is a planted place that feeds baby butterflies and moths. It may not always be the tidiest part of your yard, but it certainly is one of the most important.
Want More Bees and Butterflies? Plant a Pollinator Pit Stop
A pollinator pit stop is a place in your yard where bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, flies, beetles, and other pollinators can stop for food. It’s like a tiny roadside diner, but instead of coffee and omelets, it serves nectar and pollen.
Got a Soggy Spot? Try these Native Stormwater Sponge Plants
A stormwater sponge is just a planted place that helps rain slow down and sink in. But the best ones do more than manage water.
Why Native Plants are Hard to Find and How We’re Making it Easier
What Makes you Buy a Plant?