How to Make a Meadow
by Heather McCargo
Meadows are beautiful dynamic habitats with rich populations of plants and animals, and unfortunately, they have been reduced substantially in the last 50 years. Contributing to their decline is the […]
Ferns: Ancient Plants for 21st Century Landscapes
by Heather McCargo
Ferns are ancient plants whose ancestors first appeared on Earth over 300 million years ago. Members of a division of primitive plants called Pteridophytes, ferns are one of the earth’s […]
Hellstrip Plantings: Creating habitat in the space between the sidewalk and the curb
by Heather McCargo
Urban environments are dominated by pavement, the bane of most living things. One area ripe for community greening is the hellstrip—the narrow space between the sidewalk and street curb. Sometimes […]
Wasps in the Garden Ecosystem
by Reeser Manley
I am intimidated by the bald-faced hornets that forage nectar from raspberry blossoms and the yellow jackets that swarm over ripe blueberries, having experienced the stings of both. Yet each […]
The Beauty and Pollinator Benefits of Asters and Goldenrods
by Heather McCargo
Asters and goldenrods are some of our most recognizable late season wildflowers. Asters range in colors from blue, purple, pink to white, and goldenrods have abundant yellow flower clusters. These […]
The Disconnect Between Garden Aesthetics and Local Ecology
by Curtis Jirsa
The horticulturist Alan Chadwick, according to his disciples, rebuked anyone caught weeding sow thistle (Sonchus) from his garden beds. “They’re all plants,” he once declared. “It’s just that, if a […]
Native Ground Covers for Beauty and Biodiversity at the Ground Level
by Heather McCargo
Groundcovers are low-growing plants that fill in quickly to make a dense carpet of foliage. Once established, they’ll crowd out weeds, provide year-round protection to the soil, and offer overwintering […]
Growing Vertical with Native Vines: Climbing plants for fences, trellises and walls
by Heather McCargo
With their roots in the earth and their stems twining upward, vines are a great solution where ground space is limited but vertical space is available. Choose a native species […]
Connecting Habitat in Portland: Creating corridors of native plants for urban biodiversity
by Heather McCargo
In urban areas, green spaces of natural habitat rapidly lose biodiversity if they exist in isolated patches. Many cities across the country and the world are working to promote corridors […]
Flowers, Pollinators and the Sex Lives of Plants
by Heather McCargo
The warm, sunny days of midsummer are a great time to observe the many kinds of pollinators that visit flowers. In Maine, the pollinators include the ruby-throated hummingbird and a […]
