r/nativeplants

Found in the white mountains of Arizona around 9,000ft.

Starting a native garden and one of the blazing Star has an irregular bloom from all others. Is there a concern about this bloom pattern?

Before and after. bees loved the blooms. In case yall didn’t know nopales is the most Mexican food you can think of outside of the southernmost states, we got nopales in the damn flag !! I heard you can eat the eastern prickly pear but couldn’t find much info on it. most of the info was about the fruit which we also consume heavily (tunas), but good nopales are hard to find in MA. Anyway you pick the new growth (the pads) and peel them and cook them to your liking. These nopales looked like the ones from the sierra back home (if you know you know and you’re very lucky)

Anyway they were definitely more acidic themselves but the the sauce my mother made them in was killer and more than made up for it.

Try them don’t be shy

I am killing the grass and weeds on a 10' x 100' steep slope in my yard and planning to plant low growing flowers native to Central MA. Below is my list so far, I am aiming for species that typically grow less than 12" with soil conditions of clay/rocky, dry/medium and full sun. Any suggestion or helpful tips? This is my first rodeo doing such a large space. The trees are moonglow junipers, my neighborhood also has lots of deer, rabbits and at least one groundhog.

I know it is occultation and not solarization. All the "clear" tarps I could find are opaque/gray. The tarp is pinned down every few feet with 6" lawn staples. In October or November I am going to pull the tarp off and put down the seeds that need cold stratification.

Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrate) isn't native to my area but I couldn't find species less than 12" that bloom in late summer to fall.

Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrate)

Azure Bluet (Houstonia caerulea)

Violet Wood Sorrel (Oxalis violacea)

Bird's Foot Violet (Viola pedate)

Longleaf Bluets (Houstonia longifolia)

Prairie Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta)

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

Wild Campion (Silene caroliniana)

Arrow-leaved Violet (Viola sagittate)

Labrador Violet (Viola labradorica)

Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)

Bought this plant that was labelled as a cutleaf coneflower. Now that it bloomed, it seems like a variety of skullcap. Does anyone know what species this is? Taken in Montreal, Canada

Upstate New York here.

Hi there! I’m working to make a 1,000 sqft area against a lake a native garden. Last year, a garden center gave me a bunch of seeds and told me to throw them into the area.

A lot is growing in the garden but i dont know what’s native or not (nor do I know what was in the seed packs). Any help identifying some of these?

So far, I know there is liatris, bee balm, cone flower, common milkweed, and black eyed Susan.

I noticed my echinacea blooming kinda wonky. But I see holes in the petals of my other normal looking echinacea. What should I do?

In the early spring it looked like native euonymus, but now I fear it’s actually burning bush. Is it?

It’s listed as an endangered species in Washington due to major habitat loss. This video was taken on organic farmland in Lewis County that’s also home to other state and federally rare species, including thin-leaved peavine. 

I was walking through my pollinator garden last night and noticed that a few of my smooth penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) were covered in dead insects. The insects appeared dried out and were attached to the flowers. The plants were sourced as plugs from Minnesota Native Landscapes (MNL) last summer and should be neonicotinoid-free.

The city I live in fogs for mosquitoes a few times each summer, but I spoke with the city administrator yesterday and he told me the fogger has not been used yet this year. As far as I know, none of my immediate neighbors spray insecticides. One neighbor behind and to the right of us uses herbicide to control weeds in the alley that separates our properties, but the area they spray is more than 30 feet from the affected plants.

After checking the rest of the garden, I found that three smooth penstemon plants were covered in dead insects while three others were unaffected. Two of the affected plants were close together, while the third was roughly 20 feet away. As far as I can tell, only one other plant species in my garden had a single dead insect attached to it.

Does anyone have any ideas what might have caused this? Is it worth reaching out to MNL to ask about the sourcing or treatment history of the plugs?

Hello! Looking for some suggestions of native plants that would work well in this patch of soil.

Location: Chicago IL USA
Soil: Clay, not well draining, and medium dampness
Sun: less than 3hrs per day

Requirements: hardy because it’s right by our front sidewalk, not droopy or over 12” tall, not the most aggressive spreader

Would love to have something that brings some color or 2 alternating plants that would work well together!

Thanks for helping me brainstorm this part of our yard has long been neglected.

Hi, I’m a PhD student studying at Royal Holloway in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. I'm working on a research project looking at people’s knowledge of hedgerows and useful hedgerow plants – what is being used, how is it being used and how was the knowledge acquired. I’m also looking at whether access to this knowledge and these plants enhances wellbeing and sense of place. 

I've created a questionnaire which I'm trying to share as widely as possible, and I’d be very grateful if you would be interested in filling it in. It takes about 9 minutes and includes some plant ID and some questions about your knowledge about hedgerows.  

Please find it here: https://rhulpsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eDP4rVdyRrWyN5I 

Responses are much appreciated! And if you would like more information about the project do please get in touch. 

Thank you!

Massachusetts, USA

Even the ones that bow their heads still feed the bees.
Not everything that looks tired is done blooming. ❤️

The birds love it, it doesnt need irrigation after the first year, and ive been able to make starts with clippings and rooting powder. it does form thickets onces established. Heavy clay soil. Happy days!

I posted back in 2024 about removing overgrown invasives and replacing with a large variety of natives, mostly plugs, from new leaf natives and prairie nursery. there were a few cultivars (achillea) added before i knew better but they did so well i’ll keep them for now. there are a few daylillies, salvia nemorosa, and hosta that look nice but i’ll be replacing as time goes on. i’m also thinking about yanking the old weeping cherry and replacing with a service berry or redbud (but if anyone else has suggestions for a large shrub or small tree i’m all ears). this is zone 6b in southern michigan.

the increased insect, bird, and wildlife activity has been incredible. the plants grow with no care other than weeding a couple times per season. i see hummingbirds daily without the hassle of a “bird feeder”!

i hope this inspires others to take it step by step and incorporate more native plants around their home.