There are many spring wildflowers, but not all are ephemeral. Spring ephemerals are wildflowers that complete their entire lifecycle before tree leaves fully emerge and create a shady, closed canopy. Ephemeral flowers primarily grow on the forest floor, but some also grow in prairie and savanna habitats.

A major component of many potting mixes is peat moss. However, harvesting peat is an unsustainable practice, and peat use should be reduced when possible. In this post, I’ll spotlight substitutions you can make to reduce peat use when growing potted plants.

I’m highlighting my favorite groundcover plants that are native to central and northern Minnesota. While native populations may not be recorded in every single county, all these plant species are generally considered native throughout central and northern Minnesota. Many of them are also native to neighboring regions like northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. All can be grown in home gardens with relative ease, though I’ve noted special considerations, such as species that are aggressive growers.

Native plants have a reputation for being “wild”, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be managed for aesthetics. Simple maintenance techniques can prolong flowering, minimize flopping (plant stems toppling sideways under their weight), and promote new growth throughout the growing season. In this post, I’ll focus on one gardening technique known as the Chelsea chop.

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) need our help! Once common across North America, monarch populations have collapsed due to the loss of milkweed and nectar-producing native plants. To preserve monarch populations, we need to add monarch-friendly native plants back into our landscapes. In this post, I’ll highlight three native matrix plantings (all 20’ x 10’) to support monarchs in various sun and soil conditions.

Matrix plantings make fantastic bases for experimentation. The shapes of the landscape change over time and according to the seasons, creating continuous visual interest. They can be easily edited and the density of groundcover plants helps suppress weed growth. In this post, I’ll focus on how to design native matrix plantings for smaller gardens and landscapes.

The rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) once buzzed across half of North America, ranging from the Atlantic seaboard to the Dakotas. But habitat loss, pesticide use, and introduced diseases have decimated rusty-patched bumble bee populations. Restoring rusty-patched bumble bee populations is a task requiring many partners. But it’s easy to take important action on an individual level too. People living in regions with remaining rusty-patched bumble bee populations can add native plants that offer essential nutrition for rusty-patched bumble bees.

Managing buckthorn is a multi-year process with many techniques for removal. In this post, I’m focusing on revegetation after buckthorn removal. Recent research has shown that specific native plant species are well-suited for suppressing buckthorn regrowth. These species can outcompete buckthorn in spring and fall, helping revegetate open areas with bare soil. Complementary native plants can also benefit revegetation when planted alongside early establishment species. Check out these native plants for replacing buckthorn!

Bee lawns serve human functions first and foremost, so they have lower ecological value than a naturalistic landscape of native plants. Native bees are best served by a ground layer with varied height, diverse flowering plants, and patches of bare soil for burrowing. Bee lawns aren’t bad or unimportant. But bee lawns should be reserved for recreation areas and function best when planted alongside native, naturalistic landscaping.