Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Dame’s Rocket

One of my new neighbors (from Texas) told me that they had seen white and pink flowers on the ditches and woodland fences. Could it be phlox (Phlox pilosa)? It could have been, but it's not. These plants are actually dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis), a non-native, very invasive member of the … [Read more...]

April 2021 Exceeds 420 parts per million CO2

Tomorrow is Earth Day, April 22, 2021. Climate change is my mind. The Earth's carbon dioxide (CO2) levels peak around this time of year because there's more landmass in the northern hemisphere and plants start their seasonal growing season. During their growing cycle, plants draw down CO2, and … [Read more...]

WOFVA Chapter Plant Sale Orders Due March 31, 2021

Are you starting to get excited about spring and getting out in your yard? Digging in the dirt? Planting new plants, trees, and shrubs? Are you asking yourself what you can do for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators? Then you should know about the Wild Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter’s annual … [Read more...]

Developing a Naturally Landscaped Yard

When I started to plan my prairie in 1986, I didn’t know what I was doing. In fact, I’m not even certain I understood what was a native plant. I learned about the benefit/necessity of surveying my property from Don Vorpahl. Don was one of the first native-landscape designers in Wisconsin and an … [Read more...]

Bird/Pollinator-Friendly Garden

As cold as it has been, the birds have nowhere to go other than to hunker down in the bushes and leaf piles. Just sparrows – this was a result of my bird count. In general, bird are nature's messengers. As populations of birds change, those fluctuations may indicate shifts in pollution levels, … [Read more...]

A Small Native Plant Garden

Ken Sikora wrote this in an e-mail the other day: "Thanks for the Winter Seeding of a Prairie, Donna! Just last Thursday I did broadcast seeds in an existing prairie, trying to improve the wildflower diversity and fill in some thin spots. I did it knowing it was going to rain Friday, which would … [Read more...]