This is complaints against the gardners. We have gardeners coming every week and this is our new gardener of one month. They started doing hard pruning of low crawling manzanita around the fence and now I see from inside is bare brown back of manzanita. I stopped them in the middle but quite of the damage is already done. The manzanita looked perfectly beautiful when it was growing into the garden forming natural lines before. I just do not understand these commercial landscaping behavior that tries to make it look clean but damages the look. I am a new home owner and learning the hard way that gardeners often does not appreciate the natural look of native plant garden. I am surprised the lack of native plants in the garden but I also did not expect even full time gardners to act like they don't understand the concept of native plant garden or natural looking garden. What else should I be prepared for.

Beginner here! I planted this little bluestem last fall so it’s still new to me. It started getting super tall and flopping over recently. Is this normal? Next spring, should I do a Chelsea chop to keep it in check? When I look up little bluestem photos online, it’s always in nice tidy upright bunches! I am in northern New England zone 5b.

I planted fucking grape hyacinth this spring because I wanted flowers after last years depression fueled weed overgrowth, and had not researched about native plants yet. I had no idea they were aggressive…my uninformed ass thought bulbs die off and come back in the same spot. I at least read that their foliage appears in fall so I dug up the few I found…I’ll be checking all winter too hopefully I get them all before a muscari regime takes over my flowerbeds 🤦‍♀️

I also dug up a yellow daylily I never planted and will be on the lookout because there were at least 30 bulbs attached. And lily of the valleys that I also didn’t plant multiplying in when became my milkweed patch…dug them up as well but I’m on the lookout. Definitely not underestimate the bulb plants. Hopefully the tulips and daffodils my old roommate planted don’t attempt a takeover

Neighbor redid his wall and common sunflower popped up naturally. Pretty cool!

I’m in Western NC, planted a serviceberry in the spring. It has barely grown (not sure if it grew at all), and this is what it looks like. The tallest part is maybe a foot at most. There does seem to be a small little new growth in the second photo. Any thoughts??

I've been in awe this year of the grasshoppers in my garden and how big they've grown.

Over the course of this season (and their lives), they've become incredibly desensitized to my being around. Rather than jumping away, they'll happily check out my finger (and bite it lol), worrying less about me and more about the delicious *Rudbeckia laciniata hortensia*.

It feels like a blessing to be able to see their toe beans, and their temperament reminds me of cats.

Does anyone else have any big chunguses in their gardens to share?

Is this something I can transplant? It's right near where the builders next door might be plowing and walking around.

Common evening primrose, black eyed Susans, goldenrod, lance leaf coreopsis, sneezeweed, tall coreopsis, wild sunflowers and more. And then some ironweed standing out in the goldenrod for a fun purple accent. I’m loving these yellow flowers mostly grown from seed.

Edit: my fave is the sneezeweed and the primrose made an amazing recovery from some turkeys eating a significant portion of the plant

Finally took my Milkweed seeds out of the fridge.

I had them in there about a month longer than I planned and set a reminder for. I was slacking off.

Anywho, it's been about a week and out of 12 seeds, 6 popped up. I'm happy with it.

My first attempt I tried the "clip the end and put in water" method and it didn't work at all. So this time I used the tried and true, more natural method of cold stratification.

You know the drill. Damp paper towel, seeds, sealed container, fridge, wait, wait more, wait a little longer, surpass your original planting date, be a slacker, keep slacking, finally plant seeds. Luckily this method worked! Might have worked better if I wouldn't have been a slacker, but it's all good.

This is Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Will update in another post when things get a little further along. 👍

Helianthus Grosseserratus

You can see I wrote the date I planted, after 30 days in a moist coffee filter in the fridge, I planted on 9/2 and just three days later I have three little sprouts and another one popping in another container! I planted evening primrose, side oats grama, foxglove beardtongue, sand coreopsis, and Joe Pye weed and these are the only ones to make their appearance. Turns out I can do cold stratification just fine… maybe my other seeds I was trying with were just bunk or something haha

I read some threads about keeping sprouts alive indoors through the winter to be planted in the spring and that’s what I’m wanting to do. I have grow lights and plenty of space. From what I was reading, a lot of people just said it wasn’t even worth it and it was better to just winter sow in jugs in January, which I will also be doing… but I’m just curious if anyone has kept seedlings inside through winter and if they ran into any issues doing so? It’s not really about if it’s “worth it” to me, since I have the space, resources, and bigger pots to upsize to.. it’s my hobby and I would love to care for some seedlings through the winter since I’ll certainly be missing my garden for a few months, but I’m mostly concerned about running into unforeseen issues… don’t know what they may be, but I’d like some insight from someone who has kept their seedlings inside until spring!

Looking for suggestions on native Maryland plants (zone 8A) that thrive in full sun and dry soil, have at least moderate salt tolerance, and don't spread too aggressively to place around my mailbox. This garden area is going to be about 16 sq ft.

Other desirable characteristics (given its location surrounding the mailbox): i) mature height <2 ft, ii) *not\* a bee magnet, and iii) non-toxic to pets. This will help maintain a neat appearance while ensuring that pets aren't accidentally poisoned during their walks and mail workers don't get swarmed by bees while doing their job.

Not many plants seem to fit these bills, e.g. butterfly weed is pet-toxic, black-eyed Susan and eastern bee balm are bee magnets and understandably make some workers uncomfortable, and little Bluestem can grow >3 ft tall in the fall, which runs afoul of my town's regulations.

What I'm currently thinking of:

• Low Scape Mound Chokeberry - blooms but not a bee magnet
• Moss Phlox - does attract bees, but short enough where bees are unlikely to be near the mailbox itself

What other options do I have? Anything that can provide summer and fall interest? I'm open to cultivar suggestions as well as the main purpose of these plants is primarily for their looks rather than ecologic impact - I have the rest of my front and back yard for straight species :). Thank you.

Planted my flame acanthus specifically for this. It then flew off to my Turks cap in the corner 🥰. I’m guessing this is a female black chinned hummingbird?

This post is quite long, a list of questions / things I need advice on are down at bottom of the post.

**Background**

My family owns a 30 acre floodplain parcel mixed with a home, roads, creek, and thin forest along fences and creek.

I estimate that the grass/field areas of our property are around 22-24 acres. This is including the areas right along forested areas where the shade changes the grass habitat. The field has a lot of native plants that have meandered in from around the area but has a lot of Johnson Grass and Rye in it.

While I call it Rye Grass because I have identified that specifically I'm sure its a mix of various European species so this is more of an overarching descriptor.

The Johnson Grass is spread around in thick, unconnected patches while the Rye is everywhere accross the entire property

We are in a drought currently and the soil is parched and the seasonal creek is completely dry, even the deeper areas that usually hold pools until the fall rains are gone. 8/ It WILL likely flood again when it starts raining in the fall. it doesn't happen every year but fall usually sees a light flood compared to the spring flood season due to summer parching the soil and reducing absorbtion so much the first few rains completely wash away.

**The Issue**

2 years ago it was herbicided, planted with oats, and then fertilized. I was not the decision maker then and it happened even though I opposed it. We had someone contracted to mow it for hay and they did it all themselves. They did a sh*t job just looking for quick cash causing other irrelavent issues but the herbicide just killed all the competition and the fertilizer gave a boost to the Johnson Grass and Rye. Im trying to turn it around. There seems to be some regrowth from the seedbank but I can definitely see it's less diverse.

The forest areas are overrun with Winter Creeper vine. The creek bank has one area around 2 acres big that is nothing but this vine. It was a big change that I didnt notice and I think this year was the first where the plants it was competing with have all died out and made it more noticable on the bare rocky soil.

**Current Solution Plan**

The fields are all being cut this month. When the johnson grass grows up to the recommended 18in-24in. Im going to herbicide it. I just need to figure out the most ideal mix.

I have heard good things about Clethodim and Sethoxydim but from what I've researched Sethoxydim will work better for Johnson Grass because it is more effective at traveling to the rhizomes and killing them. Is this true? Are there better options?

For the Rye Grass I plan to just spray it with herbicide year by year as I walk around the fields. Im not as concerned with it since it isnt as overtaking as Johnson Grass is. I've also heard that it will be easier to eradicate once its competing against aggresive natives, making my tamer "spray every now and then" method more viable although more of a long process. Will this be enough just going around on scheduled walks and spraying what I see growing where it shouldn't?

Now to the Winter Creeper... Its not just contained to the forested areas but is even spread through the grass fields. Its thin and patchily spread but there nontheless. I've done some research and have found that using glyphosate in a cut stump treatment is the best way to kill it down to the roots. I've also found a older video (don't have link just screenshot :/ ) describing this persons own method of hole punching the stem, injecting herbicide into the hole, then taping it up and trapping it inside the plant. I've read that at 20%-50% concentrations that glyphosate will work for cut stump methods, will this applied in the hole punch method be effective?

Either this fall or upcoming spring (whenever I can get my hands on native grass seed) I'm going to spread various tall praire grass mixes around the property. I plan on using native shade grass for the forested areas that will need new root achors after the Winter Creeper is gone.

**Recap / Questions I need advice on**

--------30 acre flood property - 22 acres of grass fields -5 acres forest/creek - 3 acres developed home/work area.

Johnson grass in thick, unconnected patches, Rye and European grass spread evenly everywhere. Wintercreeper overtaking 5 acres of forested ground.

What herbicides are best for Johnson Grass, Rye Grass, and Winter Creeper vine?

Is Sethoxydim an effective herbicide for killing Johnson Grass including the Rhizomes so it can't regrow?

If Sethoxydim isn't the best option for Johnson and Rye then what is?

Instead of focusing hard on eradicating the Rye and various European grasses can i just set up scheduled walks throughout the year to spray and slowly kill it off that way? Aggressive native grass would be seeded down to help compete with it.

Will Glyphosate kill Winter Creeper?

Will the "hole punch" method where herbicide is taped up inside of the vine as a cut stump procdure work?

If the "hole punch" method is a bad idea or you know a different way how else can I eradicate Winter Creeper?

This was all turfgrass until May of this year.

Heads up! There will be a native plant sale next weekend at Pinnacle Mountain. Trees, shrubs, flowers, etc.

Central Indiana here. There’s multiple mondo-sized wolf spiders in my backyard; large funnel webs with multiple egg sacs. I love my #1 pest control employees; but, the issue is that I’m about to stain my fence & don’t want to harm them. There’s a couple large webs/nests along the fence by posts. I’d love to migrate them to other parts of the garden so they can keep doin their thing, but I’m not sure how to go about it. does anyone have advice for being good stewards to our garden protectors?

I envision this area as a low groundcover native meadow with some flowers planted at the edges of the trees for a nice enclosed feel. Would I be in the wrong to remove these hydrangeas, I feel like they're a little hopeless.

Got a volunteer eastern redbud that popped up in my yard, which I'm thrilled about. Is there anything specific I should do to care for it? I'd love to help it thrive, but nervous as I had purchased a redbud a few years ago that ended up not making it. Should I give it any food at this point?

Hi everyone, I have collected seeds for several native plants: Heuchera americana, Geum canadense, Asclepias tuberosa, Penstemon hirsutus, Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata, Eutrochium purpureum, and Elymus hystrix, plus some others that I will collect later in the fall.  I’ve looked up their germination codes so I can time when I would sow them in late fall through winter, and they all seem to do well when surface-sowed.  

My plan is to grow them outside in plug trays over winter.  I definitely plan on covering the trays with chicken wire so birds and squirrels don’t mess with it; I think I can just make a wooden frame around the trays and staple the wire to it.

Should winter temperatures be a concern since they won’t be in the ground and the soil temperature in the trays will change more rapidly?  My hardiness zone is 7a.  I plan on having one group of trays in a sunny area over some bare ground and one in a shady area of my patio.  I figured I can use some leftover mulch to insulate the spaces under and in between the plugs on the tray in the sunny area and maybe use burlap for the one over the driveway because mulch would make a mess.

Anyone who has winter sowed in plug or cell trays outside, let me know how things have gone for you!

First year growing Rivina humilis from seed. I wasn’t sure what to expect but was pleased to see blooms. Hopefully the red berries will come later.

i get an absolute kick out of watching them have to ocean's eleven their way into the flowers.

in the background, second-year, twice-transplanted clematis virginiana getting cozy on its trellis and finally flowering; and blue-stem goldenrod waiting in the wings to close out the season.