Bur Oak
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Bur Oak

The Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa, is one of the most massive oaks, with a trunk diameter of up to 10 ft. It commonly grows in the open, away from the dense forest canopy. When grown in Canada, it grows to 12–18 m high and 60–80 cm in diameter. It lives for 200 to 300 years….

Caring for Poke Milkweed

Caring for Poke Milkweed

Although the milky sap is poisonous to humans, poke milkweed is an important nectar source for native bees, wasps, and other nectar-seeking insects. Unfortunately, non-native honey bees commonly get trapped in the stigmatic slits and die. Milkweeds are also the larval food source for monarch butterflies and their relatives, as well as a variety of…

Cosmos is a Hardy Plant with Showy Flowers
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Cosmos is a Hardy Plant with Showy Flowers

Cosmos plants are highly resilient, blooming lavishly from early or midsummer to fall, depending on variety, and have beautiful cut leaves, spectacular blooms, and a lengthy blooming season. They are often used in pollinator gardens to attract birds, bees, and butterflies. Cosmos are freely flowering annual plants in the asteraceae or sunflower family. They are…

Rose of Sharon
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Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus Syriacus), a popular garden addition, is frequently planted to provide a burst of late-season colour after other trees and shrubs have finished blooming. Hibiscus Syriacus is a traditional choice for landscape focal points. This plant makes an excellent specimen, foundation, or border plant. This is ideal for larger patio containers. Rose…

Smooth Solomon’s Seal

Smooth Solomon’s Seal

Smooth Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum commutatum) is a drought tolerant perennial for the shade garden, native to Ontraio and Eastern North America. It adds a unique architectural structure with its arching foliage and white bell shaped flowers that dangle along the leaves. It is rhizomatous with lustrous, alternate leaves. You might be interested in learning more…

Swamp Milkweed

Swamp Milkweed

Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is known for its ability to thrive in swampy areas and wet meadows. It is a monarch butterfly host plant and is essential to their life. Despite its love of wet soils, due to its long taproot, it can tolerate average well-drained soils with ease. Showy, fragrant pink and white duo-tone…

Dog Violet

Dog Violet

Dog Violet (Viola conspersa) is common in fields and pastures. It can be used as ground cover. The plants are only 2-4 cm tall in the spring, but they grow taller later in the summer. It has hairless leaves. The basal leaves are round or kidney-shaped, with rounded tips and fine rounded marginal teeth; the…

Sweet White Violet
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Sweet White Violet

Sweet White Violet (Viola blanda) is a low-growing stoloniferous perennial with basal, heart-shaped leaves and fragrant, white flowers with strongly reflexed upper petals and a purple-veined lower petal. Sweet white violets can be found in open mixed woods and clearings in their native eastern United States and Canada. In the wild, they spread to form…

Evening Primrose
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Evening Primrose

Evening primroses are generally known as flowers that close during daylight hours. Evening primroses are beautiful flowers and easy to grow. They open visibly fast every evening, producing an interesting evening spectacle, hence the name “evening primrose.” Common Evening Primrose is a biennial plant. In the first year, it typically produces a basal rosette of…

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