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Diary of a Mad Gardener
Anyone who’s seen me toil in the garden might get the idea that establishing a native plant garden is hard. It’s not. More on that subject later, but suffice it to say that with prudent preparation, judicious selection, and patience, an urban native plant community can be established with minimal work. And, after the first three years, such a habitat requires very little….
Featured Posts
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Wild Violets – The Essential Ground Cover for Every Lawn
When you step outside into your yard, what do you see? Is it a neatly trimmed lawn, uniform and green, or a tapestry of life, with flowers peeking out and bees buzzing about? If you’re lucky, one of those flowers might be the violet—specifically, Viola sororia, also known as the common blue violet. While some
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Virginia Waterleaf – A Welcome ‘Weed’
Hydrophyllum virginianum I’ll be honest—when this spring flower first showed up on my property, I thought it was a weed. Its unassuming leaves popped up in the shady corners of my yard, and I was ready to pull them out. But something about it made me pause. Maybe it was the white “water spots” on
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Virginia Bluebells: A Woodland Treasure
Virginia Bluebells are one of my all-time favorite wildflowers. There was a time when the woods near me were carpeted with acres of these delicate blooms—an ocean of blue beneath the trees every May. Sadly, those woods are gone, one of the many casualties of the derecho. But the memory of that breathtaking sight inspires
About Me
Welcome to Iowa Native Gardener
If you’re here for sage advice or genius gardening hacks, you may need to lower your expectations. Hang on to your hats, we learn as we go around here.
Welcome to one reluctant gardener’s journey into urban native yardscaping.
Iowa Native Gardener 