KC Native Landscapes

12/03/2025

When left up over the winter, native flowers and grasses can be just as attractive as their summer blooms. The deep browns of the seed heads are stark against the fresh snow, attracting hungry birds who eat the large seeds.

11/20/2025

The first pollinator I filmed in spring 2025 and the last filmed this week. A great year!

11/15/2025

11/10/2025

In nature we rarely find large patches of bare ground or exposed mulch. When we do, it doesn't last for long. In conventional landscaping brute force, plastic tarps, and pesticides are used to make nature fit our very recent ideals (usually a handful of shrubs placed several feet apart), but there's a much simpler way that saves ourselves and our backs a lot of trouble.

By borrowing from patterns we see in nature, we plant densely to create a living mulch. Like wood chip mulch, this ground cover layer insulates soil temperature, prevents w**d growth, and moderates moisture levels in the soil. It has the added benefit of flowering, spreading, and returning each year, something I've never seen a wood chip do!

Pictured here are two examples of prairie plants in their first full season of growth, grouped densely in a full sun planting. The last photo is from a natural woodland setting, showing how plants cluster themselves in the wild.

11/03/2025

This street-facing garden features lots of stone ground cover, which gave me a chance to use plants like Woodland stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) and Narrowleaf mountainmint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) that I don't get to incorporate as often.

The existing redbud trees provide plenty of cover for spring ephemerals and fall woodland flowers as well.

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween! Shoutout to my favorite plant and insect monsters:
1. Audrey II, Little Shop of Horrors (The ultimate invasive plant)
2. Mothra, various kaiju movies
3. Jordy Verrill, Creepshow ("Oh no, not there!")
4. Giant Demon Trees, Evil Dead II (Groovy...)

10/28/2025

For this project, I helped the residents of this newly built home add native shrubs and trees along the back edge of their yard (previously overrun by invasive honeysuckle and w**ds), to supplement the existing mature trees and create a bird and pollinator-friendly screen. Can't wait to see how this grows in future seasons!

10/25/2025

A few highlights from fall site visits this year. The extended heat this season made for some uncommon pairings of fall and summer blooms all the way into mid-October.

After a long summer, it's nice to take a moment and enjoy the results of all that work!

10/21/2025

A lot of interesting info as we head into overwintering season for local bees.

We’ve all heard the familiar buzz of a bumble bee. Their fuzzy bodies fly around looking for pollen and nectar. But where do bumble bees nest? Where do they spend the winter? And how can we support this part of their lifecycle?

10/17/2025

This small garden running along a paved walkway will help to absorb runoff from heavy rains that currently pools on the pavement. By amending the soil, adjusting the grading, and using native plants with deep, fibrous root systems, we can retain rainwater in the yard while keeping it off the walking path.

10/14/2025

You're about to get a shipment of free mulch delivered directly to your yard, put it to use! Leaves are a perfect garden mulch; insulating soil temperature, maintaining moisture, adding nutrients, and providing a home for insects throughout different portions of their life cycle.

10/07/2025

I recently planted over 70 native flowers and grasses in this Northland garden, to supplement the current mums and annuals. This semi-formal planting, with compact flowers like Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Butterfly Milkw**d (Asclepias tuberosa), and Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium - pictured last), shows that we can feed pollinators while maintaining a tidy, front yard garden aesthetic.