From 1 to 70 Native Plants: How I Got Started & Why You Should Too!

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

Do you have a "gateway plant" into native plant gardening? Let me know! For more info about attracting pollinators with native plants, check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZuYdnqgnpl7fpI

[@kevanmarshall5795]

Thanks for sharing how you got started! It is encouraging to see how even your first plant helped bring back local diversity! You've inspired me to do the same!

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

@@kevanmarshall5795 I'm so glad I could help! Thank you so much for watching and for the kind comment - good luck growing! 💚

[@PlantNative]

The big carpenter bee…nectar robbing the obedient plant, so cute.

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

That was one biggin! Nectar robbing - that was a new term for me! I have noticed the bumble bees and carpenter bees doing that before and was intrigued, but didn't know it had a name - thanks for the comment - I learned something new! 💚

[@kevanmarshall5795]

Thanks!

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

@@kevanmarshall5795 oh my goodness! Thank you so much for this kind gift! I appreciate it more than you know! 💚💚💚💚💚

[@SleepingCerberusASMR]

I like the idea of a "gateway plant", mine was finding a packet of Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) seeds and being amazed that I could grow something that looked so cool. It was such an interesting flower that I had never seen before. It seemed so exotic! But the funny thing is that it's a native plant that way more people should try growing. I hope more people fall down the rabbit hole of native plant gardening! The pollinators will thank you! Figuratively speaking of course 😋

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

@@SleepingCerberusASMR funny enough, butterfly weed was a close second for me too! It is so vibrant and beautiful, and I got monarch caterpillars soon after planting it! I entirely agree that it's a plant more people should have - it's very well behaved in comparison to some other milkweeds (common milkweed in particular). Now I gift away the seeds and seedlings of some of my favourites to help others find their own gateway native plants (even if I practically force it into their hands!! Lol). There is so much we can do in our home gardens, it sometimes just needs a bit of an eye opener! Thanks for watching and sharing your gateway plant too! 💚🦋🧡

[@vhu395tgo]

My interest and love for butterflies got me switching the garden over to natives. 🌱 ‘Blue Fortune’ Anise-Hyssop and ‘Blue Stocking’ Beebalm were the first plants that I bought. I eventually replaced them with true native plant species. 😊

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

@@vhu395tgo isn't it such an eye opener re: thinking you're supporting pollinators / butterflies, and then really digging in and learning the various relationships with the plants and the importance of providing that amidst more popular gardening practices. There's one thing to provide flowers thinking they're helping and a whole other ball game when really trying to support these creatures at all stages of their development. I've also got many a cultivar thinking they're the way to go, only to realize that I needed the straight species. I've also thought I was getting native species, only to find out later that they're cultivars, hybrids, or even totally different plants (Korean mint vs anise hyssop was a big let down!!). So much learning to do! #knowbetterdobetter! Thanks for your comment, and for planting native plants - your pollinators say thank you too! 💚

[@annemarieLesperance]

How do you start native plants that need a cold stratification?

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

Thanks for this question! Essentially, some seeds (most native seeds) need to go through the same winter/spring like conditions before they'll germinate/start growing. For me, I prefer to let mother nature do her thing by fall-sowing my seeds. I plant seeds in pots (or you could plant them right in the ground, but I tend to have less success this way - maybe due to the 🐿️🐿️) and in the spring they will germinate when the temperatures and sunlight are just right! Easy peasy! You can also winter sow them (similar method, just starting around January or so), or artificially stratify them by keeping them in the fridge. If you decide to fall/winter-sow your seeds, you might consider protecting them from critters with chicken wire or something similar so they don't get dug up. Hope that helps!! 💚

[@annemarieLesperance]

@@TheSuburbanGardenista when would be a good time to fall sow my seed’s? The wearer here in Ontario has be spring like cool nights hot days. Should I wait until the daytime weather hits under the double digits constantly?

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

@@annemarieLesperance you can technically take the cues from mother nature: if the seeds are ready, then you could sow them right then (e.g., when the milkweed seed pods split open and start releasing their seeds etc...). I like to do all my fall sowing at once, so I'll be saving my seeds for various plants as they are ready for each plant, and then I'll do a day of fall sowing some time in late October or so. I also tend to sprinkle some seeds about in areas that I want to encourage more plant babies when I collect them, and hope that they take as well (though I seem to have more luck sowing in pots than direct sowing in the ground). Looking forward to hearing what you have in mind! 💚