I am considering turning the rock garden alongside the house into a native plant garden.
Yes, I know that most "native plants" as understood in this context are usually considerd weeds. There are quite a lot of these growing between the rocks. A few are ugly and need to be pulled. But most of them are quite pretty. I think if I rake out the dead leaves from the area, pull the ugly plants and tend things so it doesn't get unruly I could make it into an attractive space. The college I attended has a native plant garden started by a biology professor (someone I went to school with) and it looks nice.
I have heard that such an area can attract butterflies and beneficial bugs. I might add a couple of "butterfly weeds" next spring. It could be fun to observe the butterflies, moths, etc. When, I get my vegetable garden growing next year, these insects could help pollinate it.
Has anyone tried such a project? What were the results? Any recommendations?
The interstate in Illinois has native flowering plants and it looks very nice. I haven't tried it in my garden. I have a butterfly garden, and after looking at an Illinois native plant site, it seems I do have some native plants. black eye susan and aster.
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