Mountain Native Landscape Design

06/02/2026

When faced with, say a 300 square foot area to landscape, it is tempting to put as many different species of plants into that area. After all, the more different species of plants (native, of course) you put in, the more species of insects you can support. Maybe so, but while many people might put 10 different species of plants into this area, and maybe you could design it to be legible, sometimes it could look like a mishmash of a mess. You don't have to support every insect in a planting. It is unrealistic to think you could do so in a small area anyway, or even in a standard sized urban or suburban lot. So instead, consider putting one species in and the effect can be dramatic, even when the plants are not in flower. Here, , , which supports around 115 species of , was planted and it can survive the rabbits because this neighborhood has plenty of coyotes, foxes, bears, and the occasional bobcat.

06/02/2026

05/29/2026

, is different than the native common you often see in the horticultural trade. It flowers two to three weeks earlier and the petals are more pale, droopier, and the leaves more elongated. It also likes crappier soil better than Purple Coneflower. Three feet tall it likes well-drained soil (sandy, loamy, or clay), full sun, and pH of 4.5-7.5. Due to its long tap root, it can tolerate prolonged droughts. Native mostly in the Midwest with rare sightings in Western North Carolina

05/29/2026

, is a short three feet tall and wide native shrub native to the eastern half of the US. A magnet and it grows best in well-drained sandy loam or rocky soils in full sun to partial shade. It is rabbit candy, however, but I can grow it because I have plenty of coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and bears to control the rabbit population. If you do not have natural rabbit control, this plant is probably not for you. New Jersey Tea got its name for use as tea when the British were blockading colonial ports.

05/28/2026

Neighbor's backyard meadow, year 3.

05/28/2026

, is in bloom now. I started it in this space three years ago with three pads. Requires well drained, even sandy or rocky dry soils. Full sun.

05/27/2026

You *can* pet the bees. No suit needed because they don’t live in hives and won’t defend its food source.

05/27/2026

*This* is beekeeping. There are about 5000 species of native bees across the US, 500 in NC, yet all the attention goes to one, non native, European bee species that is nowhere close to being threatened. Losses are an economic concern, not an ecological one. Native bees *are* under threat due to development, agriculture, and pesticides. are their best source of food, especially for the 20% of bee species that specialize on a very narrow range of species, usually within one genus.

05/25/2026

20%

Gardeners across the country are flocking to climate-resilient native plants as concerns about extreme heat, flooding, and pollinators grow.

05/24/2026

Some pics from around the house this evening in a break in the rain. We are in that surely will lessen during the next 14 days of rain. In bloom is , , (not the one you're used to seeing), , , , . The meadows are framed around the edges with shrubs that are done blooming - , , , , and . This is the beginning of year 4.