Native Butterfly Host Plants

Native Plants are Not Yard Ornaments

The transition from ornamental gardening (plants as ornaments) to ecological gardening (native plants as a functional part of an...

The Value of Edible Native Plants in Public Spaces

ljmarkson

Mar 20, 20235 min read

The Value of Edible Native Plants in Public Spaces

The woodland restoration efforts at Zonolite Park can be summed up in four words - remove invasives, plant natives. Many native edibles...

Counting Pollinators and Making Connections at Pollinator Picnics

ljmarkson

Aug 28, 20221 min read

Counting Pollinators and Making Connections at Pollinator Picnics

On August 20 people of all ages counted pollinators and helped highlight the importance of native plants as a host, habitat and nectar...

Intown Atlanta GNPS Pollinator Picnics are Family Friendly!

ljmarkson

Aug 13, 20224 min read

Intown Atlanta GNPS Pollinator Picnics are Family Friendly!

This year the Intown Atlanta Georgia Native Plant Society is making it easy for Atlanta families to participate in the Great Georgia...

Building a More Vibrant Intown Atlanta Native Plant Community

ljmarkson

Jun 28, 20224 min read

Building a More Vibrant Intown Atlanta Native Plant Community

On a hot June Sunday afternoon a varied group of around 50 or so people interested in native plants came together for a panel discussion...

20 Easy Shade-Tolerant Native Southern Groundcovers

ljmarkson

Apr 20, 20229 min read

Groundcover

20 Easy Shade-Tolerant Native Southern Groundcovers

Finding native groundcovers for shady areas seems to be one of the most common scenarios in Atlanta where we still have more tree canopy...

Native Plant Habitat Tour Offers Insights for Backyard Habitat Restoration

ljmarkson

Apr 7, 20223 min read

Native Plant Habitat Tour Offers Insights for Backyard Habitat Restoration

Bill and Carol Pardue's yard, one of the six properties at the first GNPS Intown Atlanta Native Plant Habitat Tour. is proof that a small...

Atlanta Area Spring 2022 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

ljmarkson

Mar 16, 20226 min read

Native Plant Sales

Atlanta Area Spring 2022 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

Spring native plant buying season is here! It’s exciting to see most of the native plant sales and nurseries are once again in person...

ljmarkson

Feb 5, 20224 min read

Gardening Advice Turns a Corner

Out of curiosity I visited a popular gardening guru’s FB page. Winter lawns, various Roundup products and a flowering (invasive) mahonia...

Native Plants to Winter Sow for Summer Blooms This Year

ljmarkson

Jan 23, 20227 min read

Native Flowers

Native Plants to Winter Sow for Summer Blooms This Year

I thought I was done winter sowing in the first week of January when I planted 100 different native plant seeds and put the trays outside...

A Handful of Late Blooming Fall Native Plants

ljmarkson

Oct 31, 20214 min read

Native Flowering Vines

A Handful of Late Blooming Fall Native Plants

I love profiling native plants but have a growing list of other topics I also want to write about and feel like I’m always running...

ljmarkson

Oct 13, 20213 min read

Native Flowering Vines

Rehoming Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars

Last year I posted about not being the only nature lover I know who moves gulf fritillary caterpillars from native passionflower vines...

Enjoy Native Spotted Beebalm's Whimsical Complexity

ljmarkson

Sep 23, 20212 min read

Enjoy Native Spotted Beebalm's Whimsical Complexity

My September blooming native plant #9 is spotted beebalm or horsemint (monarda punctata), a fragrant herb in the mint family with a...

White Turtlehead Spreads Slowly But Steadily

ljmarkson

Sep 22, 20213 min read

White Turtlehead Spreads Slowly But Steadily

My Georgia native plant pick #8 for September is called white turtlehead (chelone glabra) although I haven’t ever seen white flowers...

Native Aquatic Milkweed Is a Pretty and Petite Monarch Host Plant for Damp Areas

ljmarkson

Sep 17, 20212 min read

Native Aquatic Milkweed Is a Pretty and Petite Monarch Host Plant for Damp Areas

My September native plant pick #5 is white swamp milkweed or aquatic milkweed (asclepias perennis), one of many native milkweeds in...

Atlanta Area Fall 2021 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

ljmarkson

Sep 15, 20217 min read

Native Plant Sales

Atlanta Area Fall 2021 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

Even though September is Georgia Grows Native for Birds month, I try not to plant until October. Fall plant sales have me itching to add...

Native Climbing Boneset is Loved By Pollinators!

ljmarkson

Sep 8, 20212 min read

Native Flowering Vines

Native Climbing Boneset is Loved By Pollinators!

My #3 September native plant pick is a rambling perennial vine I've only noticed growing at a nearby nature park in my intown Atlanta...

Frog Fruit Is a Valuable Native Groundcover!

ljmarkson

Sep 4, 20212 min read

Frog Fruit Is a Valuable Native Groundcover!

My September native plant pick #2 is a fantastic low-growing, semi-evergreen groundcover called frog fruit (phyla nodiflora, formerly...

Help Our Insects By Participating in the Great Georgia Pollinator Census 2021!

ljmarkson

Aug 17, 20213 min read