Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

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...]

Winter Seeding of Your Prairie

Reference my blog post titled Winter Seeding Your Prairie. I usually use the winter seeding of my prairie as a general overseeding of the prairie. Recently, a gentleman from Ohio e-mailed to ask me a few questions. He began with the statement, "I'm working with the USDA's Conservation Stewardship … [Read more...]

Four Simple Steps – Pollinators

National Pollinator Week, initiated and managed by Pollinator Partnership, is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them. Thirteen years ago, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week.” S.Res. … [Read more...]

It’s Pollinator Week!

This week, June 22-28, 2020, is when we celebrate pollinators. This is the week we celebrate the special species in our lives – the bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. It is a special time to pause, celebrate pollinators and focus on what we can do to help pollinators thrive in this world of … [Read more...]