Wild Ginger Woodlands

06/15/2026

Have you seen this plant?

I puzzled for a while at a landscaping project because I knew I had planted big leaf aster. I knew this wasn’t big leaf aster but the similarity was throwing me off. As I continued weeding it dawned on me. It’s the dreaded creeping bellflower that looks just enough like an aster or goldenrod to slip by until it’s everywhere!

I now remember telling the homeowner last fall to watch out for it because I had pulled some up and it would definitely still be around. Small bits of root grow onto full plants snd they spread crazily fast.

This is not native, definitely invasive, and needs to be pulled on sight!

I sent out a newsletter last night. If you aren’t on the list and would like to receive our newest (always very short) newsletter, DM me your email address and I’ll add you to the list.

06/12/2026

I don’t know why this plant catches so much of my attention, but I love it. It’s probably because of the stacked look. It’s Downy Woodmint or Ohio Horsemint (Blephilia ciliata). I’m very excited to finally have a few in small pots that are large enough to offer.

Mints, like the asters, are amazing pollinator plants because they offer many small flowers keeping the pollinator from having to do extra work/flying in order to feed.

This plant grows on hillside prairies, in shallow soil over limestone, near fens, and also in open prairies. It is native in the southern half of the lower peninsula.

06/11/2026

I couldn’t get a nice crisp shot, but look at this cool wasp on the female plant of Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus). This plant’s feathery plumes are covered with tiny pollinators, including beetles. This plant’s flowers is native South and slightly west of Michigan. It has done well despite our cold winters.

We do grow a selection of plants that are not native to Michigan but are native to the eastern or central U.S. (close to Michigan)

06/09/2026

About three weeks ago, I posted about a sedge and the woodrushes which have eliasomes (nutrition rich appendages on the seeds).

This is Common Woodrudh, or Luzula multiflora. The first photo show the spent seed pods of the plant. The second photo shows the seeds. The white part at the base is the eliasome. I have robbed the ants in my yard of some nutrition this spring by collecting the seed. There’s generally enough anyway, since I won’t collect all of it.

06/08/2026

The flowers of Flowering Raspberry are HUGE! You can see with the bumblebee for scale. Leaves are reminiscent of Thimbleberry and the plant size is also similar. I’m definitely going to have to rein these pretty plants in because they like to spread.

According to Michigan Flora, flowering raspberry is at the western edge of its range here in Michigan. The range in Michigan is mostly along the shorelines of Lake Huron and Lake Erie.

We’ve got a few of these listed on the website.

06/08/2026

Look what’s blooming in my garden!

I planted this Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense) a few years back and this is the first time I’ve seen it flower. Sometimes these don’t flower at all, but only produce the bulblets. In this case there will probably be these little bulbs (bulbils) which can be planted once ready and also seeds, which will take longer at mature.

Michigan Flora mentions that in some areas, the inflorescence is mostly flowers.

Plants in Alliaceae (the onion family) tend to be some of the first green you see come up in the spring.

This plant is found in rich forests, floodplains and wet meadows, but does alright in regular garden soil

06/06/2026

Northern Bedstraw is another plant that works well as a matrix plant. In this dry woods I visited, this plant was ubiquitous and beautiful, providing soft landings.

We’ll have a few of these and lots of other goodies at the Washtenaw sale tomorrow, Saturday June 6.

06/04/2026

Not sure you’d like a graminoid (grasses, sedges, rushes) as your background matrix in a garden? Mother Nature presents you with early meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum). This is a great soft landings plant.

We’ve got a page about matrix gardening on our website!

06/03/2026

It’ll be crazy, but great!

It's almost time for the 2026 Native Plant Expo & Marketplace 🎉

We are expecting 20 Native Plant Nurseries including:
Bendy Stem Farm
BetterFinds Native Plants
BirtleBee
Brines Farm
Designs by Nature
Detroit Wildflower Nursery, LLC
Feral Flora, LLC
Garden Juju Collective Gateway Farm
Green Garden Foraging
Hickory Nut Farmstead
JesseniaGrows
Liv's Native Nursery LLC
Michiganense Natives
New Leaf Natives Plant Nursery
Perennial Gold
Purdy Plants
Suburban Sown
The Toledo Zoo
Wild Ginger Woodlands
Windy Rock Nursery