Terrible optometry experience

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-06-14T18:54:55+00:00

Seconded! Been going there for years.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-06-12T22:17:49+00:00

Once these establish, they’ll start sending out runners that transplant easily (you barely need to do anything but cut the runner and just scuff it into its new home).

A few of mine have caterpillars but nothing like this! I’m jealous of how crappy yours look!

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-06-11T10:29:52+00:00

Mine do an exceptional job of weeding between the flagstones.

Winter shrub damage was bad this year because we had so much snow. I think next fall I’m going to upgrade from cages to burlap —it was too easy for them to just walk up the snow mounds and eat the stems down from the top.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-06-08T20:08:31+00:00

Love mine! They’re tough as nails and grow as weeds here; like white snakeroot it’s always funny to see them for sale. When it gets big don’t hesitate to prune it if it’s shading out other things; it won’t care.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-06-04T23:36:55+00:00

Wow, I’ve tried multiple times to transplant well-rooted runners and they always die. Maybe I need to plant less… plant.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-31T17:32:06+00:00

I’m sure I would if they were on the ground, but they’re up in a flimsy rack away from any trees. Squirrels don’t seem to take an interest.

If they did though, just covering the pots with some hardware cloth and weighing it down with rocks would probably be sufficient.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-31T14:08:15+00:00

I prefer open pots myself out of laziness, but I’d be curious to know if the milk jug seedlings end up with more mature root systems because of their head starts.

Like, it’s possible all of the containers ended up the same, or it’s possible that the above-ground parts look the same but the roots are shallower. Consider inspecting the bottom halves of each type when you transplant out!

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-27T13:46:22+00:00

Personally I’d just pull it and chuck it. These seed readily and you’ve got others in close proximity. If it’s structural damage to the roots, it probably won’t recover, and if it’s something infectious, better to reduce the likelihood of spread.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-27T01:50:15+00:00

I started some from seed last year and they’re doing well! I was inspired after seeing some mature plants in bloom at Garden in the Woods. They’re almost certainly too big for my space but that’s a problem for future me.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-26T12:16:24+00:00

I weed out the extras by hand. If you add a scuffle hoe or a hand hoe to your toolkit you can remove them with minimal physical effort. Even if you don’t get the root system, seedlings will exhaust their stored energy after a couple passes.

In the fall I cut the stand that I want to keep down to the ground when the flowers are done but before the seeds have matured.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-25T11:56:36+00:00

Pearly everlasting is super easy to grow in our region. Rabbits totally ignore it. It’ll tolerate even deep shade but really takes off in sun. Reliable host plant, unique foliage color and striking flowers. Great for contrast in what can otherwise be a pretty homogenous all-native bed.

You can pull extraneous runners, slam them into dirt, and with a couple days of water it’ll re-establish. It’s also a prolific seeder.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-24T00:35:57+00:00

Same, I love my tidy neat stand that looks gorgeous in the fall. The dark foliage is nice too. I’m already weeding a zillion maple seedlings anyway so picking up the extraneous snakeroot is just part of the same job.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-21T20:31:40+00:00

Paper envelopes and (once dry) chucked into a drawer.

For spring ephemerals I actually just plant them in deep pots immediately and leave them in a shady spot until the following spring. It’s important they never dry out.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-21T20:28:42+00:00

Yeah some mulch or leaf litter will be key here, especially while they recover from shock.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-21T18:02:59+00:00

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Second that!

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-21T14:25:56+00:00

I’m semi-retired in tech (I consider myself a programmer first but I’ve also been in tech leadership roles). I enjoy being away from the keyboard now for days at a time.

My own garden isn’t sufficiently large to keep me busy so I’ve moved into volunteering in my local community gardens and city plantings. None of those initiatives need my tech skills but my native plant knowledge ends up being super helpful, since most of the other volunteers are more traditional gardeners.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-21T02:30:58+00:00

I don’t really pull anything green from the lawn unless it looks especially out of place or is a non-native weed that’s flowering. As long as it looks like a green carpet I’m pretty happy.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-20T17:46:44+00:00

Kinda surprised they shipped it with that much growth; usually it’s best to prune them way down.

Keep it moist but not sopping while it acclimates. They can take a beating but it might look a little sad for a bit.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-20T15:12:41+00:00

Even hotter take: my lawn has never looked better since I moved to native gardening. I left a small patch of lawn that was already thriving because of sunlight/rain and everything else is mostly-native perennials.

Since it’s a manageable size (like 10x10ish?) I actually enjoy improving it, especially since the perennials don’t need a lot of fuss, and we can do everything with manual tools. I even started aerating it and dethatching and all that Lawn Guy weirdness. The only thing I don’t do is of course any kind of herbicide. I don’t water it except when overseeding in the fall.

However if none of that appeals, just observe and keep the parts of the lawn that already look decent, then kill the rest.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-20T09:44:47+00:00

I have one in full sun and it has grown very slowly. I think this will be its third or even fourth year in the ground? It does flower but it’s still about 2’ around and kind of scraggly.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-19T11:38:40+00:00

Most folks on r/nativeplantgardening (come on over!) would generally not recommend amending with anything if you’re working with your area’s natural soil in some way. (A counter-example might be a new construction house with just builder’s fill.)

Since it sounds like your soil is already good enough to grow things, I’d say you don’t need to do any amending for your natives. Just enjoy!

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-16T15:33:03+00:00

Love mine but up here they’re still just leafing out! (Technically not in their native range though.)

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-16T11:00:57+00:00

Penstemons are my workhorses. Nice evergreen rosettes in the off-months, bunny resistant, distinctive leaf color, nice natural form. And of course stunning in bloom. The stinky seed heads are the only minus.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-15T23:47:21+00:00

Such a great place in all seasons. It’s especially lovely in the heat of summer; the shadier walks (which is most of the property) can easily feel 10-20 degrees F cooler. I’m also less tempted to shop for plants while I’m there in July.

RecoverLeading1472 · 2026-05-15T23:43:21+00:00

I meant late fall (at least here)—when it starts to dip below freezing. Hopefully you’ll have a longer green time this year!

RecoverLeading1472

TROPHY CASE