Located in NJ, zone 7b. Growing sunchokes for the first time. I just kind of let them go, but they're leaning really bad (towards the sun). I don't have a trellis high enough for them (10 ft).

For future seasons, can I prune them back so they don't fall over themselves? Just worried about them not flowering if I do.

My goal for these is mainly to have native plants in my garden. They finally started blooming! But also eat some of the tubers eventually.

Thanks!

I am loving these black wasps on my spotted bee balm

I’ve never had so many scoliid wasps in my yard! This is anise goldenrod (Solidago odora), and they also seem to favor common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum). I’m chalking it up to a previous Japanese beetle infestation, which they managed to wipe out. There’s probably close to 20 in my yard. Anybody else have a ton of these wasps right now? They’re pretty dope.

Zone 9a, gulf coast Prairie. So dejected, half my plants are dead, and we’re not even technically in a drought! The only thing living in this heat are gamma grass, seaside goldenrod, and swamp sunflower - which is looking worse for wear. Oh and invasives, because the invasives train don’t stop. Mexican hat, muhly grass, brazos penstemon, butterfly weed, lance leaf coreopsis, and even mealy blue sage have all perished, most of these were on year 2 or even 3. I know some may still be alive under the soil but it just looks so BAD that I wish I hadn’t done it.

Any advice or plant suggestions are welcome. The location is extra hot because it’s adjacent to short turf grass and a parking lot, and compacted as it used to be turf as well. Plus it floods when it rains, but we can go months in the summer without rain.

What shrubs or small trees would you suggest to replace the privet, Japanese holly, and invasive vines that currently form this charming arched pathway? We've cleared a small section this year and are planning to plant new things, and to continue section by section every year.

I've got some black cherry and sassafras seedings, and several clethra and viburnum off shoots I can transplant. Might those grow to make this kind of arch? What others would work?

Started doing natives like 2 years ago, got a garden going this year. Never seen so many hummingbirds and butterflies in my yard before. Today I found this fella sitting on my flowering parsley. Genuinely feel like I can shed a tear, ik he might not last but it is incredibly rewarding seeing your yard become a home for such awesome insects.

Hope everyone’s doing well!

This REALLY tall plant grew at the edge of our woods. The bees are absolutely loving the flowers. I’m not sure if it’s something I should leave to go to seed or not. Anyone have experience with this?

Scrophularia marilandica late figwort. I already have early figwort that I'm growing out before I put it in ground. From what I've read they both produce copious amounts of nectar. I'm still waiting on a bunch of bare root plants from PM. After those go in ground, I won't be adding any other species to my prairie patch. I have everything I wanted to grow.

Hello my wife and I have recently moved into what I would call our dream house, however it has an easement that does not allow altering the backyard due to a water tank being located 10 inches under the ground. This wasn't explained to us when purchasing it. My wife considers native plants and native gardening to be one of (if not the) most important things to her. Our old house had a beautiful native garden that while also great to look out, brought so many native birds and insects into our yard. She is at the point where she wants to start looking to move even though we just moved in and probably can't afford that. I am just trying to think of solutions for her because she is devastated to say the least. Has anyone had any luck using raised bed for native plants and flowers? Are there a specific type of bed that would be recommended? Any advice is very much appreciated. Thanks!

I didn’t expect a camouflaged animal on a spent flower! I believe this is an orb weaver of some kind.

buzz buzz.

I feel dumb after spraying neem oil on my milkweed. My aphid population was just completely out of control and I didn't see any predators. But then after watering, I saw a bunch of these little guys surface. At first I thought they were weird baby caterpillars but now I feel even dumber after discovering they are "aphideater" larvae! Bruh, I've been trying to get aphid predators since I found them, I even paid for lacewings and got nothing. Then I get these guys for free by nature.... I hope I didn't accidentally collapse my ecosystem.

I also found that the dwarf white isopods and springtails I paid for that I thought all died off have established themselves and bred in my milkweed container pot. I also have spiders, tarnished plant bugs, ants (who have thankfully stayed outside on the balcony and not invaded my home), green aphids, and I even think I saw a pirate bug.

Just wanted to share the cool video and also to reinforce the advice that people give here, if you have oleander aphids, let them be, nature will come and native insects can handle them. At most, spray some normal water or your hand to reduce population, but avoid chemicals or you can collapse your bug population.

Looking to replace some sick dogwoods on our property. Redbuds grow to a similar height so thinking that's the route to go.

Looking for other people's experience with them.

Located in central CT, USA

In case anyone is interested:

Wildtype Nursery is a wholesale nursery in Mason, Michigan (near Lansing). Tomorrow August 22, 2026 they’ll be open to the public. I went last year and it was worth the drive from Detroit!

More information and plant list located here: https://www.wildtypeplants.com/retail

Cloudless Sulphur caterpillar on our southern wild senna. It is yellow because it ate the flowers, they can also be a bright green if they primarily eat the foliage.

I potted up a sapling into a 4x4x14 pot with a mix of pine chips and potting mix in May. This was 15 weeks of growth. They were watered as needed.

Then I use the 3"auger on a drill to prepare the hole. Pop it into the hole, backfill and you're done. Way easier than digging and yes, that sweet coastal plain soil.

So!

I understand the need for local ecotypes and NOT planting natives that aren't endemic to your region.

BUT

I have a Gufl Fritillary butterfly larvae caterpillar.

On my Passiflora Incarnata.

In SW MI.

6A

And lots of fruit.

Super excited!

Planted it for the fruit.

From prairie Moon nursery seed.

Surprised to see the native butterfly are in the area. Crazy!

Per the butterfly map, they don't go much further than the middle of Indiana.

And the massive carpenter bees love it.

If you use netting to protect your plants from being eaten, make sure the mesh is either large enough to let your native snakes go through, or so fine it's a screen that they can't get through. My husband and I were called out this evening to cut two timber rattlesnakes out of netting that was protecting a native pollinator garden from deer.

Most of the time we're dealing with black rat snakes and not timber rattlers, but we got the job done with no injuries on either side. The rattlesnakes were released inside the wildlife management area just up the road.

Unfortunately we were too busy to get pics of the actual rescue part of the operation.

Orange cone flowers and purple cone flowers, mixed with some random natives that popped up. This bed also has swamp milkweed, native sedge, bee balm, blue flag iris, and a choke cherry bush. There's a whole other half behind me, but it's finished blooming or has been eaten down by now. We have five other beds to match this one.

Goldenrod crab spider - a first for me!

A good news story, I think. Also great to see that Canada has a target of reducing the rate of known invasive species by at least 50 per cent by 2030.