If you want a hardy, native perennial wildflower in your garden that will wow guests, thrill your native pollinators, and attract Monarch butterflies, Showy Milkweed is just the flower for you. In this article, we’ll do a deep dive on this awesome wildflower, how to grow it, and what care considerations you should take. Additional...
If you’re a Pacific Northwest gardener with a shady, property and you need a flowering groundcover, there are few I’d recommend more than Trientalis latifolia, or starflower. It grows to be about 8 inches tall, creeps slowly, and produces lovely pink and white flowers from mid-spring to early summer. What is Trientalis latifolia? Trientalis latifolia,...
Tellima grandiflora is an excellent plant to add to any native flower garden in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Montana. It forms a lush, spreading groundcover that is perfect for shady, damp gardens. In this article, we’ll explore the fringe cup flower, how to grow it, and everything else you need to know. What is...
The piggyback plant is a great addition to your garden, both as a houseplant and as a native, shade-loving perennial groundcover when planted in the Pacific Northwest. In its native range, it stays green year-round and grows best in the western, rainier parts of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. What is a piggyback plant?...
I am fond of keeping Muscovy ducks on my little backyard farm. They come with tons of benefits, namely fresh eggs and free pest control. If you have a few Muscovy ducks in your yard, you’ll probably never see snails or slugs ever again. They do a pretty efficient job of taking care of business...
In my neck of the woods, even though I’m in planting zone 9a, the fall through spring months are long and gloomy. By the time later winter rolls around, I have to have a little splash of color. The best way to get it from February to April is by planting crocuses. It seems like...
Occasionally, a post to Facebook detailing how to do something eco-friendly will go viral, but sometimes the information contained in these posts isn’t all that great. A viral post made in 2020 and another made in 2022 detailing eco-friendly ways to dispose of old rotting pumpkins are two such example. The first viral post, shared...
As a kid growing up in the midwest, the arrival of brief, glowing streaks of light around the yard at night signaled the real arrival of summer. My friends and I would catch fireflies, sometimes referred to as lightning bugs, and keep them in a jar, letting them illuminate our bedrooms at night. But since...
Whether or not I even use them in the things I cook, I love to grow herbs. One of the herbs you will always find in my garden is thyme. It’s a beautiful, fragrant, low-growing perennial herb that erupts in flowers that my local native pollinators just can’t seem to get enough of, and frankly,...
Mint is a favorite perennial herb of mine. I always have some growing in my garden. Currently I have spearmint, peppermint, and chocolate mint growing in my garden. I don’t think I could tell you which is my favorite! Let’s take a little time to do a deep dive on one of my favorite herbs....
Cilantro is something I have to grow in my garden every year, and I do it for free too. How? Because I harvest the seeds! Cilantro is one of those plants that are so easy to grow and propagate, I wonder why any gardener wouldn’t grow it. Plus, thrown into some fresh guacamole – you...
Backyard chicken keeping is an increasingly popular hobby that is experiencing a resurgence. More and more cities are rolling back ordinances that prevent keeping chickens on your property, leading to an uptick in interest. There are hundreds of different types of chickens to choose from – hybrids, heritage breeds, crosses. One of those breeds is...
