The MagiK Garden

06/03/2026

I was just finishing up turning my hot compost pile this morning when Will arrived, and it's like the entire habitat came to life, like in a modern-day native version of the movie Snow White...
First I pointed out to him the babies in the birdhouse gourd. It's near the compost pile, so I was listening as the parents would call to them to check on them and they chirped back. They'd get really loud when one popped in with a freshly picked caterpillar from the garden. There are tons thanks to all the host plants, so the visits are frequent and closely spaced. It's less effort, so definitely a prime nesting location.
As we were watching the birds, he said "oh, a butterfly!" I said "oh, that's just a cabbage white, not native here..." then I turned around and saw the monarch, "... but that one is! Hey, a monarch!" We watched as she danced around, checking each common milkweed plant around us for the ideal spot to lay eggs. She skipped over any that had just one stem or subpar, aiming for a minimum of three stems. She knows they'll be hungry, and a single stem of milkweed is likely newly seeded in, so not enough. Well-established-patches only. We watched as she laid eggs on the larger patches, and Will later confirmed seeing "white dots" under the leaves, aka the eggs.
Then a momma wolf spider ran out from under the compost pile carrying her eggsac. We snapped pics for inaturalist, most likely a giant swamp wolf spider (which I know are present here).
Soon after as I got the last few scoops, we unearthed a DeKay's brownsnake, which I moved to the nursery for slug and earthworm control. They'll like the pallets there for hiding and catching prey. I very rarely see slug damage on my plants... in fact I rarely see slugs at all!

All this happened within a 30 minute window (the monarch took her time). If you havent started planting natives yet, this is what you're missing. It's way more than just seeing a few butterflies pop in and out, like the monarch who spent all of five seconds glancing over the fence at my neighbor's yard and came right back, as I knew she would. Why? Because he doesnt have milkweed, and I've got plenty.

06/03/2026

IN my township?

Wow, word must really be getting out about the amazing habitat I've been building!

ANOTHER BLACK BEAR CAPTURED IN MONTGOMERY CO. SATURDAY. Bears are increasingly being spotted in the Philadelphia suburbs this spring. Story at link in comments.

06/03/2026

I've been so busy this past week, I dont sit down until dinner (which is late).
So here are a few photos from today:
1,2. Two serviceberries (one of which wasn't completely ripe yet). That is all the catbirds are leaving for me, and probably not intentionally. Second photo shows a catbird on a separate serviceberry. I clearly live in a native food desert. While I seem to provide plenty of food sources to feed many different birds, I imagine that if everyone had at least several serviceberries in their yards, there would be enough for all to enjoy. All i can do is hope the birds are sowing them around, and the deer won't devour them all.
3. A snake shed that is stuck on one of the flats I just moved. I guess they used the tray to help get it off. It is stuck to the tray.
4. The first Echinacea laevigata flower of the year is open and taking on color! 8 other plants are budding!
5. 2nd haul in 2 days from a large nursery operation that closed shop. I'm extremely grateful to them for allowing me to collect all sorts of nursery tools supplies. I'll be making at least one more if not several trips.

06/01/2026

I just posted about the plants in the hanging pot in my last post (this is Houstonia purpurea, aka summer bluets), but I realized it actually focuses on another thing when it comes to how to "translate" traditional horticulture into native gardening: decorative planters.

Instead of pots full of annuals that get replanted, I have perennial pots. Most native plants are fine in pots. Technically, that's how nurseries work, right? We are just growing massive container gardens that are constantly evolving.

If you want to have plants that you swap out based on the season, use stands which allow you to switch out the containers. Choose the right size container for the plant. For larger planters, mix in native soil instead of a soilless potting mix. Clay in your pots helps to reduce watering needs because it is water retentive (just don't make it only clay), and will help weigh down your pots so they don't go flying on a windy day.

No more buying and planting exotic annuals. You can absolutely design a beautiful garden with native plants. All you're doing is just swapping out your paint palette. You may need to practice a bit to learn how to work with a different medium, but that's not because native plants are in any way a "lower grade" compared to exotic cultivars. It's just something different than what you're used to.

Bonus photo of birds nesting in the birdhouse gourd my oldest painted when they were 3 (10 years ago). You can see both parents here, one exiting the gourd, and the other on the trellis waiting with a juicy caterpillar. This gourd has seen many generations in the past decade.

06/01/2026

Summer bluets (Houstonia purpurea) are looking absolutely stunning today!

I am all sold out of current stock, but this is one I definitely plan on keeping year-to-year in the nursery. I'll let you know when I have more available.

06/01/2026

they bloom forever, too

Common fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) is a plant that brings me a lot of joy. It is native to much of North America and is a plant that really starts to show up whenever we start going a little easier on the land. It love human disturbance and thrives in a variety of conditions. Aside from its lovely appearance, it also attracts a wild variety of insects from bees, moths, and butterflies, to true bugs, beetles, and flies. Its propensity to follow humans around does mean it has become invasive in parts of Eurasia but here in North America this is a plant worth celebrating.

06/01/2026

I was so busy today I almost forgot to post!

Here's something interesting... as these were opening up/budding out, they looked like they were going to have white flowers. And, indeed, the ones in the woodland do have white flowers. But I planted out a few of these Penstemon laevigatus in the garden, and the flowers changed into a light to dark purple!

I was not expecting that. So now I'm curious. If you have bought or decide to get one of these eastern grey beardtongues from me, could you tell me if the flowers remain white or if they shift?

I couldn't have possibly picked out the three pink/purple ones out of the bunch by chance. That would be extremely coincidental.

05/30/2026

You're told to cage your trees to protect them against herbivory and buck rub, but how do you do it?

I've tried it all over the years, from plastic tubes to chicken wire. I needed something that didn't look like an eyesore, and the times I used the plastic tubes, I couldn't wait to get them off once buckrub was no longer a concern. I may be a native gardener who welcomes a little wild in her garden, but I do have taste.

For fencing material, I landed on coated welded wire as being my favorite. I'm lucky in that I don't have any bunnies, but if you do, you can include a layer of 1/2" hardware cloth on the inner bottom portion of your fencing. The last thing you need is to provide a safe way for your buns to girdle your trees mid-winter. Wooden stakes are sufficient.

The size of the cage matters. I like a nice round 3ft diameter - actually my husband likes a nice 3ft diameter, which is the turning radius on his lawnmower. We still have some lawn for paths and anywhere I havent killed yet. Eventually all will be converted to a native wild lawn, but that takes time.

The next part most people don't mention or consider: how to access your trees for maintenance without disassembling the entire structure? I leave some overlap in my cage so that I can open it. To tie it closed, I like this silicone coated copper wire, which remains pliable even in winter, and silicone doesn't degrade in UV light. A simple square knot secures it closed, but remains easy to undo. Add lawn staples to the two secured sides.

Addendum 1: get yourself a post pounder and thank me later. I can get tons of posts in quickly and securely, and there is no risk of smacking my hand in the process. It's heavy, but a few smacks and you're done. Great upper body workout, too.

Addendum 2: this is not volcano mulched. I berm up all my tree plantings. The mulch is at the same height as the flare.