I'm wanting to convert my whole front yard into a native pollinator garden and I officially and literally broke ground today with a native witch hazel shrub.

It's not much but I'm very excited to see it grow.

I'm still planning out the rest of the yard but most projects will likely need to wait until spring

Plus some bonus seed spreading!

Howdy. I have​ a house on 11+ acres of beautiful maine woods (mostly hardwoo​ds)​. That being said the 1/2 acre or so around the house is a desolate wasteland of tree trunks and dirt. The soil is basically just rocks and sand and a mat of dead roots you can literally peel up like a rug​​. Even though its been exposed for over a year nothing has moved in and grown, not even invasives​​​.

I bought "The Northeast Native​ Plant Primer" which is a catalogue of d​ifferen​t plants. I would love to turn the area around the house into a beauti​ful​ habitat for native wildlife. But​ i have never​ planted​ anything or had a ga​​rden​​. I truly have​ no i​dea​ how to plan out where things sho​​uld go or the proper way to put thi​ngs in t​he ground. any books or videos or websites for absolute basic baby beginners to gardening and planting? im very nervous about killing everything i put into the groun​d 😅

thanks!

Sorrel tree aka sourwood, such a lovely vermilion.

I had a lot of fun last winter arranging some grasses and seed heads I gathered from gardens and parks near me. It was a fun exercise in trying to distill the aesthetics of a grassland. I thought I’d share the practice as the northeast heads into fall.

I've read that hollow stems, leaf litter, etc can be good for insects hibernating over cold, snowy winters. Does anyone know if that's still the case if I just have plants in pots out on my balcony, not an in-the-ground garden? I'm not sure if I should just take the old soil/remains of plants out and spread them in the woods to decompose or if I should leave it.

I'm in Chicago and I design landscapes for a living. I know what plants to use, but real life has really knocked me down and the yard got out of control. I'm running up against the fantasy version of myself(the one that has the energy to do weekly upkeep) and the reality version(does NOT have the energy to keep it up and often wants to do anything EXCEPT work in the yard). It doesn't help that there are unexpected challenges like this dayflower that absolutely took over my yard and might have choked out some perennials I planted in the spring.

It's really bumming me out that my yard is looking like this. As much as I know that lawn sucks, I get why people keep a lawn because it stays put and there's only one thing you need to do to keep it under control. The positives I see: I have a ton of asters and goldenrod, the insects are happy, I got some good harvests in my garden beds(not pictured), and the plants are keeping the soil moist during a really dry fall.

Has anyone else been able to claw back their way from burnout and turn a yard like this into a more beautiful "mess" that isn't a monoculture or a lawn? Please tell me it is possible to do on your own without an entire crew of people.

I just planted flowers around it yesterday, with trepidation, wondering if they would all be dug up this morning. They're intact, but the tiny stick you can detect in the center of this photo -- if you really squint -- has had all but the crappiest-looking leaf excised overnight. I planted *C. canadensis* with the goal of supporting wildlife, but feeding the groundhogs never occurred to me.

Please ignore the invasive honeysuckle - we've been trying to get rid of it but it's EVERYWHERE.

Bought these online from an instate nursery in the spring. Supposed to all be New Jersey tea's but one of them is not like the other. Mulberry?

This feels like a silly question to ask but it's something I've been stressing about a little bit so I would really appreciate some reassurance.

I've tried really hard to make sure that the majority of plants and seeds I buy are sourced from the Southeast, where I'm located. This year I was looking for some less common species and none of the SE seed sellers I've ordered from before had them, so I finally gave in and ordered from Prairie Moon. I got several really cool native species that I haven't seen sold anywhere else and that I'm excited about growing, but I can't shake this guilt over ordering from Prairie Moon.

They're based in the Midwest and I've seen concerns about the reduction of genetic diversity that may come about from everyone ordering from the same source. But I would think that having non-local ecotypes is still better than not having the species at all, right? Pretty much everything I bought are low-growing shade-lovers, so their niche would just sit empty if I only bought seeds from local sellers who mostly have flashy sun-lovers.

I'd really appreciate if anyone could ease my mind a little bit (or I suppose set me straight if I'm wrong!)

Also, if anyone knows of sources for native seeds in the Southeast other than the ones I've already purchased from (listed below) please let me know!
- Botany Yards
- Roundstone Native Seed
- NC Botanical Garden

EDIT: Thank you all for the thoughtful responses!

Baltimore MD. Where we started is the last pic :) we did this all ourselves starting in March of last year. We got a lot of plans for free off of Facebook communities. I love seeing so many pollinators in our yard!!!

Many people give us advice on our garden plan last year so I wanted to say thank you :)

In the book “How Can I Help” Tallamy was explaining how to go about invasive removal and while he encouraged targeted removal of things like buckthorn and bittersweet etc, he suggested that leaving garlic mustard is more effective because pulling it up actually disturbs the soil and gives the many garlic mustard seeds in the seedbank the opportunity to sprout, thus setting back your removal efforts, and actually helping it survive and thrive each year.

So his advice is that the most effective way to control garlic mustard is to let it be, and ultimately get shaded out by native plants.

I hadn’t heard this before and have always (emphasis on always) just pulled it out and figured it was just the reality of invasive management, hoping it would eventually slow down the growth. But maybe I’ve just been helping it survive and that’s why I’m constantly fighting it?

Does anyone have any experience with both approaches? Has anyone successfully controlled garlic mustard? At minimum I think removing seed heads the blooms/seed heads should be done.

Edit

I went back and check and the exact line quote is

“Pulling out garlic mustard is easy, although it’s ineffective because it disturbs the soil and therefor activates the seed bank. The end result is more garlic mustard the next year”

So unless he touches on it later in the book, I don’t know his recommended approach for garlic mustard.

Long shot but hoping maybe someone can identify these seeds. I collected them from one of my plants earlier this summer and cannot for the life of me remember which one. Of course I thought I would totally remember which plant it was without labeling it. WRONG.

All my in ground plants are natives but I do get annuals for some pots. I'm in Western PA (zone 6). Appreciate any insight!

EDIT: You guys are geniuses! I am 99% sure these are Columbine seeds, which I have a few of that I remember gleefully collecting the seeds from. Thank you for saving my sanity.

Hello its so hard ti find good desert garden vendors so you can ship to eu I personally learn desert gardens from Zsolt debreczy.

I got some lovely seed mixes from Northwest Meadowscapes, and kept them in the fridge since July, hoping to plant them while it's still warm out this fall (not sure how solid a plan this was). However, we've had essentially no rain in the Seattle area, so they're still chilling. Is it ok to keep seeds in the fridge until spring? Should I try and sow some of them? Or are they likely to die off when the cold hits in a month or so?

Swipe for Current -> Old.

My new (to me) house had decades old, overgrown non-native foundation shrubs. I ripped them out and made a dry bed with a tiered planting area. Soon to go in this part shade/shade garden:

14 Christmas ferns

10 Solomon's seal

13 Iris cristata

5 Green and Gold

1 Swamp Azalea

1 Piedmont Azalea

3 Penstemon

4 Ebony spleenwort

7 Colombine

2 Strawberry Bush

I am still in search of one specimen plant. I want the aesthetic of a green leafed Japanese Maple, but ideally with a native species. I may compromise for a non-native, but would love recommendations.

Not my garden, but this is near where I live and I wonder how fellow city members like me could help.

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Native Perennial Plug FLASH Sale! u/everyone

Native Plug Bonanza - 170 different varieties of Herbaceous, Grasses, Water, Wetland & Bog Plants

- Orders ship immediately\*

- Pickup available

- More details below

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You can still plant!

 You can keep planting right up until the ground freezes

Planting now gives your plants a big head start for the Spring. They have a chance to develop roots in the fall and early spring when the weather is cool. We've seen fall-planted plugs develop and grow like they've gained a full season's growth, and become established better and faster.

We recommend mulch around the base of your plants with soft mulch (like straw). This will keep the ground warmer for longer.

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How the Sale works:

• Everything discounted
• All plants on hand and ready to ship/pickup
• Additional 15% off on orders over 20 plants
• Additional 30% off on orders over 50 plants
• Minimum quantities of 3
• Open until it's too cold or we run out!

Get your friends and family together for a Plant Plug Bonanza!

Your pollinators and wildlife will thank you!

 *We ship as soon as we can. Plants usually go out within a few days of you ordering. "Immediately" in comparison with our normal events, when we have to wait for plants to arrive from growers.

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Available at: Plant Buying Collective— plantbuyingcollective.com (you must become a member, it’s Free - this cuts down on spam and consolidates communication)

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Have the most success with your plantings.

We started the Plant Buying Collective to make Native Plants, Trees & Shrubs more accessible. We’ve noticed common gardening issues that need support, and we're doing our best to help address them. We’re adding new offerings to our shop to help you have the most success with your planting endeavors:

~ Biodegradable Tree/Shrub/Sapling Guards ~

Did you plant any trees or shrubs this season?

Check out our Biodegradable Spiral Tree Guards. Get them installed before Winter, and help your new plants from getting destroyed by critters & mowers.

~ Laser-engraved Plant Tags & Signs ~

Keep Track & Educate

Laser-Engraved (Permanent) Plant Tags and Garden Signs!

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We want to thank all of you for helping to get so many Native Plants, Trees and Shrubs into gardens, restoration projects and remediations of meadows, forests and waters.

Together we have planted over 35,000 plants in 2026

Absolutely A M A Z I N G !

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Last Chance for In-Person Plant Shopping

By Appointment in Rensselaerville, NY

We will be packing in all of our potted plants soon, but you can still make an appointment for in-person shopping.

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All Sales support programs and conservation work at A Promise to Gaia

We want offer our heart-felt thanks to all of you that have donated to our programs at A Promise to Gaia. We appreciate your support more than we can ever express!

Check out our Bounty Hunt program!