Permaculture Design: When Weeds Talk. Continued from the invasive plant series. Part I. II. III. Permaculture Design re: plant interpretation. Plants spontaneously show up on land and colonize a micro-region sometimes. Usually this is viewed as a headache at best. And yet, using permaculture principles, a weed colony can be interpreted as a communication about […]
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Best Organic Hot Cocoa (What to Look For + Our Top Pick) This post contains an affiliate link. You can support this small business with your purchase of organic hot chocolate. If you are searching for the best organic hot cocoa, skip the flashy packaging and start with the ingredient list. Truly good cocoa is
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Low Maintenance Modern Front Yard Landscaping Low maintenance modern front yard landscaping has become a pioneering trend in recent years. People have learned that landscaping doesn’t need to be high maintenance and involve chemicals at all. The earth wants to express beauty. Steering it is possible if you hire professionals who have land literacy. The
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Oak trees Oak Trees are the backbone of many North American ecosystems. Quietly, steadily, they do more ecological work than almost any other Tree we can plant. When people think of Oaks, they often picture strength, longevity, or shade. Ecologically, those qualities are only the beginning. Oak Trees + Butterflies. Oak Trees support more wildlife
Keystone Species In ecology, a keystone species is one that holds an ecosystem together in ways that far exceed its abundance. Although many species contribute to beauty and function, keystone species quietly shape structure, stability, and resilience. When they thrive, ecosystems self-regulate. When they disappear, imbalance follows. Keystone species often work through relationships rather than
Native foraging. Exploring the Bounty of Nature: The Art and Ethics of Native Foraging. In our fast-paced modern world, it’s easy to overlook the abundance that nature offers right outside our doorstep. Foraging, the age-old practice of gathering wild plants and fungi for food, medicine, and craft, reconnects us with the land and the seasons
Catalpa Trees Catalpa Trees are native to the United States but are not native to New York State. Historically, their natural range was centered in the Midwest and Southeast, with Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) occurring primarily in river floodplains and disturbed alluvial soils. Despite this, Catalpa Trees have been widely planted for over a century
Roots Before Blooms Roots Before Blooms: How Native Gardens Truly Grow. One of the best ways to understand native gardens is through the idea of Roots Before Blooms. It captures the honest rhythm of how these landscapes establish, mature, and thrive over time. Year One is the Sleep phase. This stage often rather tests good
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Flower Crowns Origins, Meaning, and Two Cultural Forms. Flower crowns appear across cultures as symbols of beauty, seasonality, and belonging. More than decoration, they mark moments when humans consciously align themselves with the natural world. Made from living plants, a flower crown carries the message of abundance, impermanence, and renewal. Historically, floral headpieces emerged wherever
Forest Bathing: A Return to Our Ecological Roots. Forest bathing, known in Japan as shinrin-yoku, emerged in the 1980s as a public health response to rising stress, burnout, and disconnection from nature. The practice is simple but profound: slow down, enter a forested environment, and engage the senses fully. Unlike hiking or exercise, forest
Plein Air Painting: Returning to the Garden. Plein air painting is basically the practice of creating art outdoors, directly within the landscape. It is not simply a technique, but a posture toward the world. To paint outside is to accept nature specifically as the primary teacher and collaborator. Nature has in general always been the
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River Birch Trees (Betula nigra) River Birch Trees (Betula nigra) are basically one of the great success stories of wet ground. They love saturated soils, seasonal flooding, rain gardens, streambanks, and wetlands, and they do not merely tolerate these conditions, they rather thrive in them. In landscapes shaped by water, River Birch feels inevitable, as
Black Walnut Trees (Juglans nigra): Beauty, Habitat… and a Few Cautions. Black Walnut trees are certainly one of the most magnificent native trees in North America. Juglans nigra rises with a kind of quiet authority: stately form, deeply furrowed bark, and compound foliage that moves like lace in the wind. If you’re creating habitat, this
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Little Joe Pye Weed: A Petite Powerhouse for Every Garden. Little Joe Pye Weed is one of the most versatile native wildflowers available to gardeners in the Northeast. This compact form of the Eutrochium family brings all the pollinator magic and ecological value of the taller species. However, all that action is packed into a
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Winter Seed Sowing Instructions. Winter is the quiet season for gardens, but with winter seed sowing instructions there’s activity. Without doubt it is the most natural time to start next year’s plants. At Jessecology we treat winter sowing as an annual rite of passage. It’s a small act of ecological restoration you can do with
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Organic Plants Organic Plants: Why “Brown Thumbs” Aren’t Real. Many people insist they have a “brown thumb” or that they “just can’t grow anything.” But before anyone labels themselves as a plant failure, there’s a question worth asking. Where are those plants coming from? Most people buy plants from the big box stores. These plants
Rudbeckia triloba Wildflowers + Generosity. Tall Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) is one of the most generous New York native wildflowers you can grow. Moreover, this species stands taller than Rudbeckia fulgida or Rudbeckia hirta. It grows quickly, blooms abundantly, and produces an astonishing number of seeds. As a result, it behaves like a classic “pioneer
Monarda punctata Spotted Horsemint Spotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata). Taxonomy: Monarda punctata (Lamiaceae family). Common Names: Spotted Horsemint, Dotted Horsemint, Spotted Beebalm. Spotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata) is one of the most unexpectedly beautiful wildflowers in the New York native palette. This species stands out because of its layered, pagoda-like bracts and dotted tubular flowers. It carries
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Question Mark Butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) The Question Mark Butterfly is one of the most fascinating brush-footed butterflies in North America. Its name comes straightaway from a small silver punctuation-mark-shaped curve on the underside of its hindwings — a clear “question mark.” Once you see it, you’ll never forget it. This butterfly is easy to recognize
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New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) A Native Wildflower Worth Knowing. New England Aster is a tall, showy perennial wildflower native across much of North America, prized for its rich violet- to pinkish-purple blooms with bright yellow centers from late summer into fall. Key Characteristics. Height & form: Typically grows 3-6 ft tall (sometimes up
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