top of page
We want you to be as excited about planting Chesapeake natives as we are. Blog posts highlight ways to garden with native plants, different styles of gardens and native alternatives for popular ornamental plants.
Native Plant Gardens: Editing
Depending on your garden style and goals, editing can make a big difference. There are so many styles of gardening from modern to formal...
Jul 24, 20253 min read
Budget, Beginner, Bee & Bouquet Friendly: Golden Alexanders
This super easy to grow native perennials is a great beginner plant, cut flower and garden plant!
Apr 30, 20253 min read
Lessons from Your Garden When It Is Dry
lessons from your garden when it is dry
Jul 10, 20243 min read
Wild Petunia: Full Sun Native Flowers
super easy to grow perennial flower for hot dry sites
Jun 26, 20242 min read
Fabulous Front Row Home Native Plant Garden: Shady Slope
beautiful native plant garden on a shady slope
May 22, 20243 min read
Lessons Learned from Growing Native Vines: Chesapeake Gardens
One arched trellis: three vines. With a dreamy vision of an arch covered with flowers for most of the growing season, I planted three...
Jan 25, 20244 min read
Chesapeake Native Plant Gardens: December
Evergreens & Bark. As December brings the winter solstice, evergreens and striking bark emerge as the dominant feature in our gardens....
Dec 6, 20233 min read
Chesapeake Native Plant Gardens: November
Foliage! As November arrives, the true brilliance of native foliage color does as well. Evergreens are beginning to step forward in the...
Nov 1, 20234 min read
Chesapeake Native Plant Gardens: August
A little rough around the edges with lots of bright spots! Heat and the whims of weather make August in the garden somewhat a game of...
Aug 2, 20233 min read
Chesapeake Native Plants: Road Trip!
Washington D.C., One Day, Three Destinations: U.S. Botanical Garden, the National Cathedral and Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens. The...
Jul 26, 20233 min read
Native Garden Ideas Galore: A Washington D.C. Neighborhood Park
It's an ecological treasure trove! Dogwoods (Benthamidia Florida), inkberries (Ilex glabra), viburnums (Viburnum dentatum) and more!...
Jun 7, 20234 min read
Neatening A Native Garden Bed: Oh My!
Best intentions gone awry. Our garden is like a lot of yours. There are definitely times when it all seems to come together -- the...
Oct 19, 20224 min read
Native Plant Garden Tour: A Little Bit of Country in the City
Drifts of Keystone Perennials Dazzle It's no surprise a gardener who grew up walking in the woods would become an avid nature...
Sep 14, 20223 min read
Native Plant Gardening: Replacing Small Ornamental Trees
Removing small trees easily When we moved to our home, the garden had numerous small ornamental trees: kousa dogwoods (Cornus kousa),...
Jun 8, 20224 min read
An Enchanting Plant for Every Garden: Trumpet Honeysuckle
Colorful, versatile, whimsical & easy! Gardening with native plants is magical. With a few simple plantings, your garden can come alive....
May 4, 20223 min read
Fast Growing Native Perennials
A handful of speedy plants! Whether you are looking to fill a space where you have removed ivy or fill in parts of your garden more...
Feb 23, 20222 min read
Gardening for the Chesapeake: What to Plant for Orioles
No guarantees but so worth the try! Last years' Philadelphia Flower Show featured this incredible art -- part of the "Bird Brigade," a...
Feb 2, 20223 min read
Chesapeake Natives: Creating Your Winter Garden
Perfect time to take ten and get some winter zen. This may not be new to you but I had a gardening "aha" moment a few days ago, and right...
Jan 26, 20224 min read
DC, Maryland & Virginia Native Plants: Christmas Fern
A fern for all seasons! Ferns seem like they should be delicate plants, needing the moistest and fluffiest soils and a perfect refuge in...
Dec 22, 20212 min read
Gorgeous Garden Planting: Can It Be Done With Natives?
Replicating a lush bed in natives. I came across this stunning raised bed planted with deciduous trees, evergreens, shrubs, perennials...
Sep 1, 20214 min read
bottom of page