In Our Nature

Asters are some of the last flowers to fade as cooler weather takes over. They are excellent plants for adding beauty and wildlife value to your garden. Here is a list of Ontario's most garden-worthy asters and how to use them. What asters do grow, or want to grow, in your garden? https://www.inournature.ca/awsome-asters

Heath Aster in a sea of Indian Grass.

I spent the afternoon checking up on a prairie restoration site. Many people don't associate Ontario with prairies, but tallgrass prairie once covered 1000km2 of Ontario! Unfortunately, the fertile soil and lack of trees mean these ecosystems were one of the first to fall victim to the settlers' plows. Now, less than 2% of our tallgrass prairie remains! Prairies provide important wildlife habitat, especially for pollinators and grassland birds such as the Bobolink (which are nesting in the above prairie). Approximately 20% of plants designated as rare in Ontario are associated with prairies! If you have a large area of lawn that you are tired of maintaining, then let's talk about installing a prairie or meadow restoration as a more sustainable, low maintenance alternative.

Growing native plants is akin to raising a national flag. It’s a statement of support and respect for the natural heritage that helps give us our identity as Canadians. Why do we continue to idolize plants from far away places when there is SO MUCH to love about our own native plants? Picture: New England Aster and Black-eyed Susans in the late summer sun.

ASTERS provide gardens with the perfect combination of beauty and wildlife value. There is an aster for almost any growing condition from sun to shade, dry to moist and they come in varying colours too! Asters are pollinator powerhouses as their leaves feed the caterpillars of 112 butterfly and moth species and the flowers attract many adult pollinators. Here are my top recommended aster species for your garden: New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) An iconic fall ...bloomer commonly seen in meadows and roadsides from late summer well into late fall. It will do well in your garden if you have average to dry soil, full to part sun. It can get leggy in drier soils so in this situation I recommend planting it with shorter plants to hide the base. Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum) Another common aster, Calico Aster likes to grow along forest edges, openings or meadows. In your garden it will do well in sun to part shade with rich, moist to dry soil. It will tolerate full shade but with fewer blooms and a shorter stature. It has many dainty, white blooms (late summer into fall) with a yellow centre that changes to a purplish-bronze colour with age. Heartleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) This aster is usually found in more shaded areas such as forest edges but can also be found in meadows where taller plants give it some shade. In your garden, plant it in dappled shade to part sun with rich, moist to average soil. The pale lavender blooms show-off through fall and really stand out in the shade. Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) If you have a hot dry spot then this is the aster for you! Normally found in sandy meadows and forest edges, this aster will do well in your garden if you give it full sun with dry to average soil. Prolific violet/blue blooms from late summer into fall. Swamp Aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum) There really is an aster for every condition. Swamp aster is commonly found in wetlands and ditches. In your garden it will thrive in full to part sun with wet to moist soil. It will do well in most gardens as long as the soil doesn't dry out completely. Abundant lavender blooms with yellow centres appear from late summer into fall. Large Leaved Aster (Eurybia macrophylla) Slightly more shade tolerant than Heartleaf aster you can find this one growing in forests, forest edges and openings. In your garden it will do well in part sun to dappled shade with average to dry moisture. Beautiful lavender to white blooms appear late summer into fall. The bees that visit these flowers are proof that you can have a pollinator garden in the shade! More reasons to plant asters: Many are tolerant of Walnut trees; the flowers are highly attractive to pollinators especially migrating Monarch butterflies; did I mention that they are beautiful? See more

Nature is the best teacher. I often see Zigzag Goldenrod and Largeleaf Aster growing together in the wild so I tried it in the garden. It turned out to be a real winner for the shade (yes, you can still have a buzzing pollinator garden in the shade)! #pollinatorprotector

It's Goldenrod season! They don't cause seasonal allergies (thank Ragweed for that) but they will improve the beauty and wildlife value of your yard. Not all Goldenrods are the thugs they are made out to be. Try the following in your garden: Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis) A pollinator magnet for shady gardens. Zigzag Goldenrod is usually found in forests and forest edges so it will do well in your garden if you give it part to dappled shade with average to dry soil. ...The stems have an attractive Zigzag form with yellow flowers concentrated along its upper stem. Grows to about 3ft. Pairs nicely with large-leaved Aster. A good candidate for a dry shade garden and under walnut trees. Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) Similar to Zigzag Goldenrod but with graceful, arching stems. Grows well in shade to part shade with rich moist soil. This is a very well-behaved Goldenrod forming small colonies and reaching about 3ft in height. Bees will love you for providing them with these late season blooms even in the shade! Grows well under walnuts. Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida) A beautiful, upright Goldenrod with rigid stems and flat topped clusters of yellow flowers. Give it average moisture in well drained soil with full sun. Grows to about 5ft. Clump-forming and may self-seed in bare soil but planting your garden densely will prevent this. Birds love eating the seeds. Upland White Goldenrod, (Solidago ptarmicoides) A white Goldenrod! It looks more like an aster with it’s daisy-like white-cream coloured flowers. This one likes full sun and dry sandy soils but it will grow well in most gardens with well-drained soil and full sun. Grows to about 2ft and blooms late summer into fall. Grass-leaved Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia) Ok, not technically a Goldenrod but it looks and acts very similar. Grows best in full sun to light shade with rich, moist soil. Probably best for larger gardens as it likes to spread. 4ft tall. Bumblebee magnet! Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) Often considered the showiest of Goldenrods with its feathery plumes of dense yellow flowers. It blooms later than other Goldenrods making it perfect for late-season pollinator like Monarch butterflies. It grows well in dry to medium soils and full sun. 3ft in height. Rare in Ontario. All Goldenrods provide important late season flowers for pollinators, most notably the migrating Monarch butterflies. They usually pair well with Asters. The leaves of Goldenrods support the caterpillars of about 115 butterfly and moth species. Goldenrods are beautiful, versatile, great for wildlife and deserve a place in every garden. See more

White Snakeroot is a great colonizer of disturbed sites as it self seeds freely to cover exposed ground. Here it has formed a large colony in an area where an understory of invasive Honeysuckles had been removed the year prior. This area is now buzzing with bumblebees and solitary wasps. It will do well in your garden if you give it room to spread.

Another lawn bites the dust! The clients were tired of mowing this 1/2 acre lawn and wanted a beautiful, low maintenance, wildlife-friendly alternative. The area was prepared last summer with repeated tillage to deplete the weed seed bank in the soil. No herbicides were used. A native seed mixture was sown in late October over fresh snow. Come spring the native seedlings germinated and we have been monitoring the progress over the course of this summer. Right now, fast-growin...g species such as Black-eyed Susans, Blue Vervain and Annual Fleabane visually dominate the meadow. Slower growing species such as Grey-headed Coneflower, Pale Purple Coneflower, Oxeye Sunflower, Golden Alexanders and others will work on setting down their deep roots and will flower in following years. Don't you think it's time to say goodbye to your high maintenance, patchy, dry lawn and invite nature back into your yard?

We will be at the Rockwood Farmers Market tomorrow from 4-7pm with some of our favourite native plants. Look out for our sign! Plant list: Obedient Plant Swamp Milkweed... New England Aster Wild Bergamot Purple Prairie Clover Cutleaf Coneflower Red Columbine Junegrass Harebells Native plants are the best choice for beautifying your garden while providing critical habitat for wildlife such as birds and butterflies. You can see our full plant list here: https://www.inournature.ca/ourplants.

Don’t be surprised to find some hitchhikers on the Milkweed you pick up from us

Some of the plants we sell are considered biennial meaning they only live for two years, then die. Some plants are short-lived perennials meaning they live for more than two years but they won't stick around for too much longer. What is the value of having these short-lived plants in your garden? Weed control!... Biennials and short-lived perennials are pioneer species and thrive on disturbance. In nature, this could mean fire or browsing by animals. Their job is to self-seed quickly and profusely to stabilize and cover the soil. In your garden, disturbance can be either by a plant dying and leaving a gap or maybe your dog digging a hole. The value of having these plants is that they fill in gaps before undesirable weeds, like thistle or dandelion, do. Remember, nature does not like bare, open ground. If you don't have biennials to self-seed in gaps then exotic weeds will do it for you. Traditional horticulture doesn't like plants that self seed freely and don't stay in one place. As ecological gardeners, we understand that this is a part of nature and we can embrace it in our gardens to create healthy, low maintenance, ecologically sound landscapes. Some examples include: Biennial: Black eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta) Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) Philidelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) Short-lived perennial: Wild Columbine Cardinal Flower Hoary Vervain

The purple flower spikes of Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) contrast nicely with the flat-topped flower clusters of White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). They were loaded with small solitary bees all day long! #Nativeplants #PollinatorProtector

Why resort to over-used Day Lillies when we have such spectacular native lilies? This is Michigan Lily - Lilium michiganense - and it prefers sunny sites with moist soil. As if the flower isn't beautiful enough, it is commonly visited by butterflies and hummingbirds. #PollinatorProtector #Nativeplants #pollinatorgarden

I enjoy visiting past projects and observing how much life native plants have brought to an area. The excitement I see in clients as they talk about the butterflies, birds, etc. that are now visiting their garden is priceless! Here are some 'blooming now' shots from a garden that we did a year ago. #PollinatorProtector #Nativeplants #Butterflygarden

Introducing In Our Nature, a NEW NATIVE PLANT NURSERY located in the hills of Mono, Ontario. We specialize in growing native plants that will beautify your yard while providing a sanctuary for butterflies, birds and pollinators. Check out our summer plant availability list here: https://www.inournature.ca/ourplants

With the right plants, your yard can become a sanctuary for butterflies including the beautiful Monarch. We still have some of their favourite plants in stock: -New England Aster- Excellent late-season nectar for migrating Monarchs. Average to moist soil, Full to part sun. 5ft -Swamp Milkweed- Monarch caterpillars can ONLY eat Milkweed. This also acts as a great nectar plant. Wet to average soil. Full to part sun. 5ft.... -Joe Pye- These large flowers reach for the sky and draw in all kinds of butterflies, especially Monarchs. Moist to average soil, full to part sun. 6ft. -Obedient plant- Excellent nectar plant for Monarchs and other butterflies. Moist to average soil, full to part sun. 5ft. All plants listed are $5.65 (tax incl.) for a 3.5" pot. Bulk discounts for >17 plants: Browse our entire plant catalogue: https://www.inournature.ca/ourplants