Show notes coming soon!

In today's episode, Patience, Mistakes, and #gardengoals, we go over common mistakes beginner and even intermediate gardeners can make; the virtues of serenity, patience, and open-mindedness in the garden; and how your best-laid plans can come true.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

#gardengoals

• Don't be rigid
• Do have fun
• Don't fall on the sword of perfectionism
• Don't worry about every little weed
• Do think about what your spaces to be
• Do be thoughtful
• Do make a plan, but don't be afraid to deviate from it

Failures are the star-stuff dreams are made of

You know how we are all just leftover particles from dead stars?

The very beginning of human knowledge is screwing up, or at the very least, understanding how things work.

Failure= Understanding Success

We can also acknowledge beautiful things unfolding from devastating realties. Waxing philosophical now...

That being said there may be mistakes you'd like to avoid altogether:

Mistake #1: All planning and no action.

Don't plan stuff out and then not do it. Don't do that to yourself, it's not nice.

• Don't panic! We can help you think of ideas! https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society
• You can take Monarch Gardens classes https://www.monarchgard.com/classes.html
• Prairie Moon has some layouts to get you started: https://www.prairiemoon.com/PDF/2020-Prairie-Moon-Nursery.Garden-Kit-Layout-Suggestion_WEB.pdf

Mistake #2: Ignoring the house front.

The front of your house should be the first place you look to make a statement about natural spaces and it's likely the one you frequent the most. Just remember:

• Use cues to care https://www.humanegardener.com/wild-design-home-gardens/
• Mix up bloom times. Think: all seasons
• Keep your space maintained. Weed once a month: at minimum

Mistake #3: Not prepping the space well before getting started. 

How to site prep: https://prairielegacyinc.com/planning-your-prairie/

Think of garden shapes: https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/basic-design-principles-and-styles-garden-beds

Mistake #4: Forgetting about ground covers.

Sedges, baby.

Popular ground covers for sun: heath aster, wild strawberry, Missouri evening primrose, silky aster, purple poppy mallow, pussytoes, purple prairie clover and more.

Popular ground covers for shade include wild ginger, violets, wild geranium, zig zag goldenrod, mayapple, shade asters, Virginia waterleaf, and others.

Mistake #5: Not taking sun requirements into account or planting something that likes it wet in dry soil or vice versa.

Look up plant stats, but experimental skepticism is ok.

Mistake #6: Not thinking of adding in paths to weed and access the garden.

Paths can be stepping stones, turf grass, mulch, crushed limestone. The options are there. Just make it easy for yourself to get around. Make paths two to three feet wide.

Mistake #7 Planting a ton of tall stuff by a sidewalk or path, or letting something go to seed and grow there so your paths disappear.

Need a recipe for some potting soil for all the stuff you have to pot up because you psychotically can't bear to waste it??? Yeah???

https://www.hortmag.com/smart-gardening/homemade-potting-mix-with-compost

Mistake #8 Planting several aggressive plants, when it’s more practical to control one or two.

Aggressive things to keep an eye on:

• Root Spreaders: wild mint, silphiums, native sunflowers, prairie sage, western yarrow, obedient plant, native roses, elderberry, common milkweed
• Prolific Seeders: hyssops, pitcher sage, tall boneset, verbena stricta, rudbeckias

We are not saying "DO NOT USE" these plants. We are saying decide for yourself if you can handle the maintenance. Many of these are wonderful plants. You can always grow root spreaders in large containers.

Mistake #9 Not planting most things in drifts. 

Drift philosophy: https://www.monarchgard.com/thedeepmiddle/fundamentals-of-natural-garden-design

Mistake #10 Trying to do too much all at the same time.

Dream big but start small. Maintain what you finish. Impress your neighbors. Remember we want to win them over!

Be patient

Gardens take time to be at their best. Some plants need years to even get started. Baptisia, leadplant, and shrubby St. John's wort are all plants that need years to really get going.

Let yourself practice and play. Have fun and live a little!

Thank you for listening!

-Stephanie

What makes a plant native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

BNPS aforementioned

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

• NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and downloads
•  Xerxes Society- champions of pollinator health
•  Native Plant Finder- https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/

Other Local Organizations

• Green Bellevue
• PATH
• Nebraska Native Plant Society

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Show notes coming soon!

Episode Introduction

In today’s episode, The Modern Gardener's Dilemma, I chat with my friend and garden designer Christina Musgrave on how the average person can fight overwhelm and tackle their garden projects with a dose of reason.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Christina Musgrave

Christina Musgrave has spent most of her life as an artist specializing in watercolor and printmaking. During COVID, Christina felt a strong desire to begin her garden journey and fell in love. After discovering the myriad benefits of native gardening, she changed her focus to converting her suburban lawn into pollinator habitat. As much as she enjoys gardening for herself, Christina felt a deep desire to assist others with their gardens as well as educate the necessity of pollinators to the environment. She has since returned to school to become a certified landscape designer and has started her own business, Kingsfoil Gardens.

Christina now uses her background in art and love of gardening to bring joy and appreciation for the native landscape.

Thanks so much for joining us Christina!

Episode Sponsors

.

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

TRIGGER WARNING: We occasionally discuss plants with a more eastern or western range. But we make a point to only discuss midwestern U.S. plants. Always check BONAP or other range maps to determine the best estimates of historical nativity.

Kingsfoil Gardens

Visit Christina's website and learn more about her work and business at www.kingsfoilgardens.com

What Most Gardeners Would Do Differently

Plan first, tackle projects in small steps, and remember creating excellence takes time.

Cool Gardeners

Monty Don, UK gardener: not US native-plant focused, but has solid gardening knowledge and techniques

Piet Oudolf, dutch designer that does favor quite a few native plants: very artistic naturalistic landscapes,

Kelly Norris, garden designer and author from Iowa: visually stunning native plant-forward landscapes

How to Start Planning Your Landscape

• Make a list of what kinds of spaces you want
• Look at your existing landscape

How A Designer Might Plan

• BASICS: Get an aerial view of the house via GIS system, Google Earth; check sun tracker apps; make a base map with measurements of everything possible; check window perspectives (from the house to the landscape;) check street or sidewalk perspectives; and GET UTILITIES MARKED!
• FLESHING IT OUT: consider hardscape, paths, seating areas, etc. first! After you have considered the locations of those in your design, a designer may start with trees and shrubs and then work down to perennials and even annuals to hold the space until bigger plants mature

GET YOUR SOIL TESTED!

https://midwestlabs.com/

Traditional Garden Design Touchstones

Consider:

• Scale: Go out and measure, take out some grid paper and play around with stencils, maybe invest in some clear rulers
• Balance: Taper plant sizes so that you don't have height discrepancies. There are always exceptions to every rule but it's good to put similar height plants together and back larger ones to the back of the border and place shorter plants up front
• Repetition (good for aesthetic cohesion)
• Visual Abundance: Mixing Different Plants (mixing different colors, textures, and bloom times)
• Shapes- Curvilinear or Rectilinear, which ideally is matched to existing landscaping
• Multi-Seasonal Interest (again, the different bloom times)
• Habitat Value

Native Annuals to Use as Fillers While Your Plants Mature

Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)

Lemon bee balm (Monarda citriodora)

Rocky Mountain bee plant (Peritoma serrulata)

Clasping coneflower (Dracopis amplexicaulis)

Christina and Steph's Favorite Plants to Plant "En Masse"

• Wild Strawberry
• Switchgrass
• Prairie Smoke
• Penstemon sp.
• Asters
• Shrubby St. John's Wort

Visualize garden spaces as rooms

It helps! Trust us.

Christina's Favorite Plants for Texture

• Liatris
• Eryngium
• Yarrow

Christina's Favorite Plant Pairings

• Mt. Mint X Coreopsis
• Pussytoes X Plains Oval Sedge
• Smaller Liatris sp. X Sedges

Garden Transitions

Think gates, arbors, hedges, walls, doorways, negative space, etc.

Negative Space: What's That

A place for your eye to rest, negative space can be comprised of turfghass (could be native turf,) balancing smooth texture against rough texture, a color monoculture, hardscaping or fencing vs. plants.\

Christina's 7 Herbaceous Plants She Can't Live Without

1. Wild Strawberry
2. Prairie Smoke (Regional Native)
3. Bradbury's Bee Balm
4. Butterflyweed
5. Rattlesnake Master
6. Prairie Dropseed
7. Plains Oval Sedge

If you've read to the end of this, thank you and I hope it has been informative!

What Makes a Plant Native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (native plant cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

Local Plant Suppliers

Midwest Natives Nursery

Great Plains Nursery

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum

Prairie Legacy Nursery

Mulhall's

Online Plant Suppliers

Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Nursery

Stock Seed

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

Bellevue Native Plant Society on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

• NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and downloads
•  Xerxes Society- champions of pollinator health
•  Native Plant Finder- https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/

Other Local Organizations

• Green Bellevue
• PATH
• Milkweed Matters
• Nebraska Native Plant Society

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

In today's episode, The Truth About Dandelions, we discuss what it means for a plant to be useful, what bees really want in their bento box, and resources for you to grow a rebellious garden year-round that humans and wildlife can enjoy.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Dandelions: Public Enemy #1 Vs. Freedom Fighter?

Our parents (I'm looking at you, boomers) and their parents bought in to the idea of pristine and high-maintenance landscapes and dandelions look like a rebellious boy on a motor-bike.

What Dandelions and Native Plants Have in Common

Both native and non-native plants can be judged for being unruly and not conforming to societal expectations for perfect, tidy landscapes. But in aspiring to have native-plant forward gardens, we try to rely less on ideal aesthetics and more on what is wholesome for wildlife but also, sustainable.

Respect What's Native Where It's Native While Also Acknowledging Naturalized Plants Can Have Useful Qualities.

What's native will change where you go. It varies across the U.S. and across the globe. There's a strong benefit to planting locally historical plants but that doesn't mean we need to demonize all non-native plants. One-size-fits all never really lives up to its name, does it?

A Little Backstory on the Dandelion

The Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is native to Europe and Asia and is a true herb of antiquity. So for those of you who might not know, it’s not native. 

Ancient Medical 

Has been hailed for its many medicinal uses including problems with the bladder, liver, and stomach.

Culinary Wonder

Every part of the plant is edible, which is unique for most plants. We’re talking salads, cooked greens, edible flowers, teas, wine. 

Indigenous Use

The Iroquois tribe alone used it for pain relief, to treat dropsy, digestive and urinary problems, and lung inflammation, among other things. Many other tribes learned its usefulness quickly. 

Do Bees Need Dandelions?

No, while generalists may browse them year-round( long bloom time,) generalists use whatever sources are available. There are other more nutritious foods and there are foods that cater to all bees, not just the generalists. 

Don’t Dandelions Bloom Before Everything Else? 

Only if all you have is brome or Kentucky bluegrass. 

Early-Blooming Natives for Shade

• Bloodroot
• Jacob’s Ladder
• Spring Beauty
• Common Violet

Early-Blooming Natives for Sun

• Prairie Smoke *regional native
• Spiderwort
• Pasque Flower
• Golden Alexander
• Field Pussytoes
• Canada Anemone
• Virginia Waterleaf
• Penstemon *native and regionally native species
• Wild Geranium

Native Trees for Early Bee Nutrition

• American Bladdernut
• Ohio Buckeye
• Downy Serviceberry
• Eastern Redbud
• Chokecherry

Powerhouse Natives for Bees Year-Round

• Native Sunflowers
• Asters
• Goldenrods
• Milkweeds
• Mountain Mints
• Yarrow (our native species)
• Coneflowers (Echinacea and Ratibida species)
• Verbena Stricta

Nutritious Trees and Shrubs

• Dogwood
• Sumac
• Elderberry
• Native Viburnums
• Buttonbush

Know Your Stuff

If you care about bees, there is a lot of really great literature out there right now by Heather Holm, the Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership, and other experts and organizations. 

Heather Holm Bees: An Identification and Native Forage Guide

Heather's Free Resources: https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/resources.html

Two handouts through The Xerces Society:

"Bumble Bee Conservation"

https://www.xerces.org/publications/brochures/bumble-bee-conservation 

"Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects: Northern Plains"

 https://www.xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/22-027_01_NPPBI—NorthernPlains_web.pdf 

The Xerces Society books:

• Attracting Native Pollinators
• 100 Plants to Feed the Bees

Pollinator Partnership has a Prairie Parkland Planting Guide: https://pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/PrairieParklandrx12FINAL.pdf

If you don't keep it

• Compost it
• Make wine out of it
• Make salad out of it
• Make other food with it

Cool links:

https://foragerchef.com/category/wild-green-recipes/dandelions/

https://foragerchef.com/guide-to-dandelions-harvesting-and-cooking/

https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-make-dandelion-wine-1327932

Our source for historical indigenous use:

Daniel Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany

What makes a plant native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

BNPS aforementioned

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

• NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and downloads
•  Xerxes Society- champions of pollinator health
•  Native Plant Finder- https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/

Other Local Organizations

• Green Bellevue
• PATH
• Nebraska Native Plant Society

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Welcome to a brand new season of Plant Native Nebraska. We have an incredible lineup of episodes this year that I am anxious to share with you. Thank you to all of our listeners, sponsors, supporters that have made another year of this podcast possible. 

As usual, the podcast will balance monologues and interviews to give you different perspectives navigating the world of native plants. 

This is not a native plant purist show, but it is a show that is pro-native plant. We acknowledge that not all native plants are superior and not all exotic plants are inferior at providing pollen or nectar. We also acknowledge that not all exotic plants are invasive. 

That being said, most landscapes without native plants are essentially food deserts. We’re not talking about your crazy neighbor’s garden that has a million annuals and exotics and is full of pollinators in the summer. We’re talking about the average person’s landscape of Kentucky bluegrass, Round-up dirt patches, a few evergreens, and a smattering of Asian shrubs for foundation plantings.  

Now, we aren’t here to trash non-native landscapes. Most folks simply don’t have the time, money, or know-how to do better. Thus, the reason this podcast exists! 

Most plants native to your location are suitable for your local climate, soil conditions, and are imperative for pollinator and wildlife health. This does not mean to plop a wetland plant in a dry, full-sun garden bed or to plant a prairie plant in your boggy backyard that’s always wet due to your neighbor’s sprinkling system. There’s a reason for the mantra, “Right plant, right place.” Although, who you ask about the right plant may lead to different results. Gardeners can be opinionated folks. 

Lucky for us, conservationists, educators, entomologists, botanists, nurserymen, authors, and other experts are making it easier than ever to know what native plants to plant where. The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum has excellent lists, you can also visit Pollinator.org and xerces.org for ecoregion guides that directly cater to you and take the hard work out of brainstorming. 

I hope this podcast will serve as one of many jumping-off points that give you a more clear idea of how to start planting. If your yard is hot and dry, look for prairie plants: tall grass or shortgrass prairie is fine. If your yard is shaded from overhead evergreens or you’re knee-deep in the woods, look at midwestern woodland plants. If you have an area that is sunny and consistently damp or perfect for a rain garden, look into wetland plants. The folks over at Midwest Natives Nursery in Lincoln, Great Plains Nursery in Weston, or Prairie Legacy in Western would be happy to help you find appropriate plants from their catalog. 

Don’t neglect shrubs and trees in your quest to plant native. Extreme temperatures make that Southside oak or black cherry more appealing. Shrubs provide wonderful cover for birds, forageable food for wildlife and humans alike, and some wonderful structure when the perennials are in their growing stage or dormant during the winter. 

If you aren’t yet familiar with the importance of native plant families to certain pollinators and local wildlife, we recommend the books from authors Doug Tallamy or Heather Holm, either via your local library or procuring them from your local bookseller. We also recommend publications released by Wild Ones, the Xerces Society, the National Wildlife Federation, Pollinator Partnership, and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. 

A successful native garden:

• Hosts insect species in their larval stage with native grasses
• Provides nutritious nectar and pollen to foraging pollinators during the growing season with native wildflowers
• Provides cover to birds and small mammals year-round via shrubbery and trees
• Provides nutrition to overwintering birds during harsh winter months via wildflower seeds, rose hips, and other native fruiting plants
• Provides a place for overwintering insects to bunker down and emerge from in spring via dormant stems

What do all these qualifiers have in common? 

A functioning, ecological garden provides species survival. Pure and simple. You are creating a living paradise for species to be born and fulfill their life cycles in. You are creating a net positive in a world largely out of our control. You are creating a refuge, a haven, a habitat, and don’t forget that we also are a species that benefits from these healthy environments. 

Over the last several years, countless studies have shown the effect that immersion in green spaces has on human health, happiness, and quality of life. Those struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental illness consistently report that being in nature alleviates symptoms. Some of the plants themselves have tangible benefits to us, those species that can be foraged for food, medicine, or other therapeutic benefits such as aromatherapy. Not to mention there are studies showing that simple skin contact with the soil exposes us to beneficial microbes that get this : release serotonin, strengthen the immune system, reduce allergic response, and improve mood. 

Are you like the majority of us beating yourself up for not getting to the gym? Gardening targets every main muscle group with the variety of tasks you will take on during the course of a day in the garden. 

So my proposal for what seems to be an already very stressful 2025 cloaked in a world of uncertainty is this: Get outside, plant some vibrant, wholesome, sustainable, native-plant-forward gardens. Get that wonderful healthy dose of serotonin, make some pollinator friends, help restore habitat, burn some calories, and harvest a few things here and there for food, medicine, or simply to fill a vase from time to time. Your life will be better for it and if you’re anything like me, the view will be a joy every time.

Tune in to the third season of Plant Native Nebraska, excepting kid drama, bad weather, and mental breakdowns, every other Wednesday from March 19th to November 26th! 

Happy planting, everyone.

What makes a plant native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

BNPS aforementioned

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

• NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and downloads
•  Xerxes Society- champions of pollinator health
•  Native Plant Finder- https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/

Other Local Organizations

• Green Bellevue
• PATH
• Nebraska Native Plant Society

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Show notes coming soon!

In today's episode, Fall in Love with Native Plants, we go over why not to neglect the three season garden and the many native perennials and grasses you can incorporate for fall interest.

We've dug into our archives and given new life to an old episode. Come for a refresh on some great native fall-blooming plants in case you need some ideas for some last-ditch fall projects.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

I've gleaned a lot of today's fun insect info from Heather Holm's book Pollinators of Native Plants: https://amzn.to/3ZyEK85

Go find her podcast episode from last October for more seasonally-relevant info!

Fall Plant Families

• Asters 

New England aster

• Come one come all bees, butterflies, and moths!
• Host plant for pearl crescent butterfly
• Caters to specialist Andrea mining bee
• Nectar source for small carpenter bees, leaf cutter bees, bumblebees, green sweat bees
• Nectar source for arcigera flower moth
• Nectar source for buckeye and crescent butterflies 
• Nectar and pollen for syrphid flies, soldier beetles
• Beautiful color, nice tall aster for a moist area of your garden

Also:

heath aster

Looks like a snowy blanket in bloom ('snow flurry') or if using the straight native species, like snow covered branches reaching up

Growth habit from 1 foot to 3 feet, two completely different habits depending on if you use 'snow flurry cultivar' or the straight native species

Other utility: long lived aster, suited for dry, tough areas

silky aster

Looks very delicate, grows around things, very wispy and ethereal 

Growth habit up to 1 foot and a half 

heartleaf aster

Looks heart shaped leaves periwinkle flowers

Growth habit up to 3 feet, likes to show up everywhere and you will let it

smooth blue aster

Looks bluish purple with blue green leaves 

Growth habit shrubby but open 

Late season nectar forage YES!

Host plant status crescent butterflies 

sky blue aster

Looks another pale purple aster, very similar to smooth aster

Growth habit up to 3 feet 

aromatic aster

True to its name another pale purple aster up to 2 feet, popular one the rabbits don’t seem to eat. 

• bonesets

tall boneset

Looks tall with tight clustered fireworks of white, stout, doesn’t need much support, dense 

Growth habit up to 5 feet 

• sunflowers

Maximilian sunflower

• Larval host for the silvery checkerspot butterfly
• Late seasonal forage Nectar source for monarchs
• Nectar for bumblebees, sweat bees, and long horned bees
• Bee paradise 
• Whip out your whiskey barrels people!

Also:

sawtooth sunflower

Looks tall majestic yellow sunflowers with large green leaves

Growth habit colony forming up to about 6 feet

We saw a great example of this at Little Salt Fork Marsh Preserve near Lincoln in Raymond, NE. Indian grass, little bluestem, and sawtooth sunflower: heaven.

western sunflower

Looks similar to false sunflower, delicate yellow daisy shaped blooms

Growth habit up to 3 feet

Blooms from July to September 

Jerusalem artichoke

Native sunflower with edible tubers, aggressive but we talk about its usefulness and how to grow it in our native edible plant series, specifically our episode on vegetables, greens, and alliums

• Petunias

wild petunia

• Larval host plant for common buckeye butterfly
• Pollen for green sweat bee, syrphid flies 
• Nectar and pollen for leaf cutter bees
• Nectar sweat bees and small carpenter bees 
• This one is very delicate and blooms off and on in my front garden, works perfect as an understory plant underneath all your taller garden plants
• Ironweed

common ironweed

• Larval host plant for parthenice tiger moth
• Caters to specialist long horned bees (melissodes denticulate and melissodes vernoniae)
• Nectar for green sweat bees, bumble bees, leaf cutter bees
• Nectar for syrphid flies and soldier beetles
• Nectar for pecks skipper and eastern tiger swallowtail 
• Beautiful vibrant purple blooms great for a moister area of the garden like the bottom of a hill or other depression
• Goldenrods

stiff goldenrod

• buffet for our diverse insect friends 
• Larval host plant for the dart moth
• Plant that caters to the specialist insect Andrena mining bees
• Nectar for long horned bees, sweat bees, bumblebees, leaf cutter bees, carpenter bees
• Nectar for paper wasp, golden digger wasp
• Nectar for monarchs 
• Nectar and pollen for syrphid flies
• Pollen for locust borer beetle

zig zag goldenrod

• Feed your hordes of varied bugs
• Larval host for brown hooded owlet moth and twirler moth, yes there is a moth called a twirler moth and I want it to be my friend
• Caters to specialist Andrena mining bees
• Nectar for sweat bees, yellow faced bees, green sweat bees, bumblebees 
• Nectar for carrot wasps, mason wasps, paper wasps 
• Nectar and pollen for syrphid flies
• Pollen for Andrena mining bees
• Great goldenrod for dappled light areas, will tolerate light shade

Also:

canada goldenrod

Looks like goldenrod!

Growth habit stout goldenrod, aggressive spreader perfect for wild spaces or in an area you can let it grow into a nice patch

Late season nectar forage YES!

Can be a good rain garden addition, especially with obedient plant and swamp milkweed

Missouri goldenrod

Looks like goldenrod!

Growth habit 3 feet or so, a little floppy

Early blooming!

showy goldenrod

Looks a nice gorgeous specimen true to its name, not too bad on flopping

Growth habit up to 5 feet

Late season nectar forage YES!

Also: look into goldenrod if you're interested in native plant dyes

Disclaimer: I've introduced you to a rabbit hole...

• Sneezeweeds

Helenium autumnale

cheerful yellow flowers

looks great in a rain garden

• Milkweeds

butterfly milkweed

• Diverse pollinator parfait
• That rare bright orange that looks amazing next to our purple, yellow,  and light pink flowers 
• Host plant for monarch, queen butterfly, and the milkweed tussock moth
• Provides nectar for great spangled fritillary, sulphur butterflies 
• Nectar for paper wasps 
• Nectar for ants and soldier beetles, so set your picnic up right next to some blooming butterfly weed and they’ll leave your sandwiches alone
• Nectar for leaf cutter bees, carpenter bees, and sweat bees 

Also:

whorled milkweed

Looks delicate white orchid shaped flowers, leaves turn yellow in fall

Growth habit an opportunist, will cheerfully spread itself around your other plants but only grows to about a foot tall

Other utility wasps dig it 

• Heliopsis

false sunflower

• Larval host for rigid sunflower borer 
• Nectar source for ground beetles and soldier beetles
• Nectar for male leaf cutter bees, long horned bees, bumble bees
• Nectar for clearwing moths 
• Pollen for green sweat bees and carpenter bees
• Plant material for female leaf cutter bees
• Fall interest, lots of pollinator benefit, and fantastic prolifically blooming cheerful yellow 
• Verbenas

Verbena stricta 

• Bestow favor on your butterflies and bees 
• Larval host for verbena moth and fine lined sallow moth
• Caters to specialist bee calliopsis nebraskensis 
• Nectar for pecks skipper, silver spotted skipper, painted ladies, and monarchs 
• Nectar for bee flies and syrphid flies
• Verbena for drier places, just be careful where you place it. Don’t place it next to a path, let it be where it can go freely to seed and create a nice patch

Verbena hastata

• Host plant for verbena moth and feeds a variety of insects 
• Caters to specialist bee calliopsis nebraskensis nebraska vervain calliopsis bee 
• Nectar for syrphid flies, bee flies, thick headed flies 
• Nectar for silver spotted skipper
• Nectar for green sweat bees, carpenter bees, bumble bees, long horned bees, leaf cutter bees
• Great plant for the rain garden or near a downspout, the verbena for wetter areas, more delicate flowers than verbena stricta, so small and precious 

• Eryngiums

Rattlesnake master

• Unique plant, looks striking next to florals
• Host plant for stem borer moth and flower feeding moth
• Nectar for soldier beetles, red shouldered pine beetles
• Nectar for yellow faced bees
• Pollen for bumblebees
• Wasp paradise

• Salvias

pitcher sage

Looks pale bluish purple 

Growth habit: tall so place accordingly, this thing is gonna flop you really got to place other tall and or shrubby stuff around it

Host plant status hermit sphinx moth 

Other utility drought tolerant, aromatic, lovely paired with yellow, a bee favorite

• Mints

1. anise hyssop ( some people argue whether to pronounce a-neice or ah-nis but I'm gonna do what I want)

• Late season nectar source
• nectar for leaf cutter bees, bumble bees
• Nectar for silver spotted skipper and great spangled fritillary 
• nectar for soldier beetles
• Great plant that smells like licorice and has a stately structured appearance in the late summer and early fall garden

2. Virginia mountain mint

• Great plant for your rain garden or wetter spots on your property, perhaps where a downspout comes down or where your weird patio dumps all of its water
• A wasp favorite, you can make a sea shanty album called wasp’s friend 
• Nectar for long horned bees, green sweat bees, yellow faced bees, bumblebees
• Nectar for banded hairstreak butterfly
• Nectar for paper wasps, great golden digger wasps, great black wasps, and… beewolves. Did you know that beewolves are a thing. Google a picture of one of them carrying a bee in their arms and awaken the stuff of nightmares. contribute to scary, amazing, and wonderful biodiversity. Maybe give your sinister daughter a reason to haunt the garden. Oh wait, that’s my daughter.
• Nectar for syrphid flies, wedge shaped beetles, and ants! Because we love our ants! 

3. wild bergamot

• Host plant for hermit sphinx moth
• Plant that caters to the specialist black sweat bee 
• Nectar for bumble bees. This is like a fine wine for your bumble bees. They love the stuff. 
• Nectar for eastern tiger swallowtail, monarch, silver spotted skipper
• Nectar for hummingbird clearwing moth
• Nectar for soldier beetles
• Wild bergamot was featured on our episode about wildflower teas so go back and listen to that one. Fantastic in bloom. Not much better out there. 

4. spotted bee balm

• A wasp’s paradise
• Host plant for gray marvel moth 
• Plant that caters to the specialist black sweat bee 
• Nectar for great black and gold digger wasps 
• Nectar for long horned bees and bumblebees 
• Pollen for sweat bees
• This plant surprised my friend who has been gardening for many years and has a gorgeous cottage style garden. If she loves it, I promise you will too.

• Grasses 

purple love grass

Looks like beautiful purple smoke, or golden smoke

Growth habit short, wispy

Other utility great for hellstrips or other stubborn dry areas 

prairie dropseed 

Looks big friendly green tuft of grass 

Growth habit bunch forming, 2-3 feet

Other utility birds like eating the seeds, good source of fall color as cold sets in 

Versatile grass that will grow in a variety of areas

side oats grama 

Looks like rolled oats on a blade of grass, teeny tiny red flowers, see if you can spot them

Growth habit open up to 2 or so feet tall

Host plant status larval host for skippers 

Other utility another great grass for dry spaces 

blue grama 

Up to 2 foot range 

Easy to start from seed

Great for erosion

little bluestem

Looks kaleidoscope of blues and purples and reds and copper tones

Growth habit 3 feet and sometimes a scowtch taller if its really happy

Host plant status larval host for skippers 

Other utility birds will eat the seeds, our official state grass

big bluestem

Looks amazing purplish red tips, looks like heaven paired with Indian grass

Growth habit tall these babies get up to about 8 feet tall

Other utility a very important part of tallgrass prairie ecosystems 

switchgrass

4 to 5 foot range

Looks amazing with little bluestem and other wildflowers

Has trendy named cultivars

indian grass

Looks bronze and gold colored seedheads, majestic en masse

Growth habit tall 6 feet or more

Other utility: food for birds 

In conclusion

Be open-minded, fall exists outside of exotic chrysanthemums and ornamental kale. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

What makes a plant native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

BNPS aforementioned

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

• NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and downloads
•  Xerxes Society- champions of pollinator health
•  Native Plant Finder- https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/

Other Local Organizations

• Green Bellevue
• PATH
• Nebraska Native Plant Society

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review...

In today’s episode, The Dark Side of Native Plants: Fandoms, Gatekeeping, Anxiety, Pretense, and What You Can Do To Avoid Their Pitfalls, we discuss exactly that.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Midwest Natives Nursery

www.midwestnativesnursery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives

https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

ATTENTION: Today’s episode is marked explicit for a single, well-placed F-bomb.

Roadblocks to Our New Way of Life

• Interesting opinions-from surprising sources! 
• Expensive workshops
• Paywalls
• Feeling like you have to sign up for email lists 

Today’s Public Service Announcement:

Beware of the Gatekeepers 

You DON’T need to buy a certain book, or take certain classes. There are wonderful organizations that work very hard to provide this education to you for FREE such as:

• The Xerces Society 
• Pollinator Partnership
• Homegrown National Park 
• National Wildlife Federation

That being said, we DO recommend wonderful authors on our show such as:

• Heather Holm
• Douglas Tallamy 
• Jim Locklear 
• Rick Darke 
• Enrique Salmon 
• Benjamin Vogt 

We also DO recommend local plant suppliers that provide affordable plant material such as:

• Midwest Natives Nursery
• Bumbling Bee Native Wildflowers 
• Prairie Legacy 
• Prairie Plains Institute 
• Nebraska Statewide Arboretum

And remember: there’s no one way to do anything! 

Patreon Disclaimer

We (if the gods allow) occasionally put content on our Patreon. But if you need this info for FREE, please email [email protected]. Just because I am trying to make a living doesn’t mean we will keep you from the good stuff. 

Examples of Negative (and Subjective) Plant Opinions

Just because you are enthusiastic about native plants doesn’t mean you have to accept EVERYTHING a (sort of)native plants person you admire says.

As said by Piet Oudolf, natural landscapes garden designer, in one of his books:

• Joe Pye weed= nothing more than ‘not unattractive’ 
• sneezeweed = too exuberant 
• goldenrod and sunflower= overfamiliar
• foliage of rudbeckia is “uninspiring”
• Rudbeckia flowers are uninteresting
• goldenrod is a “garish yellow” 

As said by Piet Oudolf and landscape designer and host John McGee on the Native Plant Podcast (not to be confused with our podcast:)

• Adding prairie dropseed is enough to make a landscape “look” wild
• The primary point of a garden is to give people pleasure
• Nettles in a design would put someone out of work
• Certain natives are invasive (leading to endless mental and actual debate, more on that in a minute)
• It’s not our place to make nature in our gardens... wait, what?

Controversial statement by the late Toby Hemenway, a 2000s garden author, professor, environmentalist:

• Native gardens are pointless in the grand scheme of things when it comes to conservation and that your little suburban garden isn’t going to save any species… 

Ben Vogt, Lincoln landscape designer and seeming native plant activist:

• Gray-headed coneflower looks overgrown and overwhelms spaces, trees and shrubs should be short or narrow and very limited in the landscape

Traditional seeming negative opinions I've heard and read:

• Violets are an invasive weed worthy of spraying chemicals on their lawn to remove I.e. kill. 
• Butterflies and caterpillars are pests!

Hold on, Can Native Plants be Invasive?

Depends who you are asking...

Although, can something be invasive if it isn’t foreign or is it just robust? Is a plant civilization truly noxious and undesirable simply because it has evolved to be such a strong survivor in prime conditions? Maybe something like complete obliteration of its natural ecosystem where more checks and balances were in place?!?!

Some Important Differences Between Being a Native Plant Person vs. Being a Landscape Designer: 

Native plant expert: promotes native plants in the landscape

Designer: promotes certain plants in the landscape

Native plant expert: motivated by ecology

Designer: motivated by income flow

The Whole Point of the Native Plants Movement

to use native plants to reintroduce nature to our landscapes, right?

DON'T Conflate Opinion with Academic Expertise

Before you take someone’s advice on what plants could be considered, consider considering them.

But surprise this whole episode is my opinion! 

Have You Been Told To Avoid Any of the Following?

• Indian grass
• big bluestem
• common milkweed
• Verbena stricta
• goldenrod
• sunflowers
• New England aster
• tall boneset
• hyssops
• obedient plant
• all Silphium sp.

Have You Heard the Following Terms:

• opportunistic
• aggressive
• invasive
• problematic
• garden thuggery
• and the new one I’ve heard lately: gregarious

Have You Been Told Things Using This Language:

• well-behaved
• safe
• low-maitenence
• no-fuss
• “not too tall…”

In Defense of Common Milkweed…

“Perhaps most of us fall in love with the idea of milkweeds, when we hear they host the very beloved monarch butterfly.  We do our best to plant natives and inevitably we may come across someone giving away loads of common milkweed. Later on, we may regard anyone giving away hoards of a single variety of plant as a red flag. We may start to talk to our garden people about plants that are “too aggressive.” We may come to view plants like common milkweed as not worthy of our gardens and banish them along with native sunflowers, roses, wild mint, and other spreading plants into some dark recess of the native plants mindset. But, and hear me out on this, have you gone up to a common milkweed in bloom and stuck your nose right up in the flowers? Have you? Because by God, it smells like a fever dream. It’s a marvelously nutritious plant for humans and wildlife. It looks unique. It’s always buzzing with activity. It’s a fucking symbol of the prairie and we can’t banish it, guys. Give common milkweed a chance. Find somewhere to put it and for the love of all things garden worthy, stop and smell it once in a while.”

Keep It Simple

Plant what you, pollinators, and your kids love. Do your best to know what plants better support ecology and don’t let other people’s opinions be the gatekeeper for your gardens. Remember that the literature is mostly written by opinionated landscape designers and try to distinguish between fact and commentary. 

Don’t stay away from all goldenrods and sunflowers just because you are told to. For the best plants ecology wise, refer to ecoregion guides like these:

https://pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/PrairieParklandrx12FINAL.pdf

https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/22-027_01_NPPBI%E2%80%94NorthernPlains_web.pdf

https://nativeplantfinder.nwf.org/Plants

https://homegrownnationalpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/HNP-ECO-REG-9.2-TREES-SHRUBS-LIST.110323.pdf

Instead of Avoiding Plants, We Can Learn How to Manage Them!

Too tall? Plant it at the back of the border or cut it back in June. Spread too much? Plant it in a container in the ground. 

"For Wild Spaces Only"

If it’s only good for wild spaces, what will we do when wild spaces no longer exist?

Even if the developer/business owner/ new homeowner/ landlord is progressive, do you think sunflowers and goldenrod will be allowed to exist, if the most progressive among us are placing it dead center on a planting hit-list? 

In Closing

Take scare posts with a grain of salt, feel free to disregard or flat out reject this entire episode, look away from the paywalls, look to the people who are passion-driven, who simply won’t shut up about how much they love plants ever.  

The native plants movement-and in logical succession- this podcast and other native plant podcasts should resonate with one singular effort- to help native species continue on into the future and to reignite their use in landscapes. 

Gardening Isn’t Rocket Science

At its very essence, gardening is an appreciation for life on earth, the wonder of nature, the art of paying attention, and trying to leave something wholesome, lasting, and beneficial for generations of people and creatures to come

Thank you all so much for listening and your continued support of the podcast and native plants!!!!!

What Makes a Plant Native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (native plant cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

Local Plant Suppliers

Midwest Natives Nursery

Great Plains Nursery

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum

Prairie Legacy Nursery

Mulhall's

Online Plant Suppliers

Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Nursery

Stock Seed

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

Bellevue Native Plant Society on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

• NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and downloads
•  Xerxes Society- champions of pollinator health
•  Native Plant Finder- https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/

Other Local Organizations

• Green Bellevue
• PATH
• Milkweed Matters
• Nebraska Native Plant Society

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

In today’s episode, Rain Gardens for the Reluctant Gardener, we chat with Steve Rodie about just how much water comes off your roof in a single rain, what the heck bioswales are, and some tried and true native plants to select for your rain garden projects.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Steve Rodie

Steve Rodie retired in 2020 from 26 years of teaching, research, and extension at the University of Nebraska. He is currently an Emeritus Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at UNO. During his academic career, he focused his teaching and research on landscape plants, landscape and environmental appreciation and sustainability, sustainable landscape design, and green infrastructure stormwater management using rain gardens, bioretention gardens, and other best management practices. 

Steve is also a registered landscape architect and worked on environmental assessments and visual resources analyses for almost 10 years in Colorado and California. In 2012, he was elected as a Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Midwest Natives Nursery

www.midwestnativesnursery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives

https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

TRIGGER WARNING: We occasionally discuss plants with a more eastern or western range. But we make a point to only discuss midwestern U.S. plants. Always check BONAP or other range maps to determine the best estimates of historical nativity.

625 GALLONS OF WATER

That's how much an 1000 square foot roof sheds with the average rain.

In a moderate rainstorm, imagine how much water a 2500 square foot roof sheds! Food for thought.

Why Filtering Stormwater Runoff is Important

Fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus,) car lot oils, heavy metals pollute rivers and streams when the polluted water just rushes straight into the storm drains.

So when we can help control the volume and the quality of the water that runs off, we can help keep our environment clean!

How Can Homeowners Find Out if They Have Rain Garden Potential?

Look around. When it rains, where is the water going and coming from? Downspouts are an obvious source of runoff, but maybe you have water rushing off of a slanted driveway, patio, or other pavement.

A rain garden would be placed close to one of these sources but at least 10 feet away from your house and not under an existing tree.

DO A DRAINAGE TEST!

Find a spot where a rain garden seems appropriate and test the soil in the center of the area.

Dig a hole a foot down and a foot wide, fill it to the top with water. Wait two hours (for it to settle) and fill it back up to the top. Stick an old ruler in the side and measure how much inches of water goes down (infiltrates) each hour.

This seems like a slog but the lowest part of your rain garden is going to be anywhere from 6-12 inches deep depending on how fast the soil can absorb the water.

If you want to skip the technical stuff start with the center of your rain garden at 3 inches deep and see if it drains in two hours.

Video on this test here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEN0NtMsvsg

You can also find the section in this file: https://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/ec1262/2013/pdf/view/ec1262-2013.pdf

Retained Water Helps Cool the Air

Maybe this is a basic thing but whatever, we touch on it.

Bioswales- What the Heck are They?

A swale is something that channels water, could be as basic as a ditch. But a bioswale is an area where plant species are also incorporated to further channel and disperse water.

Bioswales can be a standalone thing or attached to a rain garden. Different situations might call for one or both to be utilized.

Inlets, Outlets, and Berms, Oh My!

• An inlet is simply enough where the water comes in to the rain garden.
• Outlets are likewise "micro-pathways" where emergency water is able to flow out, especially when we get exorbitant rainfall the rain garden couldn't possibly keep up with (over an inch of rain.) Outlets should always point away from buildings and structures and in a sense go with the natural flow of the water being directed into the garden.
• Berms are mounded ground on the perimeter of the rain garden so that water goes in and in a sense, is kept in.

Ok, But, Seriously, How Deep Should A Rain Garden Be, How Big Should it Be?

A rain garden with the center depression, think the bullseye in the donut hole, at a typical 6 inches deep should drain water within 12-24 hours.

If it takes longer and you have sitting water in your rain garden, you risk damage to plants, not to mention, making ripe conditions for mosquitoes.

If you want to know the methodology of determining your depth and rain garden size, consult these publications here. Choose between the web version OR interactive PDF :

https://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/ec1262/rain-garden-design-site-and-selection-guide

GET YOUR SOIL TESTED!

https://midwestlabs.com/

Traditional Garden Design Touchstones

Consider:

• Plant Selection- Steve encourages short plants (under 3-4 feet) for gardens under 100 sq ft.
• Plant Placement by Height (taller in the back or middle, shorter in the front or sides, etc. etc.)
• Repetition (good for aesthetic cohesion)
• Mixing Different Plants (mixing different colors, textures, and bloom times)
• Size and Shape of Bed- Curvilinear or Rectilinear, which ideally is matched to existing landscaping
• Curb Appeal and Cues to Care- thank you, Joan Nassauer
• Multi-Seasonal Interest (again, the different bloom times)
• Habitat Value

Plants Sorted by Sun Conditions

Sun/Partial Sun 

• goldenrods- showy and stiff goldenrod are good options
• purple coneflower 
• little bluestem (higher levels)
• blue grama (higher levels)
• dense blazing star
• wild bergamot 
• Virginia mountain mint 
• common yarrow
• blue flag iris - regional native 
• 'Gateway' Joe pye weed- happy in the middle
• Helenium autumnale
• great blue Lobelia-likes it wet (disclaimer: will be short-lived)
• swamp milkweed 
• butterfly weed (rim of rain garden, highest ground)
• side oats grama (higher/upper levels)
• Bicknell’s sedge
• Sprengel’s sedge 
• brown fox sedge
• gray sedge

Shade / Partial Shade 

**Reminder: Don't put a rain garden under an existing tree, the shade should be coming from a nearby structure, but again keep the rain garden at least 10 feet from a building

• Lobelia- cardinal flower-happy in the middle (short-lived)
• Solomon’s seal
• wild ginger
• lady fern
• sweet Joe pye- happy in the middle ('Baby Joe' dwarf cultivar good option)
• wild geranium
• columbine 
• plains oval sedge (good at the center)
• rosy sedge (good at the center)

Shrubs!

• Elderberry
• Willow
• Buttonbush- straight native or small and compact 'Sugar Shack' cultivar
• Viburnum- 'Blue Muffin' is a good cultivar
• Dogwood
• Aronias- 'lowscape' and 'Iroquois beauty' are good options

NEWANIP

To support ecology, choose Native and adapted Ecological and Well Adapted Non Invasive Plants

In Closing

Remember, trees also help manage water. Don't forget to plant trees on your property.

Deep-rooted natives provide ecosystem services for FREE! Continue to reduce soil compaction by reducing lawns and using native plants!

Thank you all so much for listening and your continued support of the podcast and native plants!!!!!

What Makes a Plant Native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (native plant cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

Local Plant Suppliers

Midwest Natives Nursery

Great Plains Nursery

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum

Prairie Legacy Nursery

Mulhall's

Online Plant Suppliers

Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Nursery

Stock Seed

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

Bellevue Native Plant Society on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

• NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and downloads
•  Xerxes Society- champions of pollinator health
•  Native Plant Finder- https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/

Other Local Organizations

• Green Bellevue
• PATH
• Milkweed Matters
• Nebraska Native Plant Society

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