It has become a Mother’s day tradition (OK only for the past three years) at the ONG household. We make Mom breakfast in bed (and the term “make” is a bit of a stretch) and then the kids and I go out for the morning/afternoon to give Mom a truly deserved day off from being all mom-ish. We will go out to lunch and then we head for the Bowman Hill native plant sale in New Hope, PA (click here to read more). I spend the prior week studying their catalog in great detail and I identify which native plants will work for me and I bring that list with me. Then the spending spree begins and I purchase a ton of plants I had never heard of before. Below is a photo of everything I bought earlier today;
What are native plants and why should you buy them? Glad you asked … school is in session (and my apologies to all those who know this already).
- As previously mentioned, these plants are way low maintenance since they have existed in the wild for a long period of time without any special TLC.
- Very little water is required in allowing these guys to thrive. Umm … hello … good thing!
- Natives have developed natural resistance to diseases and insects which make them even more appealing.
- By planting native, you are keeping with the natural and unique look of your area and that will keep your garden from looking so cookie-cutter.
- In my simple words – you keep shit the way it is supposed to be. The whole balance of nature is not disrupted and you my friend will have good karma. The wildlife will get what they need and keep that whole circle of life thing going.
Now to keep it real, I don’t only plant native. There are just too many non-natives that rock. But by educating yourself on what the native plants are in your region, you may find that there is a native plant that will serve the same purpose, or give you the look and feel you are going for with a non-native.
Peonies, Campanulas, and Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’.
Super blooms on the Ninebark ‘Summer Wine’.
Cascading branches on the same Ninebark.
Another view of a Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’.
Bloom on the Astilbe ‘Deutschland’.
Nepeta (Catmint) in near full bloom.
Close up shot of the Catmint blooms.
Nice big bud forming on the Iris ‘Snow Queen’.
The buds are forming on the Camassia Esculenta. It worked … it friggin worked … successful bulbs!
Amsonia is blooming for the first time. Loooove this native (wait until you see photos of the yellow fall color).
The ornamental grasses (Panicum) I butchered/divided into three a few weeks ago are all thriving. Tough little bastards.
I don’t do it enough … here are some Peony blooms brought indoors.
That’s all folks. If you’re reading this far down – thank you.
love your blog! I live in NJ too, Lake Hopatcong. Have you ever visited Tewksbury/Hearts Ease Nursery. Hildegarde Howell is the owner, she has beautiful gardens and hybridizes her own line of Daylillies which are gorgeous. Her orchids are also amazing. Your Wigelia Wine and Roses is beautiful. I have 3 very large wigelia not the same variety though. They do put on a beautiful show with their multitude of blooms. I would like to send you some pictures of my gardens. How would I do that? Is there a way to post them on your site or do I need to send them by email?
I have quite a few natives in my own garden – in fact…I let many a “weed” grow to see if it is an interesting native. I have gained rudbeckia, oxeye daisies, catchfly, geraniums, downy yellow violet, milkweed, pennycress, dame’s rocket, mullein and white snakeroot. Some of these aren’t true natives but they are still great plants that need absolutely no care!
“you keep shit the way it is supposed to be” – an excellent turn of phrase for why you should plant native! Here…Here..! To all your reasons.
I also like that you point out that it is not necessary to go strictly all native – some non-native are excellent and if they are not invasive there is no reason not to include them, especially if you can’t find a native for the job – kind of like gardening “green card” rules in Immigration – pun totally intended!
Plant shopping on Mother’s Day?
Your wife is a very good sport!
Cynthia – great to see another Garden Stater! I have not visited that nursery but we do make our way to Tewksbury a few times a year so will definitely check it out. You can post your photos to my Facebook page if you’d like – would love to add as many photos there as possible. Thanks!
Byddi – I’m doing my best to go “native” but you’re right, as long as you keep them in check it should be OK. Been meaning to tell you – love your blog title!
Sylvana – I have a lot of wild areas bordering my property and while it seems overwhelming, I’m ready to start trying to figure out what each and every plant is. You are so right – to quick to pull plants out and call them “weeds”.
Allan – my wife is a fantastic sport – plus we made her promise she would do nothing yesterday while the kids and I went out “shopping”.
I love growing the natives! Besides being self-sustaining, they are food for the native wildlife. Though after being given free rein in my garden for a quarter of a century, some of them are a bit overwhelming….they spread a lot, is what I’m sayin’….They do take a bit of managing and weeding out the true rank weeds, which are fine in the fields and woods but do tend to make a garden look a bit messy. Happy gardening!