Southern Doll’s Daisy Is a Little-Known Native Gem

REDUCING THE footprint of our lawns has been a key environmental message for gardeners in recent years, since lawns lack biodiversity and involve huge amounts of pollution between fertilizers, herbicides, and the gas used in mowing. But what to cultivate instead? That is the subject of a nearly 15-year native lawn research project at Cornell Botanic Gardens in Ithaca, New York, with some interesting insights.

The Rocky Mountain Region is stretched over 10,000 feet in elevation change and nearly over the full longitude of the Continental United States. Within this massive spread fit more than six biomes, ranging from the grasslands and prairie edges of northern New Mexico to the alpine of Montana. Despite the impressive diversity in soil and climate, many people in the area garden on our region’s namesake: rocks.

I love the natural shapes of plants in landscape design, but garden style is subjective, and it’s fair to say that gardens should be fun and expressive. We all have our own ideal “look” in mind when we envision a garden space, and who’s to say one is better than another? Some of us are collectors of anything new or unusual. Others seek a bit of nostalgia or want to seamlessly blend into their wild surroundings. Some like their plants well behaved and formal, expressing geometry and order not always found in nature. If the latter category describes you, you may find formality to be more of a challenge in the arid Southwest. There are some arid native plants that work well in formal garden design, however.

Canadian houseplants offer more than just aesthetics—they’re a unique blend of hardiness and beauty that adapt seamlessly to indoor conditions.

Glass gem corn is a stunning heirloom variety that can be grown for both ornamental and practical purposes. These tiny gemstone-like corns are not only edible, but you can also use them in crafts, and if you have kids, this is the perfect crop to involve them in gardening.

Mainland UK is home to many natural treasures. While many are world-famous and are visited by millions of people each year, there are several that many haven’t even heard of, including some locals.

Every fall, I look forward to the flowers of Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) blooming next to the creek that runs through my neighborhood. The blue flowers resemble the annual flower, Ageratum, and one of its common names is Wild Ageratum. However, Blue Mistflower is a perennial wildflower.

Today’s photos are from Joseph in Indiana.

If your summer containers and patio pots are looking tired and spent, you may want to consider giving them a refreshing fall makeover. Even if your porch is on the small side, you can still add a little something to make it feel more welcoming for autumn.

As Digital Content Editor Christine Alexander explains, pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystem and we should all be doing our part to support their populations:

Looking for Lesser Known Flowers to grow? You’ve come to the right place! Explore extraordinary and enchanting flowers as we discover lesser-known types that grow gracefully in lovely pots, bringing a touch of magic to your garden.

If you like daisy flowers then you will love Anthemis. A couple of varieties, to grow, are shown above and detailed below.