Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Turtlehead (Chelone spp)

Years ago in the rain garden area of my prairie, I had native White Turtlehead (Chelone gabra) and Pink Turtlehead (Chelone oblique).* Over the years, as they've expanded their locations and moved closer to one another, the White Turtlehead seems to be changing. It has adopted a distinct white and … [Read more...]

Fall Equinox 2019

Have you noticed the days have been getting shorter? In fact, today, Monday September 23, 2019 at 2:50 am CDT, we reached the autumnal equinox when the night was about as long as the day. This equality between night and day also happens during the spring equinox in late March. From now on (for 182 … [Read more...]

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

I found this wonderful surprise in my prairie this week. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw two spikes of Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) blossoms standing there in between the Woodland Sunflowers and the Spotted Jewelweed. Everything is such a mess all around the area, but there was … [Read more...]

National Water Quality Month

With all the flooding we've experienced around the country this year (and around the globe), it's important we think about water quality. So it is a fitting reminder that August is National Water Quality Month. As native plant enthusiasts however, we already know we are doing our part to maintain … [Read more...]

A New Thought on Jewelweed

Reference my earlier post entitled Jewelweed - Friend or Foe? This year I'm more than grateful to have the Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) growing in my yard. With all the damage to my prairie, I have so little quantity and, to a lesser extent, variety of plants standing upright that the … [Read more...]

Downspout Gardening

I was sitting in the doctor's office the other day reading a magazine when I came across an article entitled "Downspout Gardening." Huh! A new name for rain gardening? Well, sort of. It was an article about a flower garden placed around a downspout, using primarily non-native plants. There was no … [Read more...]