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| The baby and St. Bernard in the yard |
We've moved so fast and expanded so many things that I wanted to take a moment and catalog everything we've got in the yard right now, at the end of May 2014. I have a lot of variables to thank for this, including the Grand Prairie Friends native plant sale at the beginning of the month and multiple generous colleagues who are also passionate about native plant gardening. I only hope that in the next year or two I can repay their kindness by trading back some species they don't have yet.
Here's the list as I remember it right now:
Prairie Plants = 46
- Big Bluestem
- Little Bluestem
- Indian Grass
- (Fox?) Sedge
- Wild White Indigo
- Indigo Bush
- Black-eyed Susan
- Brown-eyed Susan
- Purple Blazing Star
- Prairie Coreopsis
- Hairy Mountain Mint
- Prairie Clover
- Cardinal Flower
- Purple Monarda
- Prairie Dock
- Compass Plant
- Cup Plant
- Four types of aster (new england, aromatic)
- Pale purple coneflower
- Rattlesnake Master
- Stiff Goldenrod
- Germander
- Golden Alexander
- Butterfly Weed
- Sullivant's Milkweed
- Partridge Pea
- Vervain
- Missouri Ironweed
- Silvermound
- Spiderwort
- Purple Joe Pye-Weed
- Whorled Milkweed
- Purple Milkweed
- Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
- Common Milkweed
- Swamp Milkweed
- Early Goldenrod
- Prairie Blazing Star
- Nodding Wild Onion
- Purple Joe Pye-Weed
- Prairie Cinquefoil
- False Aster - boltonia asteroides
- Bellflower
- Northern Sea Oats
- Swamp Candles
- Maximillian Sunflower
Shade Plants = 17
- Wild Strawberry
- Wild Garlic
- Jack-in-the-Pulpit
- Prairie Trillium
- False Solomon's Seal
- True Solomon's Seal
- Wild Geranium
- Columbine
- May Apples
- Black Cohosh
- Virginia Bluebells
- Wild Ginger
- Bloodroot
- Poke Milkweed
- Something purple...I can't remember the name
- Dwarf Crested Iris
- Big-leaved Aster
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| The front of the house, with the Winterberry and Juniper shrubs |
Ferns = 2
- Maidenhair Fern
- Ostrich Fern
Shrubs/Big Plants = 7
- Winterberry
- Ninebark
- Juniper
- Illinois Prairie Rose (Rosa setigera)
- Sandbar Willow
- Bladdernut
- Shrubby St. John's Wort
Total Successful Native Plant Species = 72
In Progress (meaning I expect them next year, from having distributed seeds or am currently germinating) = 5
- Spring Beauty
- Dutchman's Breeches
- New Jersey Tea (babying one plant this season)
- Sweet Joe Pye-Weed
- Wild Golden Glow
- An additional 20 overwintering as seeds
Total Potential Native Plant Species = 97
Holy cow, you guys. At the end of last year the number of species was 28. It's still only the start of the growing season and we've already doubled the number in the yard. I would be shocked if my self-control lasted long enough for me to not invest in any additional species this year. I have some plans for paw paw and oak trees, as well as shrubby St. John's wort and spicebush. I want to work on some larger plants in the back weedy corner of the yard to help get that cleaned up.
It's probably wise to touch on the food producing plants too, as we've been having a similarly great year there.
Perennial Food Plants Growing = 6
- Apple trees
- Peach tree (no fruit this year after the nasty freezes)
- Blackberry bushes
- Asparagus
- Strawberries (in their first year, fruit next year!)
- Stanley Plums
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| The long bed, with at least 10 species in it |
- Sweet Onions
- Garlic
- Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Boston Lettuce
- Kale
- Baby carrots
- Zucchini
- Pie Pumpkins
- Butternut Squash
- Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
- Beefsteak Tomatoes
- 2 types of peppers
- Sugar Snap Peas
Herbs Growing = 8
- Peppermint
- Sage
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Basil
- Two types of lavender
- Lemon Verbena
Total types of food being grown = 30
We've already harvested about a pound of the greens, which were delicious. I expect we'll soon have the garlic harvested. The surprising thing is that the tomatoes are failing to thrive, when they were the stars of the yard last year. We'll see if they're just starting slowly or if I need to give in and buy plants from a store instead of starting my own from seed this year.
Hoping all of you are doing well in your gardening and growing!
Total plant species in progress = 127
Total plant species in progress = 127
