Fall Gardening

a quiet autumn garden scene viewed from a chair

The Best Michigan Native Plants for Fall Color

The Best Michigan Native Plants for Fall Color Fall Color Is More Than Flowers There is a moment in a Michigan garden when summer begins to loosen its hold. The days are still warm enough to spend outside, bees may still be moving among the last flowers, and a few late bloomers are doing their […]

The Best Michigan Native Plants for Fall Color Read More »

a quiet safe place for wildlife

How to Create Spaces Where Wildlife Feels Safe

How to Create Spaces Where Wildlife Feels Safe Michigan Garden Article No. 48 A garden can be filled with native flowers and still feel surprisingly exposed. There may be nectar for butterflies, seeds for birds, and water nearby, yet wildlife visits only briefly. A chickadee drops onto a seed head and disappears. A butterfly pauses

How to Create Spaces Where Wildlife Feels Safe Read More »

dew covered spiderweb

Why Morning Dew Is One of the Garden’s Greatest Gifts

Why Morning Dew Is One of the Garden’s Greatest Gifts Nature Notes | No. 7 | Published Sep 10, 2026 There is a moment in the garden that belongs almost entirely to morning. Before the sun climbs high enough to warm the leaves, before bees begin moving steadily from flower to flower, and before the

Why Morning Dew Is One of the Garden’s Greatest Gifts Read More »

observe before you change

Learning How to Trust Your Native Garden

Learning How to Trust Your Native Garden When the Garden Stops Looking Like a Plan There comes a point in almost every native garden when the gardener begins to wonder whether something has gone wrong. A plant appears where you do not remember putting it. Another grows wider than expected. A once-visible patch of soil

Learning How to Trust Your Native Garden Read More »

defined garden sitting room

How to Create Garden Rooms with Native Plants

How to Create Garden Rooms with Native Plants Your Garden Doesn’t Have to Be Seen All at Once One of the most interesting gardens I know is not a garden you can understand from the driveway. You have to walk into it. A planting partially hides a bench. A path curves beyond a group of

How to Create Garden Rooms with Native Plants Read More »

read the garden before you plant

Why Fall Is One of the Best Times to Plant Michigan Native Plants

Why Fall Is One of the Best Times to Plant Michigan Native Plants Spring may receive most of the gardening attention, but it is not the only season for new beginnings. By early fall, the garden has already revealed a great deal. You can see where a plant disappeared, where neighboring plants never quite filled

Why Fall Is One of the Best Times to Plant Michigan Native Plants Read More »