From diligent gardener / photographer JAM:
Last year I mentioned I was winter-sowing native plants for my garden and I thought I would send an update.
First are pictures of (most of) the plants I started, taken from April to October.
April
May
June
August
September
October
Most native gardening sources say new native perennials will sleep the first year, creep the second, and leap in the third, so I planted some annual natives. But it turned out most of the perennials leaped the first year, though the penstemons and green milkweed are still creeping.
The perennials are orange and green milkweeds, prairie blazing stars, sweet goldenrod, little bluestem, Murray’s penstemon and a big frost aster I moved from the lawn.
Annuals are lemon bee balm, annual winecups, clasping coneflowers and annual saltmarsh asters, another lawn native.
Some pollinators:Two-spotted Longhorn Bee on Asclepias tuberosa, orange milkweed.
Two-spotted Longhorn Bee and American Bumblebee on Liatris pycnostachya. I only got one flower stalk, but it was always busy.
Two Ligated Furrow Bees on Dracopis amplexicaulis, Clasping Coneflower.
American Bumblebee and Diana Fritillary butterfly female on Monarda citriodora, Lemon Bee Balm. (Bumblebees love it.)
Top photo: This was the first and only time I have seen a Diana. They are known to live in the Appalachians and Ozarks, but seem to be spreading west. Dianas have one generation a year and the female lays her eggs only on violets. They hatch and overwinter as tiny caterpillars in the leaf litter under the violets.
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When we first moved to Boston, I was warned *never* to plant bee balm anywhere near my precious tomatoes — apparently bees would neglect any other blossoms while bee balm was available!
What’s going on in your garden (planning / prep / records), this week?
VFX Lurker
The first photo really captures the delicate beauty of that butterfly.
Love those adorable bee photos, too. Thank you for sharing these!
MagdaInBlack
Once upon a time, many many years ago, I did a 2 year program for AAS in Horticulture. Prairie forbs and native plantings were just being talked about at that time. One of my instructors had his own little grow-house of prairie forbs and grasses. He also had a small contract with Illinois Dept of Conservation.
There were a few places in the area ( Dekalb , IL) that had little bits of original prairie, mainly old cemeteries, which we visited. All very cool.
Love this post, A.L.
MagdaInBlack
And! Thank you JAM !
Gloria DryGarden
Fantastic. What is the Latin name of your wine cups, and your lemon bee balm?
we grow callirhoe in Denver, but it’s perennial..I admire so many of your plants, which people do try to grow out here, but they need more water. I like things that are native here, and can make it on our pitiful rainfall. The tall grass prairie stuff you have is so lovely. And it’s wonderful to see the progression. There’s nothing like a zillion happy bees.
I love your bees!
Jeffg166
I am jealous. I have tried and tried to get that look. Things grow maybe a year or two then die. I am learning to live with what makes it.
Was the wire protect the first year for squirrels, rabbits, deer, pets or all of the above.
I do see some Clarkia has seeded itself in the bed in front of the porch. I am throwing in more hardy annual seeds.
The trouble now is Philadelphia has been in a drought for some time. We are getting little snow storms and not a lot of rain.
Checking the hardy Camellias I see the squirrels have decided to eat the flower buds. If I get one flower this year I will be happy. There are three flower buds left.
satby
Great results on your native plant pollinator garden JAM! Wonderful pictures.
p.a.
Really nice!
AM in NC
What a lovely bed you created, and thank you for showing us the progression. And all of the visitors to the plants, of course! Native plants are so beautiful and beneficial. Just lovely!
kalakal
Beautiful, thank you!
One thing I have to say about living here in West Central Florida’s favour. It’s great for butterflies and moths. They’re such gorgeous creatures
MazeDancer
Inspirational photos!
So far, my turning the lawn to native meadow project consists of longing thoughts and cardboard hoarding,
Leaning against the wall of my back porch are Chewy’s largest boxes, flattened. Ready to go.
stinger
What a wonderful post!
Gvg
In the 90’s we had some severe droughts in Florida and I learned to pay attention to the wild creatures needs or they would take what they needed. Some of them ate holes in my hose trying to get to the water they smelled. Another time the hose was clogged up by a dead lizard that crawled in and evidently couldn’t get out. I put in a small kiddy wading pool with escape rocks. Dug a hole to make a cheap pond and used mosquito dunks to prevent them breeding. After the animals had a water source, they left my things alone. I always remember that since. Usually just a big pan of water I can dump and clean.
My experiments with growing meadows have made me appreciate the thin leaved grasses more. A meadow just doesn’t work without the grasses, but in an urban lot the big grasses are overpowering. In Florida I like the wire grasses, muhly grass and maybe some lovegrasses. The wire grasses work best but take a while to get established. The muhly grass is ornamental in its own right. I have seen Highway medians here planted with nothing but muhly and in the fall they are stunning pink clouds surrounded by concrete and cars.
JeanneT
Thank you for the inpirational photos!
JAM
@Gloria DryGarden: Thanks, those annuals are Callirhoe leiocarpa and Monarda citriodora.
JAM
@Jeffg166: Hi Jeff, thanks, the wire is for the dogs. They see cleared soil and they either want to dig in it or walk all over it like a patio.
JAM
@Gvg: I am starting a new island bed and I thought about using muhly because it’s native here too, but I decided just to stick with the Little bluestem for now. I love it, but was worried it might overpower the flowers I’m planting. I might add some next year if I decide it needs more grasses.
Betty
Great pictures and information. I love the Diana and the violets story. I remember as a child the joy of coming across violets when wandering the woods above our house. Sweet little gifts of Nature.
JAM
@Betty: Thanks, it turns out about 30 species of fritillary butterflies use wild violets as host plants, so I like to show everyone that Diana to encourage them to cherish their violets instead of treating them like weeds. (I post on bluesky.)
JAM
@MazeDancer: I know, my main impediment to planting more natives is getting rid of lawn, I hate bermudagrass. I have been digging it up instead of trying to smother it, but I still use a lot of cardboard to cover the bare soil before planting so that it doesn’t blow away or get dug up by my dogs.
Kristine
Love native flowers and watching how they attract bees and butterflies (and parasitic wasps). Thanks for the photos, JAM!
It’s all snow cover currently in NE Illinois. We’ve just been through another short stretch of 0F temperatures. Last fall I relocated what I’m pretty sure is a red osier dogwood that I found growing under/through the backyard chain link fence. It’s in the front yard now. Hoping it takes.
I love finding volunteer natives and nursing them along. Some tall boneset showed up a few years ago and gets a little bigger every year. It’s a late bloomer and the bees etc love those white flowers.
JAM
@Kristine: I had to buy Tall Boneset seeds, those are stratifiying in milk jugs right now. I love getting volunteer native plants, too. That white aster in the back was growing in the lawn, and it is completely swarmed with parasitic flies and wasps when it blooms, it is tachinid fly central. I also had a passion vine that went gangbusters and was covered with caterpillars, and one Tall Thistle that was also very popular. It’s more fun than growing your own plants in many ways because it’s a surprise.
JAM
@kalakal: “It’s a great place for butterflies” is also about the best thing I can say about living in Oklahoma.
Jeffg166
@JAM:
There is a large area on the side yard lawn where the violets run riot in spring. If the grass is going to be cut I mark the area with sticks and a string to show the guy who cuts the grass where not to mow.
One year the violets were in full bloom and the pear tree dropped tons of white petals on the area. It was magical.
Cowgirl in the Sandi
The first photo is wonderful!! Thanks for an uplifting post on Sunday morning.
Sherparick
Thanks. It is a great psychic break.