Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Search Results for: shade plants

Why the Colors of Fall

I love the fall season. I love to watch the change in color of the warm season native plants -- forbs, grasses, trees and shrubs. I've always known the change in color had something to do with the chlorophyll in the plants, but I thought it was about time I learned what happens to create the … [Read more...]

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Jack-in-the-Pulpits (Arisaema triphyllum) are such unusual looking plants, but you can't help but love the way they stand so erect, hiding the jack inside. Jacks are that special shade garden specimen because of their unusual appearance. Its flower looks like a "Jack" in a pulpit. They can grow … [Read more...]

On-Line Help Picking the Right Native Plant

There are good resources for helping us pick the right native plant for the right place on the nursery websites listed in my earlier post. There are also non-nursery on-line programs available to help with plant selection. NATIVE  PLANT SELECTION SOURCES Audubon has a program called Native Plants … [Read more...]

Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA)

One of the organizations I list on my website is the Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA). Since this is the time of year we're out gathering seed, I thought it would be a good time to mention the PCA. The PCA is a public-private partnership of organizations that share the goal to protect native plants … [Read more...]

Michigan Lily

One of the colors missing from my prairie this year is the orange of the Michigan Lily (Lilium michiganense). I have beautiful mature plants in the wet mesic area. Every year the deer eat some of the buds, but this year they ate every one. As much as we enjoy seeing the deer and the fawns visit our … [Read more...]