Growing Roots

If you have spent much time among rock outcrops, badlands, or the Rocky Mountains, you’ve probably seen trees and shrubs sprouting from what looks like solid rock.

Revegetation Efforts Should Focus on Native Plant Species

Propagating native plants in volumes large enough to produce commercial quantities of native seed is not always an easy, or inexpensive task, but using native plant species in revegetation efforts on federal and state lands should be the norm, not the exception.  This National Forest in Michigan is taking the needed long range approach to…

Native Flowering Shrub for Western Landscapes

Fellow western blogger Big Sky Ken, made a stop at Ayers Natural Bridge and posted  his photos. The post reminded me of my stop there in July when the Holodiscus dumosus was in full bloom. Ocean Spray is a native Wyoming shrub that deserves much more attention and development for the landscaping market. It is…

Winter Watering in Wyoming and the High Plains

Last week we  had three days in a row above 40 degrees F. With no snow cover, this was a perfect time to water shrubs, trees and perennials in the yard. The forecast for Central Wyoming for the first week of 2012 looks good for another opportunity for winter watering. In the high plains, winter…

Wasn’t Poison Sumac After All

“It turns out the “poison sumac” (Rhus vernix) of my childhood, which I so diligently avoided, wasn’t poison sumac after all, although R. vernix does grow in Indiana.” This is from my reply to a comment from Steve at Portraits of Wildflowers. Steve reports Rhus trilobata grows in Texas, but Rhus lanceolata is more reliable…

Mountain Mahogany – Native Shrub of Wyoming

Native Shrub for Drought Tolerant Landscaping There are two common Mountain Mahogany species in Wyoming;  Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) and True Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus).  Both would make nice ornamental shrubs or small  trees in low water use landscapes.  The seeds of C. montanus, shown here, are expertly designed for catching on passers by,…

Amelanchier alnifolia Research to Help Diabetes

Well I have said here before, the native tree commonly called Serviceberry, Saskatoon berry, or June berry (Amelanchier alnifolia), is a small to mid sized, graceful, airy native tree of Wyoming. I think it would make a great specimen tree in the landscape, especially under areas with large, towering trees. Over at Home Made Wilderness…