Author: Joe Sarnicola I am fairly new to the world of native plant gardening. In the spring of 2025, I used some leftover lumber to frame a six foot by 8 foot space in my back yard, which became my butterfly garden. Following the advice of a few knowledgeable friends, I visited a local nursery […] Continue reading "The Patient Gardener"
Author: Joe Sarnicola Walk into the garden section of any big box store and you will probably see a colorful assortment of flowers. Assuming this is an outdoor section, look a little closer. Are there any bees or butterflies visiting those flowers? If there aren’t there are several possible reasons: 1. These flowers are often […] Continue reading "The Importance of Native Plants"
Author: Joe Sarnicola One important aspect of a native plant garden is to create an environment where pollinators can find food, shelter, and a place to raise their offspring. Why is this so important? Let’s start with pollen, the dust-like material created by the male part of a flower which must be transferred to the […] Continue reading "To Bees or Not to Bees"
Author: Joe Sarnicola Let’s imagine you ask a local gardener what you would need to start a new native plant garden. They tell you to buy a pointed shovel, a pair of heavy-duty gloves, and two Asclepias syriaca. So you write down, “Shovel, gloves, and what?” Asclepias syriaca is the botanical name for common milkweed. […] Continue reading "Botanical Names"
Author: Joe Sarnicola Now that we have a better understanding of the differences between dirt and soil, we should probably examine what is happening in our soil a little more closely. When we look at our gardens, we probably see flowers, shrubs, trees, maybe a sandy spot for ground bees, but are we thinking about […] Continue reading "The Soil/Food Web"
Author: Joe Sarnicola After working in your garden, have you soiled your hands, or have you only gotten them dirty? You may ask in reply, “Aren’t they both the same question?” Nope, and here’s why. Soil contains living organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, all which support plant life. Dirt has none of these, […] Continue reading "The Importance of Healthy Soil"
Author: Joe Sarnicola Judging by the array of pesticides in a typical big box store it would be easy to believe that every insect should be killed on site and every flower and shrub treated to prevent any new ones from coming around. Unfortunately, that is how many casual gardeners feel. Yet, one of the […] Continue reading "Bugs in the Garden? Oh, My!"
Author: Joe Sarnicola When many of us hear the term “keystone” we may think of the wedge stone that locks the other stones of an arch in place, silent movie cops, Pennsylvania (Keystone State), or even a brand of beer. I doubt many people associate keystones with plants. But they should. Wild Ones promotes the […] Continue reading "Keystone Plants"
Author: Joe Sarnicola Biodiversity. That’s a big word we hear all the time, but what does it really mean?The word itself has its origins in both ancient Greek and Latin. “Bio” is from the Greek word for life, and “diversity” is from the Latin word for variety. Biodiversity is a contracted form of biological diversity. […] Continue reading "On Biodiversity"
Author: Joe Sarnicola For people who are new to native plant gardening it can seem a bit overwhelming at first. Latin names (anyone remember taking Latin in high school? Lot of good it did me.), bushes and shrubs are not exactly the same thing, not to mention ecozones and ecosystems, and then there is sandy, […] Continue reading "Starting Small"