By Kelsey Vance, Carla Blackmar Rice and Amanda Bentley Brymer Native trees are biodiversity powerhouses in our midst. Think of each one as an apartment complex, grocery store and nursery all in one for caterpillars, birds, mammals and other animals that depend on them for survival. Fall is a great time for tree planting. Some […] Continue reading "Wild Ones 101: Bumping up biodiversity with soft landings"
By Kelsey Vance Originally published in the Oxford Free Press September 15, 2026 A client recently wrote to me with a garden update. She was sharing the joy she was feeling about all the beauty in her yard from blooms to birdsong. She also shared how good she felt after weeding Canada thistle from a […] Continue reading "In Defense of Weeding"
by Kelsey Vance Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Before I begin, I want to start this article by saying that I am not writing it from a place of judgment. If you have used a mosquito fogging company, I know it’s because you are completely fed up with not being able to be outside on […] Continue reading "Wild Ones 101: Mosquito fogging: an effective way to kill butterflies, lightning bugs and other pollinators in your yard"
by Carla Blackmar A friend’s recent post read: “Winter Creeper and English Ivy are my new archenemies” and ended with “F- – – both of them!” It unleashed a chorus of assent, with one poster commiserating: “WHY DO PEOPLE PLANT THIS STUFF?!” and others cursing the specific introduced plants that overrun their yards, like Vinca […] Continue reading "Introducing Wild Ones"
We shape the environment for our needs and wants. Animals do too, but sometimes it’s harder to see, and the impact isn’t as detrimental as our own. by Kelsey Vance What does biodiversity mean? When we look at the components of the term, we can see bio, which means life, and diversity, which means a […] Continue reading "Wild Ones 101: What is biodiversity and why should we care about it?"
By Carla Blackmar Because the season of wrap-ups and recognition falls in the dead of winter, we usually fail to recognize excellence in rewilding efforts in our top 10 lists and awards ceremonies. Though the toil of spring planting, summer weeding, fall water hauling and honeysuckle hacking all feel distant from our warm homes, the […] Continue reading "2025’s Rewilding Wrapped"
By Carla Blackmar If you are fortunate enough to own a home, a small investment with tremendous return potential is to upgrade your trees. It’s easy for trees to be an afterthought, or worse, for homeowners to view trees as a liability – thinking about the risks (fall damage, maintenance costs) while ignoring the many […] Continue reading "Upgrade Your Trees"
Rock garden irises, Chionodoxa and Siberian squill in a loose Stinze planting in the author’s yard. Photo provided by Kelsey Vance. By Kelsey Vance Unless you live in a new development, I’m sure you have some daffodils that were planted decades ago and reliably emerge every spring. They didn’t get there on their own, someone […] Continue reading "Spring Bulbs: A Gift to your Future Self"
By Kesley Vance Originally Published in the Oxford Free Press November 7, 2025 Leave the leaves campaigns are becoming more popular every year as we learn more about declining animal (including insects) populations due to habitat loss and overly-maintained landscapes. If you are unfamiliar with this research, here’s a primer on what leaves have to […] Continue reading "Skip (or Skimp) Your Fall Clean-Up This Year"
by Katie McNeil Last fall I gave my two grandchildren small pails to help me collect seeds from the various species of milkweed we have on our property edges and in the native plant gardens at the White Garden Inn. Continue reading "Milkweeds for Monarchs"