As many of you already know, Native species world wide are in decline, but one of the ways we can help is by incorporating native plants into our gardens and yards.

Now… I will never have a pure native garden… there are just too many non-natives and hybrids that I love too much to ever give up, but I do have quite a few native plants worked in here and there.

This time of year is when the woodland natives really shine.

Like the woodland poppy. She’s actually almost done for the season, putting out the last of her big bold flowers. But you can also see her seed-pods which are really good at spreading about once they dry and crack open.

I have two decent size clumps of our Native Geranium. I think she’s so pretty. The one on the left is a little older and more robust. The shooting range I belong to is set in a little woodland area and it has lots of these coming up along the paths this time of year. It’s nice to see them growing wild and in my garden.

My Ostrich fern came back beautifully. And part of me is tempted to rip out all my hostas in the woodland garden and replace them with native ferns. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t consider ferns when I started the garden. I like them so much more! The hostas are well established and can stay I guess… but I think I will add a few more ferns.

Last year, Mom brought me some Jack-in-the-Pulpit she dug up from her garden. It was actually from a plant I “liberated” from the wild a couple decades ago. I wasn’t sure how well it would take to being transplanted, but it’s come back beautifully. That funky little pitcher will only get cooler looking as the days go on, then it transforms into a gorgeous red-orange seed head.

And I was very excited to see these return. They are trilliums. Unlike Jack, I played by the rules and got them legally from a Garden centre. I bought two or three last year, and I didn’t think they made it through the winter. But all of a sudden, boom – there they were the other day. I don’t know if they will bloom or not. They can take anywhere from 5-9 years to do so, I and don’t know how old they were when I bought them. But I am just thrilled they are coming up.

And last -these are my native Columbine. They are small but boy do they back a punch .Just a sea of firey red when in bloom!

I of course, have many other natives: Coneflowers, Tickseed, Sneezeweed, Rudbeckia and more… but they are more grassland plants and shine later in the season.

There’s so much more to look forward to.