My Sandhill Sanctuary Gardens

06/23/2026

Day 2 of Pollinator Week: A very pollen-coated honeybee on Brown-Eyed Susan flower

06/23/2026

Jewelweed- Impatiens capensis, was given its name because water wells up on the leaves to look like iridescent jewels. It is also known as spotted touch-me-not, because the ripe seed pods uncoil and spew seeds far and wide at the slightest touch. This stately *native plant is related to garden impatiens, and you if you know flowering balsam, you can see how its unique flower resembles this old-fashioned heirloom - Impatiens balsamina.
Jewelweed tends to grow wherever poison ivy does, which is a stroke of good fortune since it serves as an antidote to p.i. The stalks of jewelweed are full of an aloe like gel which can be spread on skin before or after exposure to poison ivy to dissipate the oils of poison ivy which can cause blistering.
Another stroke of good fortune is that our native bees, fireflies and hummingbirds love to visit the flowering plant wherever it grows!
*Native Distribution: Saskatchewan to Newfoundland; south to Georgia; west to Oklahoma; north to Missouri. Native Habitat: Shaded wetlands, meadow and verge.

06/23/2026

Horsetail (Equisetum) was growing in our landscapes long before dinosaurs roamed. Today it can still be found along the edges of brooks and fields. Native American pottery shards can often be found with horsetail impressed into the interior of the pots and pot-shards. Today, we know that they were packing newly fashioned pottery with horsetail because the plant contains silica which was released to glaze the pot interior when it was fired. Early colonists used it as 'scouring rush' since its fine abrasive surface area and silica content helped to clean and polish brass and copper pots. Because of the silica, it has also been used to make a tea for healthy hair, skin and nails. Horsetail grows all around the world and is used in every culture. I saw my favorite planting of horsetail in Japan where a homeowner had planted it in a narrow space between the driveway and house foundation. Because its roots were confined, it grew into a planting that looked like a miniature bamboo forest.
While it is naturally occurring around the world, it can aggressively protect its habitat...aka, don't plant it in the middle of your garden, and forage respectfully.

06/22/2026

Let's celebrate Pollinator Week! Don't just think butterflies and bees. God created so many different kinds of pollinators: nighttime moths and daytime moths, hummingbirds, tiny little sweat bees (Tobies), bats, and even beetles, to name a few. We are ALL fearfully and wonderfully made.

06/22/2026

06/20/2026

Everyone have a pleasant weekend! May your Father's Day be blessed with memories. May your Summer Solstice be filled with lightning bugs and kaydid's song. 🌻🦋

06/18/2026

Ooh, that's nice!

Small raised herb bed using old bricks, giving plants better drainage and a simple space to grow fresh herbs 🌿

06/17/2026

Hummingbirds & Swallowtails all over the Mimosa!

06/17/2026

Clear some space, The Great Seed Sale is here with 40% off all seed packets. There’s still plenty of time to direct sow many of our garden favorites, including beans, squash, cucumbers, pollinator flowers and more. Sow now or save for later, but don’t wait, sale ends 6/30 at midnight!