Gardening with Purpose
Helping people create beautiful, low-maintenance gardens using native plants that support pollinators, birds, and the environment.
- Eastern Redbud
Scientific name: Cercis canadensis The redbud in my yard is the straight species (not a cultivar) with light pink flowers, and this fall I collected its seed… Read more: Eastern Redbud - Carolina Lupine
tall yellow spires that is one of the showiest things in my garden. It’s a wonderful feeling when neighbors stop to comment on it while I’m out gardening, and it has done beautifully for me with very little fuss. - The Native Willow That Wasn’t: A Salix Mislabeling Story
There is a tree in my backyard that I am about to have taken down. I used to love it. But now I must kill it. I… Read more: The Native Willow That Wasn’t: A Salix Mislabeling Story - Your String Trimmer Is Shedding Microplastics Into Your Garden (And What You Can Do About It)
Your string trimmer deposits microplastics into soil with every use. Here’s what actually works, what doesn’t, and where you can get biodegradable string for your trimmer. - Northern Spicebush
Crush a leaf. Smell it. Love it. Features: tolerant of dense shade grows well under black walnut, or beech trees (juglone tolerant) food and host plant for spicebush butterfly and more - Silky Willow
* 2026 update: unfortunately, this is likely not a Silky Willow but a hybridized invasive White Willow. See THIS UPDATE for more info. Scientific name: Salix sericea… Read more: Silky Willow
