Midwest Native Plant Conference 2015

Having recently returned home from the Midwest Native Plant Conference in Dayton, I am excited to share news of all the fun and festivities!

One of the many native plant sales booth and a few of the conference organizers,
L to R- Judy Ganance, Kathy McDonald and Teri Gilligan.

NATIVE PLANTS: Everyone wants native plants.  It used to be so difficult to find them and virtually impossible to find knowledgeable sales people. Now it is shop-til-you drop natives all at one location!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this event with numerous vendors and an incredible selection of native plants.

The Bergamo Center's ground are the perfect location for this event.

DAY FIELD TRIPS at Bergamo: Brother Don Geiger (center) has been a major player in the development of this ecologically sound environment.  The Bergamo grounds hold many acres of native plantings and wood lots. It is perfectly suited to field trips- both day and night.  This photo is from a day-time nature walk lend by arguably Ohio's best naturalist, Jim McCormac (far right), and aided by Brother Don.

John Magee speaks on water features- and some native plants.

SPEAKERS: There are so many wonderful speakers and topics to choose from. The keynotes were author Don Leopald on "Native Plants for Sustainable Landscapes," John Magee (Magee Design) on "Water in the Landscape," and Kenn Kaufman of the Kaufman Focus Guides on "Why Butterflies are Better than Birds."

The breakout sessions make it harder on attendees- you have to choose! I didn't get to attend all the programs I would have liked, but here is a shout out to the excellent program given by Hal Mann, Erika Galentin, Michelle Banker, Jason Larson, Carol Mundy, Judith Nastlly and especially to new comer Bethanny Majeski. Her program on mycorrhizal fungus was amazing!

Thanks also, to the many folks who stopped by for my "Urban Landscapes- Life in the City." It was wonderful to see so many friends in the audience and their kind words were greatly appreciated.

Evening sessions: Moths were covered  by Elisabeth Rothchild and night singing insects are the domain of Lisa Rainsong.  These women are powerful educators and and they are helping people understand in importance of our insect world.

Common Milkweed at night.

 NIGHT FIELD TRIPS: This incredible plant is working a double shift. I have a whole new respect for milkweed, and I am going to make more trips out to my garden at night to learn about my own pollinators.

Moths encircled for your viewing pleasure.

 I have circled the night fliers on the same milkweed photo.  This was an eye opening experience for me and I thank Elisabeth for encouraging us in the field.  This was very timely for me as my newest garden at home is specifically for night blooming plants and pollinators.

Kenn and Kim = Kaufman2

FRIENDS and co-conspirators:  Midwest Native Plant Conference is a wonderful place to connect and share time with friends and like minded conservationist.  They may not even know they are fellow conservationist yet.  But if you grow native plants, you are my kind of people!

It is always a special treat to be with friends like Kenn and Kim Kaufman, Hugh and Judy Rose, and Jim Davidson. It makes the whole event feel like a family reunion.

Cecropia caterpillars at the Flora-Quest booth.

ORGANIZERS: Thank you to all of the organizers for the excellent program they bring to Dayton, Ohio. Most of all, a special thank you goes out to organizers Kathy McDonald (speakers), Yvonne Cecile (field trips) and Karen Arnett (venders) for making it easy for me to attend, with my caterpillar buddies in tow.

LEAP into Landscapes

If your idea of a perfect snow day includes browsing seed catalogs, we must be friends.  Back in the days I ran a greenhouse, Stokes was one of my favorite catalogs.  It offers extremely detailed information on seed germination and is an excellent resource for planting information. If you have ever pondered the terms "scarify" or "stratify," Stokes is for you.

Plant like the professionals!

It is never too early to think about planting.  However, January is too early to actually plant, unless you have access to grow lights or a green house.  Raising your own flowers and vegetables can be very therapeutic. You can even grow them in the same beds, or try adding berry plants in your landscape.  Here at home we have blueberries and strawberries festooning the shrub bed. What could be better than having your landscape and eating it too?

A good variety of potted plants from Native in Harmony nursery.

 Once I became more interested in growing native plants, I found it was harder to find native plants and seeds to purchase.  In the last ten years, this has become much easier.  If you are looking for a place to purchase native plants, plan to attend the Midwest Native Plant Conference in Dayton.   They always offer a great variety of native plant vendors and many plants from which to choose.  You should also continue reading this blog, at the bottom of the page is a link to many native plant sources.

Weedpicker- planting native plants in the Lakeside landscape.

Planting a native plant garden is not very different than planting any other garden.  You should assess the soil, day light and water available to the garden. A native garden is more likely to use plants that will thrive in the local soil, where horticultural gardens often amend soils to nurture plants that would not be native.  For example in  mid-Ohio clay-based soils, we would have to add peat-moss and acid to grow azaleas.  Or, we might add sand to our soil to grow succulents. 

Native plants host native wildlife, like this moth caterpillar.  

Anyone know what moth this will become?

The landscape we planted last fall in Lakeside was comprised of Ohio native plants.  These plants are suitable for the soil along the lakefront and were chosen for their durability and sun tolerance.  The grasses were used to stabilize the lake shore and reduce erosion.  Many were one gallon potted plants, but some were even smaller.  I prefer using younger plant material and allowing it to become established in situ.

http://cleveland-metroparks.github.io/nurseries/

The LEAP (Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership) has developed a new interactive map where you can find the location and information about many of Ohio's native plant nurseries.  Just click on this link to visit their website.  It is important to use only reputable vendors who do not wild collect plants. This map will make it easier for you to find those reputable dealers.

Do you know of other nurseries specializing in native plants,which should be included on this map? Or do you know of seed vendors who supply the native plant seeds we might like to grow?

Leave me a note in comment section below and I will be happy to pass the info on to LEAP.

Now, back to my seed catalog...

Getting Green on Lawns.

Winter may seem like an odd time to think about your lawn, but I assure you, it is the perfect time to re-think your strategies for that giant green nitrogen-junkie lying outside your front door.

As a one-upon-a-time professional landscaper, I know a bit about lawns. My kids used to call my property "Kingwood West".

It was bound to happen, my father was a lawn fanatic.  Your family played sports?  We watered, fed, mowed the lawn in "stripes"...

...and used chemicals, chemicals chemicals.  

But it doesn't have to be that way.  You can enjoy a patch of green and still have a life.  In fact, I submit you will have a better life if you knock off stressing over your lawn and just start enjoying it for a change.

Think about the time and money you have spent on keeping that junkie green, and consider some alternative options.  

That goes for your garden, too.   You can learn to manage your pest problems and have a healthier product in the end.  Maybe this is the winter you will start educating yourself on organic practises for your lawn and garden.

I will be teaching some of those practises to the Richland County Master Gardeners and the Richland County Men's Garden Club.  If you are interested in enjoying you lawn more and working less, join me at the Midwest Native Plant Conference in July.  You'll find a link to their website in my side-bar.
 .

Soon you'll be lounging around enjoying your spare time, or off chasing birds and butterflies, like me!

Whatever you choose to do with your newly found time and money, won't it be nice to know you'll never have to handle those chemicals again?

Sandy's Side-effects

Here in Mid-Ohio we are seeing some of Hurricane Sandy's (now downgraded to a winter storm) side-effects.  Our temps were just cool enough to turn that rain into snow.

The first snow of the year, Oct. 30th, 2012

The view from my office window this morning.  I have seen snow pre-Halloween before, but this probably sets a record for the amount of snow.

The side yard is protected by several large pines, and this is the location I chose for my rain garden/ bird feeding stations.  I installed the rain garden when I was developing a program on wetland plants (The Soggy Bottom Boys)  for the first Mid-West Native Plant Conference.  This garden was the end result.

 I have tinkered with the water garden for several years, never happy with its look or flow.  This year I finally got it right.  It looks pretty natural to me- like a rivulet or stream in Mohican.

What do you think?

 Close up.  Water runs gently from the stones, creating a natural bathing location for the birds.

 The bird seed tray is filled with Pine Siskins this morning.  The snow doesn't bother them at all.

Hang on!  It is still mighty windy, little siskins.  The tray is rocking in the wind, but this northern visitor doesn't seem to mind.

The best part of bird feeding is the non-stop entertainment value on a winter day.  Birders get to reap the benefits of their landscape 364 days a year.  You can keep your big screen TVs, this is my "Home Entertainment System"!

Refreshing...

It is officially the mid-summer doldrums, where the heat, humidity and drought dominate the local's conversation.  Summer weather and politics, the two things we feel we suffer through- and can't do much about.

Morning Dew

 Yesterday morning I captured a "refreshing" photo of early morning dew on Purple Coneflower and grass.  Just looking at it makes me feel a little bit better, like there is something right with the world.  


It is the same feeling I get when I join my friends at Mid-West Native Plant Conference.  If you haven't signed up yet (beg them to let you come if it is past the date...) go here and download the registration.  It is the weekend of July 27-29 and I hope to see you there.  It is a refreshing time of sharing about native plants and the things right with the world.

Beautiful  Blues.  A Red Admiral, about to become crab spider food. 

And butterflies.  We love to look at butterflies. 

So join me for the Friday program on Home Sweet Habitat to learn more about inviting nature into your yard, and a walk (with Jim Davidson, no-less) to follow.   Jim and I will also be leading the Sunday trip to the Cemetery Prairies, and I hope you will join us to see Ohio's most historical landscapes: Native prairie.

Signature- Cedar Bog

Rare places and rare plants in Ohio- my favorite things! A group of friends visited Cedar Bog this week to see Ohio's most majestic orchid in bloom.

Showy Lady's-slipper Orchid, Cypripedium reginae

The signature plant for Cedar Bog would surely be this, perhaps the loveliest of all of Ohio's orchids. As the Latin name indicates, these are indeed the queen (reginae) of orchids. They were in extraordinary condition earlier this week, with exceptionally vibrant colors. Note in the photo, a back-drop of the equally significant White Cedar (or Arbor Vitae), Thuja occidentalis.

Cedar Bog is not really a bog, it is a fen! This nature preserve harbors some of the most unusual botany in Ohio, and you can see it with an expert during the field trips of the Midwest Native Plant Conference. So sign up now- before these trips are filled- to see rarest of wetland plants, trees and dragonflies from the comfort of a boardwalk.

Hope to see you there! Click on the MWNP link in my side-bar to sign-up.

Fabulous Fens

Nodding wild onion, Allium cernuum blooming at Prairie Rd. Fen

Thanks to the organizers of the Midwest Native Plant Conference for a fen-tastic weekend! Over 120 native plant enthusiasts gathered to learn more about the bountiful beauty we have in Ohio and wetland species were a highlight. We had a great time discussing the Soggy Bottom Boys, those wetland plants that can be used in your home landscape. It is amazing how adaptable some of these plants are to dry situations as well.

A grand finale of the weekend was our group's field trip to Cedar Bog. Now remember, Cedar Bog is not a bog, but rather a fen. Bogs "clog" (think of kettle -hole bogs- no water movement) while fens flow. Fens are know for cold underground seeps and alkaline conditions. Cedar Bog has some amazing marl flats- a rare habitat for rare plants and unusual creatures.

This federally listed Elfin Skimmer dragonfly is one of the rare creatures. Our group was lucky enough to have the fleet-footed Jim McCormac along to snag this prize specimen. Perhaps my 6th trip to the bog, this was the first time I was ever fortunate enough to see the extremely small and delicate male Elfin Skimmer. His blue coloration is a perfect match with my lucky blue Ohio Dragonfly Conference shirt from 2007!

It was wonderful to meet so many interesting people from across the midwest! Hope to see you again next year!