PLANT NATIVE NEBRASKA

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Patience, Mistakes, and #gardengoals Episode Introduction 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. Episode Content #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 Additional content related to this episode: 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 Additional Resources 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! <a...

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The Modern Gardener's Dilemma Turning Big Garden Plans into Small Actionable Projects 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. Episode Content 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 Wild Strawberry Prairie Smoke (Regional Native) Bradbury's Bee Balm Butterflyweed Rattlesnake Master Prairie Dropseed Plains Oval Sedge If you've read to the end of this, thank you and I hope it has been informative! Additional Content Related to This Episode 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 Additional Resources 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! <a...

The Truth About Dandelions Episode Introduction 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. Episode Content 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 Additional content related to this episode: 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 Additional Resources NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and...

Back To Business Episode Introduction 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. Episode Content 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. Additional content related to this episode: 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...

Show notes coming soon!

Fall in Love with Native Plants Episode Introduction 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. Episode Content 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,...

The Dark Side of Native Plants: Fandoms, Gatekeeping, Anxiety, Pretense, and What You Can Do To Avoid Their Pitfalls Episode Introduction 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. Episode Content 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 plantnativenebraska@outlook.com . 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...

Rain Gardens for the Reluctant Gardener Episode Introduction 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. Episode Content 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...

Nebraskan Trees and Shrubs for Bored Suburbanites Episode Introduction In today’s episode, Nebraskan Trees and Shrubs for Bored Suburbanites, we chat with Heather Byers, owner of Great Plains Nursery, about keystone species, the best time of year to plant trees, and beautiful and native options for woody plants humans, pollinators, and yes, even squirrels can enjoy. 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 Heather Byers Heather Byers is a native tree enthusiast and, along with her husband Brian, owner of Great Plains Nursery near Weston, NE. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2006 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Horticulture Production and shortly after started the business with a passion for growing and planting native trees and shrubs and sharing the importance of native plants for the ecosystem. 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. Episode Content 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. Top Trees and Shrubs at Great Plains Nursery Most of the plants we discuss can be found online at https://greatplainsnursery.com/ Although there are differences between Eastern and Western Nebraska, Heather stresses planting trees and shrubs with high ecological value. Her recommendations for Eastern NE: Oaks, baby! Did you know that oaks support 500 species of caterpillars. And consequentially, oaks support a variety of birds such as bluejays (beautiful jerks) and species of warblers. Many different kinds of oaks to choose from such as: Chinquapin or Dwarf Chinquapin Oak (great for smaller spaces) Chestnut Oak Hills Oak Red Oak Burr Oak Some recommendations for Western NE: Burr Oak Hackberry American Elm American Linden- great bee forage plant Recommendations also for Southeastern NE: Hickories Honey Locust Looking to Build Bird Habitat? Heather reminds us to not only provide plants with fresh nuts and berries for birds, but also focus on trees and shrubs that act as larval hosts. 96% of songbirds rear their young on caterpillars: big, fat juicy caterpillars full of protein. So help mama bird and also encourage a nice diversity of birds to your garden for your own viewing pleasure. Some plants to focus on: Aronias Serviceberries Prunus family of plants including: Sand Cherry, American Plum, and Black Cherry (a great pollinator forage plant, bird forage plant, and larval host plant) Ribes (pronounced rye-bees) family of plants including native currants and gooseberry American hazelnut- but give it 5 years for strong nut production and plant multiple for any nut production at all Salix family of plants- if you have room plant Sand Willow, Peachleaf Willow, or Black Willow... if you don't have room plant Prairie Willow (only 3 feet tall, great filler plant, and can tolerate dryness) Fast Growing Trees for the Impatient Gardener American Elm 'Princeton' Cottonwood- even a male option is available if you can't abide the fluff 'Prairie Gold' Aspen- can be used for screening American Linden Black Cherry Tulip Tree- great pollinator forage plant Windbreak Trees- Think Past Non-Native Evergreens For the furthest boundary away from the house on the north-side you can plant: Eastern Red Cedar (though this will spread and maintenance can be problematic) Swamp White Oak Red Oak Shingle Oak The next layer could consist of: Colorado Blue Spruce or Black Hills Spruce- nice pyramidal form (both only regionally native) The innermost layer of this windbreak could be: Aronia American hazelnut Check out this book, “Woody Plants for the Central and Northern Prairies,” illustrated by my friend, Nancy Scott, here . Underrated Tree That Should be Planted More Kentucky Coffee Tree https://greatplainsnursery.com/product/kentucky-coffeetree-2/ Ancient badass tree that has evolved a new way of surviving Literally around since the mastadons Only plant in its genus-truly one of a kind and worldwide distribution Great pollinator forage- inconspicuous flowers (have fun looking for them) Charlie Brown stick tree that will eventually reward you with a gorgeous form if you believe in it (and sweet talk it occasionally) Keystone Species If you want to hear more about keystone species, go back and listening to our Soft Landings episode with guest Heather Holm: https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm/episode/softerlandings Plant families to consider: Oaks. If you haven't yet discovered the importance of oaks, a great fall or winter read The Nature of Oaks by Doug Tallamy here . Also check your local library and local booksellers. Salix family of plants Prunus family of plants Coralberry, Snowberry, Wolfberry: Symphocarpus family of plants (some of these are more regionally native in range) Shade Garden- Don't Fear! Still trees and shrubs you can plant for shadier areas. Try: Hackberry Paw Paw Serviceberries- especially Regent AKA the Prairie Blueberry American Hazelnut Dogwood- Gray or Roughleaf A lot of these plants are used to growing under dense tree canopy in their natural habitats. Got Squirrels? Do you get a queer sense of joy out of seeing them prance through the garden and hoarding more nuts than they can possibly ever find? Plant these and stop buying store bought corn cobs: Oaks American Hazelnut Ohio Buckeye Black Walnut- careful of this one though, there are only certain plants you can plant nearby Pecan Hickory If You're Scared of Deer For the love of Goldenrod, just cage your trees. Bucks will rub their antlers on young tree branches in fall. You can cage your trees for the first few years with wire fencing, t-posts. Make a 5-ft diameter ring around the tree with 5-6 foot fencing wire. Privacy Screens! Goodbye, arborvitae! Hello native options! 'Taylor' Juniper 'Prairie Gold' Aspen Dwarf Chinquapin Oak Black Chokeberry Viburnum- native options include nannyberry viburnum and regionally native options...

Alternative Lawns: Not Your Grandmother's Turfgrass Episode Introduction In today’s episode, Alternative Lawns: Not Your Grandmother's Turfgrass, we go over different options for replacing lawn, why you'll be happy to make the jump, and tried and true ways to replace and maintain your new landscape. 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 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. Episode Content Rehash our first episode if you are new to the podcast or our wonderful edible plants series here! What are Native Plants Anyway? Native Edible Plants Series with Bob Henrickson: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Books to Read Iwigara Native American Ethnobotany Why Lawns Aren't Sustainable or Healthy Pesticide and herbicide runoff pollutes groundwater, rivers, and streams Kids are exposed to pesticide and herbicide residues while playing Birds, pollinators, and other wildlife are exposed to residues while foraging and traveling which can result in disease, illness, and death . I mentioned there is plenty of research out there. Here are some of many, many articles discussing: Protect Pollinators at Home: Alternatives to HerbicidesThe Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservationhttps://xerces.org › blog › protect-pollinators-at-home-alt... The Risks of Pesticides to PollinatorsThe Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservationhttps://www.xerces.org › pesticides › risks-pesticides-poll... PesticidesPollinator.orghttps://www.pollinator.org › Learning Center Nearby plants can come in contact with spray drift which can cause stunted growth, disease, and death Having a monoculture lawn limits local wildlife from the diverse diet it needs to survive and thrive Lawn takes up space we could grow our own food and medicine! Benefits of Ditching Your Lawn You are providing habitat for insects, birds, and other wildlife! You are providing bee forage if you own a beehive, and ensuring better crop pollination if you grow a vegetable garden! You will encourage the storing of some carbon below ground by using these prairie plants with incredible root systems! You can participate in citizen science by submitting sightings and other observations to projects hosted by the Xerxes Society, Pollinator Pathway, and more! You will inevitably use less water to maintain the meadow/ alt lawn as opposed to traditional lawn and landscaping! You will reduce if not eliminate mowing which is great for the environment and also great for your spouse! You will have very little weeding time after your meadow garden/ alt lawn reaches its maturity! You will save money! You can forage your lawn for wild edibles. You can harvest plant material for natural dyes. You can grow medicine. You can use other parts of prairie plants in homemade crafts: basket weaving, bee houses, pressed flowers, etc. Alt Lawn Options Native Grass and Sedge Lawns : Superior to exotic grass because they typically have better root systems and are often host plants for skippers, moths, and butterflies Blue Grama Lawn: Blue Grama is a warm-season grass. It is drought tolerant and thrives when other exotic grasses struggle. Height of 1-2 feet. Can seed or plug. Buffalo Grass Lawn: Buffalo grass is also warm-season grass that gets about 6 inches tall. It is very drought tolerant and long lived. Sideoats Grama Lawn: More of a meadow lawn since it does reach 2-3 feet in height Mixed Grass Lawn: You can find different mixes from different suppliers such as (50%) blue grama and (50%) buffalograss, (30%) blue grama, (30%) side oats grama, and (40%) buffalograss... There's also other formulations like habiturf which is (62%) buffalograss,(30%)blue grama, and curly mesquite (8%) Pennsylvania sedge lawn: Pennsylvania sedge forms dense mats of medium green and grows 6 to 8 inches. Plains oval sedge lawn Long-beaked sedge: Great shade lawn option Bee Lawns Let dandelions go and add in native common violet, self heal, purple poppy mallow, wild strawberry, and Micro-prairie/Meadowscapes Shortgrass Prairie Eclectic Meadow Tallgrass Prairie Groundcover lawns Mix and match large swaths of ground covers: Plant en masse in groups of 5, 7, 9 Plants to use: BUTTERFLYWEED, PRAIRIE VIOLET, HEATH ASTER, WILD PETUNIA, WILD STRAWBERRY, PRAIRIE CLOVER, POPPY MALLOW, CAREX BREVIOR, GROUND PLUM (I'm not yelling, but lazily copying and pasting from my powerpoint...) More plants to use: Pearly everlasting, pussytoes, artemisia ludoviciana, 'snow flurry' heath aster cultivar, prairie dropseed, western yarrow Yardens: Layered mix of NATIVE shrubs, ornamental grasses, and perennials Some shrubs to use along with your choice of grasses and perennial plants: LEADPLANT, SILKY DOGWOOD, CHOKECHERRY, CORALBERRY, AMORPHA FRUCTICOSA, PRAIRIE ROSE, ELDERBERRY, PLAINS WILD INDIGO, BAPTISIA AUSTRALIS Low-gro native shade gardens Use plants like wild ginger, dutchman’s breeches, heartleaf aster, mayapple, woodland phlox and others Hardscaping Don’t be shy to add a crushed limestone, pea gravel, flagstone, or salvaged stone patio area to cut down on lawn space and create a relaxing place to view garden areas You may use landscape fabric stapled underneath These patios can last ten years or more and can be installed DIY Vegetable garden and other garden "rooms" An entire "room" could be made where lawn resides for a vegetable garden. Vegetable gardens are often made in a square or rectangle design, fenced to protect crops from deer or wildlife, and given paths of mulch, brick, or other material to access plant beds A place of tranquility to hoard vintage finds and favorite plants How to Ditch Your Lawn Check ordinances and HOA policies If you are in an HOA, get clear rules detailed about what is allowed for gardenscape/lawns City of Omaha “all weeds, grass, and worthless vegetation cannot reach a height of 12 inches or more….” meaning occasionally mow, weed monthly, and use cues that this is a maintained garden. Note that...

We will be back on for new episodes bi-weekly from August 14th-December 4th! Until then... 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. 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. Local Plant Suppliers Midwest Natives Nursery Bumbling Bee Native Wildflowers Great Plains Nursery Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Prairie Legacy Nursery Mulhall's Online Plant Suppliers Prairie Moon Nursery Prairie Nursery Stock Seed 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) 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 Additional Resources 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.

Native Plant Horticulture in Nebraska Episode Introduction In today’s episode, Native Plant Horticulture in Nebraska, we chat with director of conservation at Lauritzen Gardens, Jim Locklear, about the decision-making behind choosing plants for botanic gardens, the crossroads between aesthetic spaces and conservation, and why the preservation of native plant communities is still important. 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 Jim Locklear Jim Locklear has been the director of conservation at Lauritzen Gardens since 2010. He has a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Central Missouri and a master's in plant and soil science from Southern Illinois University. He formerly served as director of the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Kansas and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. He recently published a new book titled, In the Country of the Kaw, about the midwestern watershed of the Kaw River and its history. 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. Episode Content Native Plant Horticulture in Nebraska Native plant horticulture is characterized by using native plants in the region...but native gardens don't have to be prairie. There are many types of garden styles that can utilize native plants and there are many different ecosystems in Nebraska including wetlands, oak hickory forest, shortgrass tall grass and mixed grass prairies, and others that correspondingly have varied native plants native to those environments. Using non-natives is not forbidden, but native plants are emphasized for their habitat value. Some of the challenges being faced by the industry and horticulturalists are obtaining seed/stock, propagation issues, and appealing to traditional consumers. Mulhall's ( https://mulhalls.com/ ) is helping to change the game on native plants in the mainstream and take it out of a strictly niche market. Studying Rare Ecosystems, Different Habitats, and Wildlife Activity at Lauritzen Oak trees support lots of caterpillars, and therefore, warblers, who love to eat their little juicy bodies. Morbid right? Butterfly deserts form around exotic chrysanthemum, but for some reason they seem to like yellow chrysanthemum, so if your mother-in-law insists on using them, buy her some yellow ones. Jim has studied sandsage prairie and one of his takeaways is that far-flung plant communities can be a hidden reserve of diversity and that diversity can affect overall diversity in the Great Plains region. Even the hyper-local can have a greater affect on the bigger picture, which is comforting to us with our little home gardens. Stewards of the Environment Lauritzen Gardens ( www. lauritzen.org ) has received an accreditation from Botanic Garden Conservation International for its conservation practices, which only 30ish botanic gardens in the WORLD have been awarded. On site, this may look like butterfly, bird, and bee and moth surveys; looking for diversity hotspots and deserts; and making changes that better support wildlife over its 100 acres(like switching out purple non-native mums for yellow ones...who knew?) Off site, this may be in-the-field conservation; conducting/ supporting studies of rare plants; publishing academic papers in scientific, peer-reviewed journals; seed- banking (as is the case with federally-endangered blowout penstemon;) and conducting plant surveys in the wild. Plants We Could See More Of... milkweeds asters sunflowers showy goldenrod liatris monardas mountain mint Hope is a Four-Letter Word Native plant production has come a long way. For instance, Mulhall's transition to be more native plant-forward means a lot to the industry. People seem to be more interested as long as we don't scare them away... I'm looking at you, Barb-ar-ah. Jewels of the Prairie Claude Barr was a Black Hills cattle rancher and a historic supplier of native plants. He opened a mail-order nursery in the 30's. Read a little about Barr here . Jewels of the Prairie is Barr's life's work of observations. Romantic garden writing didn't just happen in Europe. Jim recently revised Jewels of the Prairie to update outdated scientific names. You can find a copy here . Fendler's Aster and Fremont's clematis and many other plants are in the trade due to Barr's writings YOU Can Get Involved Look into the Nature Conservancy Local plant society groups for example the Bellevue Native Plant Society and Nebraska Native Plant Society Jim's New Book: In the Country of the Kaw Jim's book describes plant communities both woodland and prairie types and their wildflowers It also talks about restoration ecology and plant-insect interactions. You can find Jim's book, In the Country of the Kaw, here . Thoughts of Importance Fight to preserve natural ecosystems. Work to prevent destruction of more natural areas. Connect with places like the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. Add native plants to your garden. Support native plant suppliers. Give Stephanie all your money. (Just kidding.) Be artful but also, be mindful. Respect plants, respect ecosystems, and respect people. 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 Thanks for listening! Additional Content Related to This Episode 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) 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...

The Native Patio Garden Episode Introduction In today’s episode, The Native Patio Garden, we go over why Native American plants are important for non-home dwellers to consider, how we can rework container garden philosophy using native plants, and which native plants can hack it in smaller square footage than the average garden. Dive deeper into today's episode by visiting our Patreon @ patreon.com/PlantNativeNebraska . 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 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. Episode Content You do not need a yard to contribute to conservation! More people are trying native plants in container gardens. Although a lot of prairie plants have taproots or extensive root systems, there are some shallower-rooting options to try. If you are trying out things or have experience at growing native plants in container gardens, please email us your stories and successes at plantnativenebraska@outlook.com. DO: Get Large Pots The larger the better. Get crafty and recycle old whiskey barrels, 5 gallon buckets, or just pick some up at your local plant rescue, thrift store, or off Facebook marketplace. Big box stores and nurseries are okay too. Make good soil. Potting mix tossed with a bit of compost will do just fine but look up some DIY potting soil compositions online. Some mix in sand or vermiculite. Many good ways to make a nice container mix. Prepare to take care of your plants Water thine plants and to thine own self be true. HERE'S SOME LISTS! Thanks for listening! Native Patio Pots For Shade! Thrillers VIRGINIA WILD RYE Elymus virginicus CALICO ASTER Symphyotrichum laterifolius (regional) HEARTLEAF ASTER Symphyotrichum cordifolius OSTRICH FERN Fillers BLACK EYED SUSAN Rudbeckia hirta or fulgida (regional) WESTERN YARROW Achillea millefolium PENNSYLVANIA SEDGE Carex pensylvanica COMMON VIOLET Viola sororia ZIG ZAG GOLDENROD Solidago flexicaulis BLUE STEMMED GOLDENROD Solidago cassia Spillers WILD GINGER VIRGIN’S BOWER CLEMATIS Clematis virginiana WILD STRAWBERRY Fragaria virginiana Native Patio Pots For Partial Shade! Thrillers SMOOTH BEARDTONGUE Penstemon digitalis (light shade) GOLDEN ALEXANDER Zizia aurea (light shade) HEARTLEAF ALEXANDER Zizia aptera (light shade) VIRGINIA WILD RYE Elymus virginicus BLUESTAR Amsonia tabernaemontana (light shade) (regional) OHIO SPIDERWORT Tradescantia ohiensis (light shade) CALICO ASTER Symphyotrichum laterifolius (regional) HEARTLEAF ASTER Symphyotrichum cordifolius OSTRICH FERN Fillers BLACK EYED SUSAN Rudbeckia hirta or fulgida (regional) HAIRY BEARDTONGUE Penstemon hirsutus (light shade) (regional) WESTERN YARROW Achillea millefolium PENNSYLVANIA SEDGE Carex pensylvanica COMMON VIOLET Viola sororia NODDING ONION Allium cernuum (light shade) PUSSYTOES Antennaria sp. (light shade) ZIG ZAG GOLDENROD Solidago flexicaulis BLUE STEMMED GOLDENROD Solidago caesia Spillers PURPLE POPPY MALLOW VIRGIN’S BOWER CLEMATIS Clematis virginiana WILD STRAWBERRY Fragaria virginiana Native Patio Pots for Spring! 3-5 GALLON POTS NARROWER BUT DEEP Thrillers SMOOTH BEARDTONGUE Penstemon digitalis GOLDEN ALEXANDER HEARTLEAF ALEXANDER (regional) BLUESTAR Amsonia (regional) SPIDERWORT Tradescantia sp. Fillers HAIRY BEARDTONGUE Penstemon hirsutus MISSOURI EVENING PRIMROSE Oenothera macrocarpa WESTERN YARROW Achillea millefolium COMMON VIOLET Viola sororia PEARLY EVERLASTING Spillers PURPLE POPPY MALLOW VIRGIN’S BOWER CLEMATIS Clematis virginiana WILD STRAWBERRY Fragaria virginiana Native Patio Pots for Summer 3-5 GALLON POTS NARROWER BUT DEEP Thrillers ANNUAL PARTRIDGE PEA Chamaecrista fasciculata ANISE HYSSOP Agastache foeniculum (pinch back in June) HOARY VERVAIN Verbena stricta (pinch back in June) FALSE SUNFLOWER Heliopsis helianthoides (pinch back in June) BLAZINGSTAR VIRGINIA WILD RYE Fillers BLACK EYED SUSAN Rudbeckia hirta or fulgida (regional) JUNE GRASS BLUE GRAMA PRAIRIE DROPSEED ANNUAL INDIAN BLANKET PURPLE PRAIRIE CLOVER HAIRY BEARDTONGUE Penstemon hirsutus (regional) MISSOURI EVENING PRIMROSE Oenothera macrocarpa PURPLE LOVEGRASS WESTERN YARROW Achillea millefolium BLUE VERVAIN Verbena hastata Spillers PURPLE POPPY MALLOW VIRGIN’S BOWER CLEMATIS Clematis virginiana WILD STRAWBERRY Fragaria virginiana WILD PETUNIA WILD GERANIUM Got Bigger Pots? Try These! Wild Bergamot (Pinch back in June) Purple Coneflower (Regional) Swamp Milkweed Native Patio Pots For Fall! 3-5 GALLON POTS NARROWER BUT DEEP Thrillers VIRGINIA WILD RYE ASTERS Symphyotrichum sp. (calico, sky blue, smooth blue, aromatic...) Filler HEATH ASTER 'Snow flurry' SIDE OATS GRAMA HAIRY BEARDTONGUE Penstemon hirsutus (regional) MISSOURI EVENING PRIMROSE Oenothera macrocarpa PURPLE LOVEGRASS WESTERN YARROW Achillea millefolium BLUE VERVAIN Verbena hastata PUSSYTOES Antennaria sp. Spillers PURPLE POPPY MALLOW VIRGIN’S BOWER CLEMATIS Clematis virginiana Bigger Pots? Try these! (& pinch back in June) BIG BLUESTEM JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SAWTOOTH SUNFLOWER SWAMP MILKWEED TALL BONESET Additional content related to this episode: 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 ...

Lessons from the Prairie Episode Introduction In today’s episode, Lessons From the Prairie, we chat with Chris Helzer about invasive species, what makes a landscape ecologically resilient, and why we don't have to recreate the past for the present to be meaningful. 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 Chris Helzer Chris Helzer is Director of Science and Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska, where he conducts research and supervises the Conservancy’s preserve stewardship program. He also helps develop and test prairie management and restoration strategies. Chris is also dedicated to raising awareness about the value of prairies through his photography, writing and presentations. He is the author of The Prairie Ecologist blog, and two books: The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States and Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter. He is also a frequent contributor to NEBRASKAland magazine and other publications. Episode Sponsors Today's episode is sponsored by Lauritzen Gardens: laurtizengardens.org Today's episode is also sponsored by Lucky Toad Restorative Gardens: https://www.luckytoadgardens.com/ 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. Episode Content I gleaned talking points from Chris's blog, The Prairie Ecologist, which you can and should read here ! Insects and invertebrates are very important to ecosystem function : help soil fertility, insect biomass, ant engineers, species balance (predators and prey,) seed dispersal, bird food, pollination. A prairie is only as good as its ecological resilience: Habitat size/ connectivity to other habitats and biodiversity is important. A landscape needs to be malleable and able to deal with changes because nature isn't static. A large diverse community is best able to adapt to changes. Management can be an important tool in re-establishing native landscapes: Land management has been around since human beginnings and interestingly enough, some "natural" ecosystems have been shaped by human involvement. But, in our modern times, we can find a healthy balance between over-involvement and stewardship. We can guide nature in a good direction, manage competition, and encourage collaboration. Basically, we should aim for being responsible "parents" that want our kids to thrive... Life on earth is on a trajectory of change: The prairie of today is not the prairie of yesterday and won't be the prairie of tomorrow. Our generation is dealing with increased C02, nitrogen deposition, extreme weather, decomposition of natural habitats, rising temps. We can't get trapped in our own sense of nostalgia and avoid reality. We can grow with nature, we can be a good part of the change, we can even facilitate the change and help facilitate other species' resilience. "Conserve the stage, not the actors." Chris is making the case that humans can help conserve the stage. Invasive species hurt native populations, and yet, some non- native plants can benefit diversity: Goatsbeard (salsify) and dandelions are good examples Chris provides. I use zinnia, verbena bonariensis, and Mexican sunflowers in my garden for Monarch forage since it's in their range. We do need to think about what's additive vs. what is suppressive. Smooth brome is an example of an exotic plant that is suppressive, it's something that's moved in and really creates a monoculture. Plantings don't have to mirror what came before historically to be effective: We can't create something brand new that is a perfect replica of something in the past. My native plant cottage garden is not the habitat that was here 200 years ago. But, it is habitat. We can ask ourselves what we want to do with a landscape and we can look at our goals and we can think of the myriad of ways we can provide support. If we are planting close to 70% native plants or more, we are doing a great job at supporting wildlife species. Nature is crazy: Sometimes nature seems like a slapdash science experiment that magically works! Plant and animal species have developed some pretty bizarre ways of getting the job done. Read up on the truly freaky " series of unfortunate events" that allows milkweed pollination to happen on Chris's blog here: https://prairieecologist.com/2021/01/26/milkweed-pollination-a-series-of-fortunate-events/ . I once heard a story of the woman who owned a local hamburger restaurant slapping the burger patties under her armpits to flatten them. I don't know if it's true, but it would be another example of a bizarre process that works. Experimentation is an opportunity to learn: How can we possibly learn what works if we don't learn what doesn't? Don't be too hard on yourself. Let yourself make some mistakes. In my opinion, the mistakes are the wins because without little failures, we don't develop the tools it takes to be successful. In the face of increasing challenges and opportunities for overwhelm, we can commit ourselves to staying optimistic, resilient, and momentous: We can impact good change. We don't need to resolve all of society's or the planets ills, but we can work to preserve, maintain, and facilitate landscapes into the future. We can leave our immediate surroundings better than we found them! Chris is always a good chat! Thanks for participating! Additional content related to this episode: 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) 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 Additional Resources 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! <a...

The Very Real Importance of Pollinators Episode Introduction In today’s episode, The Very Real Importance of Pollinators, we chat with Jennifer Hopwood and Rae Powers from the Xerces Society about the importance of pollinators in what foods make it to our plate, why European honeybees can't do all of the work, and some ways you can help pollinators at home. 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 Jennifer Hopwood Jennifer Hopwood is Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. She has a master's in entomology from the University of Kansas. She provides resources and training for pollinator and beneficial insect habitat management and restoration in a variety of landscapes. Jennifer is co-author of several books, including Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, Farming with Soil Life, 100 Plants to Feed the Bees, and a roadside revegetation manual. Guest Rae Powers Rae Powers is a Pollinator Conservation Specialist with The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Rae works with farmers, ranchers, and others to identify wildlife conservation opportunities and promote pollinator and beneficial insect habitat across landscapes through the Natural Resources Conservation Services. She has a master's in plant ecology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has worked in grassland restoration and management and native plant production. Episode Sponsors Today's episode sponsored by Midwest Natives Nursery: https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/ https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery/ Today's episode is also 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. Episode Content Pollination 101 Male and female structures of plants coming together! You know, very much a birds and the bees scenario here. Pollination can happen in very strange ways. Even nature is creative... 80-85% plants worldwide need animal-assisted pollination, mostly insects: bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and wasps. Pollination is not intentional by pollinators, instead it is a byproduct of pure insect gluttony and opportunistic plants. Big-Ag and The Little Guys Think fruits and veg, oils, spices- most need pollinators, bruh, to the tune of 18 billion dollars... Even dairy cattle need insect pollination for their feed, BTW cattle for meat also need to forage. 20 to 30 percent of livestock diets are actually wildflowers and shrubs primarily pollinated by native pollinators. Some examples are legumes like lead plant, milkweeds like common and showy milkweed, snowberry, plum thickets... Imagine that to get really good waygu beef, a farmer had to listen to some conservation hippy first. The irony... Potato chips= gift from pollinators. You're welcome. Pollinators and insects also provide pest control, keep soil healthy. Honeybees Shelter belts of wildflowers are being removed. Meaning less habitat for native pollinators. At the same time, population is growing and more food needs to be produced. So more honeybees are being brought in. But guess what? They can't do all the work and they can't take the place of every pollinator in North America. Honeybees are efficient but they can't do 100 percent of the work. Let's say it again, they can't do all the work. Ecosystem Support Pollinators support endangered plant species. Example: fringed orchid and hawk moths Pollinators support bird populations: -Especially young birds -Think grasshoppers, ants, crickets, beetles -Loggerhead shrike= 70 percent of their diet is insects -Burrowing owls? They're like your messy sister with a penchant for dung beetles and who therefore also hoards poop with the rest of her trash. Keystone insects? Hear about keystone species? Well, insects are pretty much vital in the same way for ecosystem function Plants and Pollinator Interactions Monarchs and Milkweed Bees and their pollen-reared young: golden Alexander, spring beauty, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans Adult bugs are the pollinators, so help insects reach adulthood! Just do three simple things: Plant native plants. Embrace the untidy. Limit pesticides and herbicides. Additional content related to this episode: 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) 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 Additional Resources 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 <a...

The Modern Botanist Episode Introduction In today’s episode, The Modern Botanist, we examine what modern gardening can look like within the native plants framework, different tools you can use to get “spec’d out” in your gardening abilities, and why it matters more than ever to bring back gardening as part of a healthy lifestyle. 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 sponsored by Midwest Natives Nursery: https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/ https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery/ 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. Episode Content Growing Get nerdy and grow your own plants! Start with a good potting soil. This could be Pro-Mix or a Berger mix or another recommended potting soil. You can even google how to make your own potting soil and mix the components up in a wheelbarrow. It’s fun to experiment! Pre-moisten your soil in a tubtrug or wheelbarrow or 5 gal bucket. Get seed trays: one drain tray (example: 1020 seed starting tray), one cell tray(example 72 cell seed tray,) and humidity domes. Bootstrap Farmer has really good ones: https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/collections/plug-trays/products/extra-strength-72-cell-seedling-starter-trays https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/collections/1020-trays-and-flats/products/1020-trays-multi-color Bottom water when your soil starts to get dry so your seedlings don't get washed out. Pack the cell trays with soil. Knead those puppies down. Plant seeds at right depth (per instructions on packet.) Plant two to three seeds in the middle of each cell for best germination. You can cull or up-pot extra seedlings. What I’ve been doing for labels is using my Brother label maker and taking one popsicle stick, place one label at the top for each row and then affix the label with clear packaging tape to the stick. I’m hoping this will help keep my labels more waterproof... we'll see how it goes. Keep those plants happy. Pot up to a 3 or 4 inch pot when you see true leaves. You can also start fertilizing once you pot up. Don’t forget to “harden off” your plants before planting out in the garden. Google, google, google, my friend. PLANTING The tale of three tools: the soil knife, the auger, and the drain spade. When you are planting, the soil level of the potted plant should sit about a half-inch below the surface of the ground. If the plant is pot bound, tease some of the roots with your fingertips or give it a good slice horizontally and vertically. Don’t forget to water the plants in and to tamp down with the heel of your foot or by putting firm pressure all around the perimeter with the palms of your hands. Cover with more soil until we’ve got an upright plant well-packed in the ground. Learn your plants. Plant taller plants in the middle or behind shorter ones. Line paths with very short plants- think 6-12 inches or less. Know and plant your ground covers. Strong shade groundcovers native to Nebraska: wild ginger, mayapple, and common violets. A good groundcover for partial sun could be Virginia waterleaf. For our sun gardens: pearly everlasting, common violets, prairie blue-eyed grass, wild strawberry, wild geranium, wild petunia, or nearly native early buttercup, hairy penstemon, or prairie smoke. I also like the ‘snow flurry’ cultivar of heath aster. You can also work in grass or sedge ground covers like Pennsylvania sedge, ivory sedge, long beaked sedge, blue grama, buffalo grass, purple love grass. Little bluestem also makes an excellent ground cover when planted en masse. LAWNING Let's lawn better! (For what we can't remove today) SAY YES TO: Setting your mower to the tallest setting and mowing once a month. Adding in low growing natives like self-heal, purple poppy mallow, common violets. Adding in plugs of sedges. Not spraying exotic dandelions, henbit, clover, oxalis, or creeping charlie. Aerating and overseeding your lawn with buffalo grass or blue grama instead of the usual turf seed If you have a really blotchy lawn in shady areas, you can even look into shade ground covers we mentioned before or try your hand at a moss lawn. There is a great bee lawn mix by Prairie Legacy that you can try to make a meadow lawn or in your hellstrip. YAY TO LESS LAWN! Reduce your lawn by planting garden borders. Start small and work as your free time and budget allows! WEEDING and MANAGING Get out and weed monthly. Know your weeds. Maybe let some go that don’t get over 6 inches or so. Just know that creeping charlie is allelopathic. Better Homes and Gardens common weeds article: https://www.bhg.com/gardening/pests/insects-diseases-weeds/types-of-weeds/ You can decide the ones you can live without and hand-pull them. Remember: perfection isn’t possible and pretty much every successful garden has its share of weeds here and there. You may choose to manage your plants that self-seed. This may involve culling some seedlings, transplanting plants to a different location, or cutting specific plants back after flowering to keep them from taking over a garden space. This may include agastaches, tall boneset, coneflower, asters, pitcher sage or sweet black- eyed susan. Know your truely invasive or undesirable exotic and weedy plants like callery pear, Japanese honeysuckle, Canada thistle, brome, Japanese hops, foxtail, poison hemlock. OBSERVING Get out there and look around, girl! Get to know your garden. Pretend like you're a tourist and everything is interesting! EXPERIMENTING SAY NO TO MIND TRAPS SOMETIMES TAUGHT BY GARDEN VETERANS: You must water constantly all year You must never ever use non-native species You must weed weekly to appease the aesthetic gods You must use foundation plants You must never use aggressive species You must not have a wild front garden You must keep lawns for negative space You must not let anything go to seed The joys of life come from experimenting! Get out there and do weird stuff! ENGAGING and HARVESTING We don’t lose seasonal succession with natives, what seasonal succession looks like just changes. We become aware of local wildlife- birds, pollinating insects, small mammals, amphibians- so much wildlife that we can observe once we start reintroducing habitat. Think of incorporating edible and medicinal plant parts into your daily life. Make wildflower teas! There's no time to toil and suffer like the present... SHOWCASING Signage, signage, signage. You can source signs from: Monarch Waystation Registry program Prairie Moon Nursery Nebraska Monarchs Midwest Natives Nursery PATH-Pollinator Alliance of the Heartland Xerces Society and many others! But importantly, give your neighbors something to look at by actually planting a wild, native garden on the streetfront. Some ‘plant people’ will tell you to save wildness for the back garden. But let’s put it all out there. If you're feeling especially brave, display your garden on a local garden walk. The two maps we...

Native Edible Plants Part 4: Nuts, Blossoms, and Even More Fruits Episode Introduction In today's episode, Native Edible Plants Part 4, we chat with Bob Henrickson about survival foods, how to make native Shirley Temples, and which native plant has been used as a spice for centuries. If you don't like rabbit holes, this episode will be a dangerous romp through Gardenland. 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 Bob Henrickson Bob attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology in the School of Natural Resources. Currently, Bob is the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc., a private, non-profit organization and program of the Nebraska Forest Service. His responsibilities include assisting affiliated arboretum sites with plant collection development and to acquire, propagate and produce native and other resilient landscape plants for plant sales to our members and the public. Bob has hosted a live, call-in gardening talk show called How’s it Growin’ on a community radio station in Lincoln since 2000. He is passionate about native plants, herbs, dried flowers, vegetable gardening, wild mushrooms and wild edible plants. Episode Sponsors Today's episode sponsored by Midwest Natives Nursery: https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/ https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery/ 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. Episode Content Wild strawberry- Fragaria virginiana Wild strawberry is so very pretty, and I hear from people all the time they have this in their yard. But they are mistaking false strawberry for our native one. The leaves are larger than false strawberry and the small flowers are white and not yellow. Makes a great edible ground cover. Plant with violets for more fun! Early bloomer. Maybe make a sedge meadow with strawberries. Hackberry- one of the earliest plants eaten by humans An understory tree, you see this everywhere at Lauritzen Gardens, Heron Haven, basically every other wooded area around here. Sam Thayer-Nature's Garden: "For sheer survival value hackberry is unsurpassed..." Bonkers idea for hackberry: make hackberry milk and use it as coffee creamer. Great for songbirds and vegans! Prunus family plants American plum Historical: Cherokee used fruit to make fruit juice, eaten fresh, or jelly. Cheyenne treated these as a delicacy and would even sun dry these at times. Tribes consistently described as highly valued. Wild plum wine, cobbler. Highest carbs found in fruit. Get your plum on! Suckers so plant isolated in lawn or plan for thicketing Chokecherry Chokecherry is one of those plants whose common name is so close to another one you get it mixed up. So we’re talking about prunus Virginiana not chokeberry which is in the aronia family. Chokecherry makes an excellent jelly. If you’re a little bit country you might have had some before. Chokecherry fizz AKA Native Shirley Temple, Chokecherry wine, drinks all around! Another thicketing one but when planted in shade, doesn't spread as much. Early bloomer. Ribes family of plants RYE-BEES FTW Black currant- Ribes americium fruit dried, made into sauces, eaten fresh likes part shade Buffalo currant- Ribes aureum or odoratum (goes by both names) likes growing in hot and dry conditions easy to grow, makes tasty pie Missouri gooseberry- Ribes missouriense If you need a little Misourrah in your life... Elderberry- Sambucus canadensis Elderberries must be cooked before eating but makes a lovely jam, make sure to pick them when ripe can also use the elderflowers to make syrups, wines, and cordials High iron content, songbird and pollinator favorite Rejuvenation pruning may be your friend here every 3-4 years Kay Young's Wild Seasons- I know, she's a popular gal with us... Shake flowers into bucket and steep flowers in hot simple syrup. Elderberry flower fritters and yes, you heard us right... Marbled Elderberry Cheesecake. Can even make elderberry capers from the unripe fruits, but must prepare correctly to remove the toxins Smooth sumac and staghorn sumac Berries used to make drinks with sugar: sumacade or sumac tea In the citrus family! Who knew? Sumac (zatar) has been used to make spices for centuries. Good source of Vitamin C. May be used to make a sumac vinaigrette. Spring Affair Get affordable plants in Lincoln this year at the Spring Affair! Additional content related to this episode: 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) 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 Additional Resources 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 <a...

The Prairie Herbalist Episode Introduction In today's episode, The Prairie Herbalist , we chat with Rachel Liester about food as medicine, the best herbal salve ever, and how you can grow a pharmacy in your garden. 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 Rachel Liester Rachel Liester is an ethnobotanist, bioregional herbalist, educator, naturalist, writer and photographer. She specializes in prairie plants and has a five-acre herb farm and learning center in northeast Nebraska where she's been teaching about traditional uses of herbs as food and medicine for 30 years. Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLC is part of United Plants Saver's Botanical Sanctuary Network, a Certified Wildlife Habitat, a Monarch Waystation and a haven of peace and tranquility where Rachel hosts events, retreats, classes and wild herb walks and encourages visitors to experience Nature's healing touch. 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. Episode Content Red Road Retreat and Learning Center on the web: http://www.redroadherbs.com/ on Facebook: Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLCFacebook Prairie Herbalist Conference- classes and intensives designed to give you the expertise to be an herbalist- in Nebraska, by golly! Let's make it a glamping extravaganza this year. Dates in July. Check the site above! Home Herbalist Program- Growing, Harvesting, and Creating 101 Rugel's plantain AKA Plantago rugelii : good for bug bites, eczema., inflammation, trapped thorns Stinging nettle AKA Urtica dioica -full of vitamins, minerals, and antihistamines. Consider it a worthy weed and know it's stings are very effective for arthritis pain. Also know it's stinging sensation dissipates once cooked. Sick of hearing about Kay Young's Wild Seasons? If so, you're listening to the wrong podcast. Wild bergamot AKA Monarda fistulosa AKA aswego tea member of mint family mosquito repellant, digestive aid, diaphoretic, and yes ,you heard us right, love potion perfume... Elderberry AKA Sambucus canadensis contains thymol, a natural antiseptic, and carbicol, which has anti-cancer properties if you're worried about birds getting all your berries, just harvest the flowers instead used to be the sign of the medicine woman if planted outside in olden times instead of buying expensive medicines, make your own! just make sure to only consume berries that have been harvested when ripe and cooked! Chokecherry AKA Prunus virginiana Early bloomer, used historically for "granola bars" AKA pemmican good bitter for our diet, aids digestion, full of antioxidants Cattail AKA Typha latifolia- Yule Gibbons "cattails are the supermarket of the swamps," shoots, fluff, even pollen is edible. Not just a pretty damsel on the waterside. Sweet grass AKA Anthoxanthum nitens - fragrant, even more fragrant when dry; comb, and break off, do not pull grass out to harvest as it is a perennial; powerful for aromatherapy Prairie sage AKA Artemisia ludoviciana - another aromatherapy medicine, tied to healing not only due to its astringent and antiseptic properties but simply due to its aroma Western yarrow AKA Achillea millefolium: 2024 Herb of the Year, https://www.iherb.org/herb-of-the-year/ , blood medicine, an interesting example of the concept of "the doctrine of signatures," a polychrestic meaning a medicine that can treat a variety of ailments, also the star of a old-school Gaelic charm/ folk song "I will pluck the yarrow fair..." A great flower for cutting and drying Food is medicine Empower yourself and help to supplement your health by planting these native herbs and berries! Additional content related to this episode: 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) 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 Additional Resources 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.