In today’s episode, Nebraskan Trees and Shrubs for Bored Suburbanites, we chat with Heather Byers, owner of Great Plains Nursery, about keystone species, the best time of year to plant trees, and beautiful and native options for woody plants humans, pollinators, and yes, even squirrels can enjoy.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Heather Byers

Heather Byers is a native tree enthusiast and, along with her husband Brian, owner of Great Plains Nursery near Weston, NE. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2006 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Horticulture Production and shortly after started the business with a passion for growing and planting native trees and shrubs and sharing the importance of native plants for the ecosystem. 

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by Lauritzen Gardens:

laurtizengardens.org

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The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

TRIGGER WARNING: We occasionally discuss plants with a more eastern or western range. But we make a point to only discuss midwestern U.S. plants. Always check BONAP or other range maps to determine the best estimates of historical nativity.

Top Trees and Shrubs at Great Plains Nursery

Most of the plants we discuss can be found online at https://greatplainsnursery.com/

Although there are differences between Eastern and Western Nebraska, Heather stresses planting trees and shrubs with high ecological value.

Her recommendations for Eastern NE:

Oaks, baby!

Did you know that oaks support 500 species of caterpillars. And consequentially, oaks support a variety of birds such as bluejays (beautiful jerks) and species of warblers. Many different kinds of oaks to choose from such as:

• Chinquapin or Dwarf Chinquapin Oak (great for smaller spaces)
• Chestnut Oak
• Hills Oak
• Red Oak
• Burr Oak

Some recommendations for Western NE:

• Burr Oak
• Hackberry
• American...

In today’s episode, Alternative Lawns: Not Your Grandmother's Turfgrass, we go over different options for replacing lawn, why you'll be happy to make the jump, and tried and true ways to replace and maintain your new landscape.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by Lauritzen Gardens:

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Rehash our first episode if you are new to the podcast or our wonderful edible plants series here!

• What are Native Plants Anyway?
• Native Edible Plants Series with Bob Henrickson:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Books to Read

• Iwigara
• Native American Ethnobotany

Why Lawns Aren't Sustainable or Healthy

• Pesticide and herbicide runoff pollutes groundwater, rivers, and streams
• Kids are exposed to pesticide and herbicide residues while playing 
• Birds, pollinators, and other wildlife are exposed to residues while foraging and traveling which can result in disease, illness, and death . I mentioned there is plenty of research out there. Here are some of many, many articles discussing:

In today's episode, In Rebellion Against the Neat and Tidy, we go over why seemingly perfect gardens are not sustainable and address common garden myths that may prevent you and others from growing native gardenscapes.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Over-curated, over-groomed, over-mulched gardens are not sustainable

• We need to transition from over-consumption to being sustainable producers for our local ecosystems. 
• Let’s make less chemical and plastic waste and save ourselves time and moolah!
• Mulching is unnatural and so tedious!!! Why do it every year? That’s the definition of insanity! Mulch once- you heard me- just once, and let nature do its thing by injecting in ground covers, sedges, and native grasses to inhibit weeds and create a full landscape.
• Don’t deadhead, just don’t do it. 

For a low maitenence garden, know your plants.

• Don’t overtend them.
• Wait to cut back perennials until spring.
• And please for the love of all things Mother Earth, let wild plants go a little wild. 

“The Green Thumb” isn’t real! And neither is half the other crap we believe.

• You do not need to be Michael Jordan to play basketball, you don’t have to be some sort of crazy garden-savant to garden. It’s (actual) fake news!!!

No, native gardens DON’T require a lot of time and money.

• Imagine how much time Karen next door expends mowing, mulching, weeding, trimming hedges, fertilizing, watering, and spraying chemicals on a monthly basis. You see where I’m going with this?
• Also, boxwoods and hydrangeas aren’t cheap. 
• Start small and work from there. Repeat after me: START SMALL. You can always go full-metal-maximalist in a few year’s time. 

No, native gardens DON’T increase allergy symptoms 

• But that monoculture of allergy-causing turf grass? Public enemy #1

No, bees and wasps will NOT sting everyone .

• They may sting your daughter if she tries to pet their fuzzy little bodies. But mostly they are out to… you guessed it… find other insect prey, nectar, pollen, sleeping places, mating places, among other things that bees and wasps...

In today's episode, Softer Landings, we chat with Heather Holm, pollinator conservationist and author, about leaf litter, the mighty oak, and what we can do to make more “habitable” habitats in often underutilized understory. Thanks for listening! 

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Heather Holm

Heather Holm is a pollinator conservationist and award-winning author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award. Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is a National Honorary Director of Wild Ones and also serves on the boards of several non-profits: Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary and Friends of Minnetonka Parks.

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Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

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Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

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Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Visit Heather’s site and get pollinator educated!

• Heather’s site: www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com you will find lots of amazing stuff and lose about 3 hours of your day! You’re welcome!
• Soft landings: https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/softlandings.html 

Keystone plants: what does that even mean?

• Heather’s free handout on keystone plants!

In today's episode, Native Edible Plants Part 3: Nuts, Blossoms, and Fruits, we chat with Bob Henrickson from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum about rabbit holes, unripe black walnut liqueur and even more native plants to add to your edible garden.  

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a freelance garden designer, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Bob Henrickson

Bob Henrickson attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology in the School of Natural Resources. Currently, Bob is the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc., a private, non-profit organization and program of the Nebraska Forest Service. Bob is also a Nebraska Certified Nurseryman and a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. Bob has hosted a live, call-in gardening talk show called How’s it Growin’ on a community radio station in Lincoln since 2000. He is passionate about native plants, herbs, dried flowers, vegetable gardening, wild mushrooms, and wild edible plants.

Thank you, Bob, for providing some rich and interesting content for this episode!

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Native American Ethnobotany 

I again gleaned some info from Daniel Moerman’s Native American Ethnobotany

This is a great tome that may be an inspiring winter time read. Just be prepared to tuck in for a good long while. 

NSA needs your membership!

Check them out at plantnebraska.org. Just last year, 15 schools were given free gardens and over 45,000 plants, shrubs, and trees were put in the ground. Pretty impressive! Definitely worthy of your support!

NOW TO THE PLANTS!

American Hazelnut Corylus americana - nutmeats 

Iroquois used nutmeats crushed and mixed with bread, hominy, mashed potatoes. Ponca, Winnebago, and Omaha tribes used as a body for soup.

Tough plant, great for songbird nesting, early fall color, sweet little catkins in spring. 

Look up Kay Young’s hazelnut cake recipe. Multi-season plant if there ever was one. 

Shagbark hickory Carya ovata- nuts

Nutmeats were mixed into bread crushed or whole a lot like American hazelnut but I read several tribes used hickory chips made from the exfoliating bark to make hickory bark syrup. 

Nuts can...

In today's episode, Patience, Mistakes, and #gardengoals, we go over common mistakes beginner and even intermediate gardeners can make; the virtues of serenity, patience, and open-mindedness in the garden; and how your best-laid plans can come true.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

#gardengoals

• Don't be rigid
• Do have fun
• Don't fall on the sword of perfectionism
• Don't worry about every little weed
• Do think about what your spaces to be
• Do be thoughtful
• Do make a plan, but don't be afraid to deviate from it

Failures are the star-stuff dreams are made of

You know how we are all just leftover particles from dead stars?

The very beginning of human knowledge is screwing up, or at the very least, understanding how things work.

Failure= Understanding Success

We can also acknowledge beautiful things unfolding from devastating realties. Waxing philosophical now...

That being said there may be mistakes you'd like to avoid altogether:

Mistake #1: All planning and no action.

Don't plan stuff out and then not do it. Don't do that to yourself, it's not nice.

• Don't panic! We can help you think of ideas! https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society
• You can take Monarch Gardens classes https://www.monarchgard.com/classes.html
• Prairie Moon has some layouts to get you started: https://www.prairiemoon.com/PDF/2020-Prairie-Moon-Nursery.Garden-Kit-Layout-Suggestion_WEB.pdf

Mistake #2: Ignoring the house front.

The front of your house should be the first place you look to make a statement about natural spaces and it's likely the one you frequent the most. Just remember:

• Use cues to care

In today's episode, Native Edible Plants Part Two, we go over some benefits of homegrown food, what native prairie plants make interesting and excellent veggies, some extra benefits these plants provide.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Bob Henrickson

Bob Henrickson attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology in the School of Natural Resources. Currently, Bob is the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc., a private, non-profit organization and program of the Nebraska Forest Service. Bob is also a Nebraska Certified Nurseryman and a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. Bob has hosted a live, call-in gardening talk show called How’s it Growin’ on a community radio station in Lincoln since 2000. He is passionate about native plants, herbs, dried flowers, vegetable gardening, wild mushrooms and wild edible plants.

Thank you, Bob, for providing some rich and interesting content for this episode!

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Why shouldn’t we leave food to supermarkets?

There are many benefits to growing native Nebraska plants for food:

• Look at the reasons we list for part one! https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm/episode/native-edible-plants-part-one-wildflower-teas
• Thousands of miles away vs. front porch
• Native foods are edible AND tasty AND are likely not at your supermarket

Lamb's Quarters

Related to quinoa, lamb's quarters are a forager’s superfood! This is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. Tender leaves can be boiled like spinach or eaten raw as a green. Usually this one is weeded out, but maybe we all make a designated space for it and reap the wealth! Wilts quickly so put it in a cooler of ice immediately after harvesting.

Bob is again asking you to read Wild Seasons by Kay Young

Look up Creamed Lamb’s Quarters with Mushrooms. This article by Bob https://hles.unl.edu/weed-em-eat-em. Or roast it with sunflower oil. Just let it have a corner of your garden....

In today's episode, Prairies, Pragmatism, and Pollinators, we chat with Benjamin Vogt of Monarch Gardens about reconciliation ecology, the humble dandelion, and messy landscapes.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Benjamin Vogt

Benjamin Vogt is owner of the prairie-inspired design firm Monarch Gardens. He is author of the best-selling books A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future, as well as Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design. Benjamin's design work has been featured in The American Gardener, Dwell, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Midwest Living, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Through his business he offers a variety of resources such as consulting, design, online classes, webinars, garden guides, articles, and more. 

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

The new book of Benjamin's we talk about:

Benjamin Vogt- Prairie Up

Follow Milk The Weed on Facebook

Make America prairie again- or at the very least feel good as that phrase floats through your brain.

Milk The Weed https://www.facebook.com/MonarchGardensLLC

Bringing the Prairie Home

Bringing Nature Home- An idea championed by Tallamy that we can make hyper-local.

Can we really bring the prairie home? No. But we can embrace the echo of what's been lost. Metal...

Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy

Why did it take people so long to care about native plants?

Ben promises we won't regret reading his other book A New Garden Ethic

But mostly people suck (we see gardens as ours but they are shared spaces!)

Plant attributes

Habit, lifespan, wildlife support, bloom time, etc. etc. Think of how these qualities will work together, not just in and of themselves.

Floral fidelity

Bees have an easier go when you plant in masses and drifts. Help a hardworking worker bee out!

A Garden Perpetually in Bloom

But Ben wants you to know how much especially likes fall and how much he especially dislikes the chiggers of summer.

For real though, do dandelions really need saving?

To read Ben's blog post in...

In today's episode, Native Edible Plants Part One: Wildflower Teas, we go over some benefits of homegrown food, what native prairie plants make interesting and excellent herbal teas, some extra benefits these plants provide.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Bob Henrickson

Bob Henrickson attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology in the School of Natural Resources. Currently, Bob is the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc., a private, non-profit organization and program of the Nebraska Forest Service. Bob is also a Nebraska Certified Nurseryman and a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. Bob has hosted a live, call-in gardening talk show called How’s it Growin’ on a community radio station in Lincoln since 2000. He is passionate about native plants, herbs, dried flowers, vegetable gardening, wild mushrooms and wild edible plants.

Thank you, Bob, for providing some rich and interesting content for this episode!

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Why should Nebraskans grow food at home? Can't we just eat corn and hamburgers and guzzle it down with our favorite sugary death trap?

There are many benefits to growing native Nebraska plants for food:

• Access to foods high in nutrition value
• Wide range of food options from diversely planted gardens give us rich diversity in diet
• Other health benefits of native plants
• Furthering the food movement
• Endless Forage
• Free
• Gathering feels earned
• Also (we didn't mentioned this in the episode but should have,) food gathered at home is FRESH. It hasn't been picked underripe, packaged, and shipped thousands of miles to you. It's the original farm-to-table.

Bob wants you to read Wild Seasons by Kay Young

Just go read it.

Harvest tea plants in their bud and flower stage, preferably under a full moon.

Apparently, the moon energy that causes ocean tides also has an effect on plant potency. Makes sense and also makes us sound like druids.

Tea plants! Because who doesn't like fancy home-brewed wildflower tea?

• Achillea Millefolium AKA Common or Western Yarrow

Bob says this tea isn't particularly tasty, but this is...

In today's episode, Demystifying the Native Shade Garden, we go over why we don't need to rely on exotics for these spaces and some native Nebraska plant choices you can inject for some habitat value and beauty in low light areas.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Go back and catch up on old episodes

-PLEASE PLEASE listen to Episode 1 if you haven't already which gives you a primer on what native plants even are, link here

Don't use exotic standbys for shade, go native!

Does the American garden need more hydrangeas, hostas, exotic ferns, lamium, astilbe, lily of the valley? No! While this is basically all that was available to the consumer for decades, it is not the truth (at all!) of what can be grown in totality here in the Midwest.

Native plant gardens create habitat!

Say it with us: back-yard-con-serv-ation.

Exotic plants are:

• expensive- require teams to engineer and zhuzh
• freakishly small- but seriously why is everything 2 feet or under
• alien in terms of form and color- double coneflowers? all the colors of the rainbow? yeah, probably not good for pollinators.

WHAT YOU CAN PLANT IN FULL SHADE (not a complete list, just ideas people)

• Snakeroot- wild and delicate (just like my daughter,) white blooms, found in the wild virtually everywhere here
• American Columbine- sweet little red and yellow bell shaped flowers, attracts hummingbirds
• poke milkweed- yes, a shade milkweed for monarchs!
• sweet Joe pye- tall, gorgeous, fragrant, unusual (like my husband)
• wild blue phlox divaricata- amazing blue in nature, graceful, looks good everywhere
• the Solomon's- (Solomon's seal, Solomon's plume, starry Solomon's plume) tasteful, traditional looking, will not offend your nana's sensibilities
• wild garlic- sweet and unassuming native allium, allium canadense
• goldenrods- zig zag goldenrod, elm leaf goldenrod, regionally native blue stemmed goldenrod; at the end of the day you really can't have too many goldenrods
• asters- heart leaf aster(you really won't regret planting this one,) Drummond's aster
• mint- wild mint, smells heavenly, but might be...

In today's episode, The DIY Prairie Garden, we go over a short breakdown of what a prairie is, some unique medicinal and edible qualities of native prairie plants, how to site prep, and what plants and grasses to use in your very own meadowscape.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Go back and catch up on old episodes

-PLEASE PLEASE listen to Episode 1 if you haven't already which gives you a primer on what native plants even are, link here

-Episode 2 is also helpful link here

Understand that a prairie is an ecosystem, one that we've killed off

Like the idea of a wildflower meadow? We do too. And Nebraska was naturally a wildflower meadow before the Waltons, Big Ag, and developers had their way. Something like 99% of the original prairie is gone. Very sad deal, and a compelling reason to ditch your lawn for native plants.

Not all prairies are created equal

Different ecoregions, different plants. See here

In short, you have: tall grass prairie, shortgrass prairie, mixed grass prairie depending on geography and subdivisions of mesic prairie, dry prairie, and wet prairie depending on elevation and nearby proximity to water.

Also, prairie ecosystems extend into Colorado, Minnesota, south towards Texas, or even further east into Indiana. There's plants that have residency in different parts of this range and what's wonderful is we can have uniquely beautiful and beneficial Nebraska gardens and what that looks like in Scottsbluff, Lincoln, and Omaha can have slight differences between them.

Our focus: Tallgrass Prairie 

I am obviously bias, hailing from the Omaha area. But you can find links to shortgrass and mixed grass ideas here:

Some of the inspiration for today's chat on tallgrass prairie:

• UNL publication

We will be back on for new episodes bi-weekly from August 14th-December 4th! Until then...

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

• The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Local Plant Suppliers

Midwest Natives Nursery

Bumbling Bee Native Wildflowers

Great Plains Nursery

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum

Prairie Legacy Nursery

Mulhall's

Online Plant Suppliers

Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Nursery

Stock Seed

What Makes a Plant Native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (native plant cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

Bellevue Native Plant Society on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

Additional Resources

• NSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and downloads
•  Xerxes Society- champions of pollinator health
•  Native Plant Finder- https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/

Other Local...

In today's episode, we chat with Chris Helzer, director of science for the Nature Conservancy about our misconceptions surrounding bugs, some fascinating examples of bees, beetles, et al., and why we should merge beauty and utility in our gardens.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Chris Helzer

Chris Helzer is Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska, where he conducts research and evaluates prairie management and restoration work. He is also dedicated to raising awareness about the value of prairies through his photography, writing and presentations. Chris is author of The Prairie Ecologist blog, and two books: The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States and Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter. He is also a frequent contributor to NEBRASKAland magazine and other publications.  Chris and his family live in Aurora, Nebraska.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Chris' photography

-Check it out here:  https://prairieecologist.com/

Land Management

We need to be responsible stewards. Every landscape needs management to be its most efficient, especially since us humans have introduced invasive species to habitats. Land management people use tools like fire and methods to remove these invasive species to keep the land healthy.

Bug Terror

Only a few species round here are truly dangerous- think brown recluse, ticks, or disease carrying mosquitos. But Chris is really trying to let you know- they aren't out to get you. It's not all about you. I'm looking at you, Babs.

Should sci-fi writers keep depicting aliens as insect-like?

When we learn more about insects and we learn to tolerate them better, they stop being alien and they start being fascinating.

Is it a bad characterization to label insects as either beneficial or pests?

Yes! This is not only lazy but giving very incomplete info. Are we strictly divided into pools of bad and good people? No, of course not!

Bugs are bugs. They are diverse and they provide diverse functions. Ignorance is why people want to file things into black and white categories. Don't be ignorant, Babs, it's not a good look for you.

Misconceptions about bees and...

In today's episode we interview Dr. Tyler Moore, associate professor of biology at Bellevue University and President of Green Bellevue about how native gardens influence microbial soil communities, carbon sequestration, the photosynthesis you might have forgotten about since grade school, and your mother-in-law's turf grass. Come hang out with us as we talk some science.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Dr. Tyler Moore

Tyler is a professor of biology at Bellevue University and current president of Green Bellevue. He received his bachelors degree in biology and his PhD in microbiology and molecular biology from UNL. He also completed a post -doctorate fellowship at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease.

At BU, Tyler, students, and other faculty are using a recently-installed 10,000 square-foot native plant meadow to study how native plants contribute to campus biodiversity and to study adaptations of invertebrates in natural settings.

He has co-authored many academic papers and his recent research we are talking about today is studying how native gardens impact the soil microbial community.

Thank you, Tyler, for helping us provide some great content in today's talk!

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

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The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Background for this chat:

-The Academic Paper : Baldi, D.S., Humphrey, C.E., Kyndt, J.A. et al. Native plant gardens support more microbial diversity and higher relative abundance of potentially beneficial taxa compared to adjacent turf grass lawns. Urban Ecosyst (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-022-01325-5

-Read an article about it here!

Tyler's photography hobby

-Check it out here:  https://www.natureamongus.com/ 

Green Bellevue

championing various green initiatives in Bellevue such as zero waste and increasing native habitat

Sequencing

It all sounds very science-y and beyond me but so very cool... Analyzing genetics of...

In today's episode we interview Nathan Duffy, owner of Midwest Natives Nursery in Lincoln and dive into what native plants are low maintenance, what cold stratification is, his take on the native plants dialogue, and more!

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Nathan Duffy

Nathan is the owner of Midwest Natives Nursery, a production and retail greenhouse operation in Lincoln, Nebraska that specializes in the sustainable cultivation of Great Plains-native perennial wildflowers and grasses. Nathan attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln where he graduated with a degree in Horticulture in 2018. Having become fascinated with native pollinators and wildflowers during his studies but noticing a lack of availability of such plants at local garden centers, he felt compelled to put his talents to good use and founded Midwest Natives Nursery that same year in order to share his passion and vision with the community.

Thank you, Nathan, for helping us provide some great content in today's talk!

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Midwest Natives Nursery

-only native plants, no cultivars

-a local, truly full-scale nursery with only occasional plant stock acquired elsewhere

Why regionally native?

State boundaries are arbitrary. Regionally is locally in many respects.

Why doesn't Nathan sell more fall stuff?

A lot of plants need colder temps to germinate. Spring plants often sell out and to have more for fall, it all has to be regrown again from seed. Now you know...

Cold stratification? That sounds like something super science-y.

A lot of seeds need certain conditions, like cold (winter) conditions, to germinate. Thus, throwing those babies in a wet, coffee filter and then a single-use plastic baggie we assure you we will reuse many, many times. Boiling, soaking, planting in milk jugs: us plant nerds know how to have fun. Find some detailed germination guides at www.prairiemoon.com.

We want more than 300+ kinds of plants, Nathan. What gives?

Nathan assures us he is going to try to produce woodland spring ephemerals and woody plants eventually,

In today's episode we chat with Bob Henrickson, the horticultural program coordinator for the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum about upcoming events, his picks for a rain garden, historical uses of prairie plants, and much, much more. We're excited to share this with you. Thanks for listening.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast. 

Guest Bob Henrickson

Bob Henrickson attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology in the School of Natural Resources. Currently, Bob is the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc., a private, non-profit organization and program of the Nebraska Forest Service. Bob is also a Nebraska Certified Nurseryman and a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. Bob has hosted a live, call-in gardening talk show called How’s it Growin’ on a community radio station in Lincoln since 2000. He is passionate about native plants, herbs, dried flowers, vegetable gardening, wild mushrooms and wild edible plants.

Thank you, Bob, for providing some rich and interesting content for this episode!

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon 

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum- Find them here

Purchase Details/Sale Dates: Click here to view the calendar TIX here

Spring Affair Preview Party and Public Sale April 27th-29th

Omaha Extension Office Appearance May 13th 9am-12 pm

Fontenelle Forest Appearance June 17th 9am-12pm

How's it Growin? Radio Show-https://kzum.org/howsitgrowin/

Prairie 3 Mix:

Little Bluestem, Blue Grama, and Side Oats Grama- A good baseline for your habitat soundscape

Aggressive Plants:

When we say something is aggressive, that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to plant them. Just know that they excel at domination. Some we brought up today: partridge pea, Jerusalem artichoke,

BEE...

In today's episode we chat with Dr. Kay Kottas, the president and owner of Prairie Legacy, a Nebraska- based native plant nursery and consulting company. We discuss some great prairie plants to add to the garden, why prairies are important, and what you can do to help further the native plants dialog. Thanks for joining us!

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Dr. Kay Kottas

Our esteemed guest for today is Dr. Kay Kottas, President of the Nebraska Native Plant Society.  She is also owner and President of Prairie Legacy Inc, a botanical consulting company providing environmental surveys and supplying native local ecotype plants and seed.

Kay has a Doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska where she completed demographic research on Nebraska’s Federally endangered Blowout Penstemon. She taught North American Plant identification and horticulture at UNL and Botany at Nebraska Wesleyan prior to purchasing the family farm, Witt’s End Homestead , settled by her ancestors in 1857.  Today, she has converted the homestead into a native plant and seed production nursery.  She continues to travel the state where surveys and analysis of native land is needed to help determine restoration guidelines and management needs. 

Kay is Chair of the Nebraska Native Seed & Plant Producers, a group committed to helping people preserve the ecological integrity of local ecoregions by providing seed, plants and information related to native prairie.

Thank you, Kay, for providing some rich and interesting content for this episode!

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

Nebraska Native Plant Society- Find them on Facebook here

Prairie Legacy- https://prairielegacyinc.com/

Purchase Details/Sale Dates:

Order Online! Get a discount up through April by typing in the promotion code spring15. Fast shipping in a few business days by USPS

Dates in Lincoln: Weekly deliveries to Lucky Dog Acres, Return of the Thunderbirds 4/1, Earth Day 4/15

Omaha delivery date late April, possibly in attendance at Mulhall's Wild Plant Party this year

Shortgrass and Tallgrass Prairies:

Apparently just because it's called a tall grass prairie doesn't mean there...

In today's episode we break down what makes a plant native, why to grow them, where to source them for your garden, and where you can learn more about planting native.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

What makes a plant native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

https://www.prairienursery.com

https://www.prairiemoonnursery.com

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

BNPS aforementioned

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska

Local Plant Suppliers

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum- Spring Affair event in Lincoln

Midwest Natives Nursery- Lincoln

Great Plains Nursery

Prairie Legacy Nursery

Online Plant Suppliers

Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Nursery

Places to Visit for Inspiration

In today’s episode, Native Plant Horticulture in Nebraska, we chat with director of conservation at Lauritzen Gardens, Jim Locklear, about the decision-making behind choosing plants for botanic gardens, the crossroads between aesthetic spaces and conservation, and why the preservation of native plant communities is still important.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Jim Locklear

Jim Locklear has been the director of conservation at Lauritzen Gardens since 2010. He has a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Central Missouri and a master's in plant and soil science from Southern Illinois University. He formerly served as director of the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Kansas and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. He recently published a new book titled, In the Country of the Kaw, about the midwestern watershed of the Kaw River and its history.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by Lauritzen Gardens:

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Native Plant Horticulture in Nebraska

• Native plant horticulture is characterized by using native plants in the region...but native gardens don't have to be prairie. There are many types of garden styles that can utilize native plants and there are many different ecosystems in Nebraska including wetlands, oak hickory forest, shortgrass tall grass and mixed grass prairies, and others that correspondingly have varied native plants native to those environments.
• Using non-natives is not forbidden, but native plants are emphasized for their habitat value.
• Some of the challenges being faced by the industry and horticulturalists are obtaining seed/stock, propagation issues, and appealing to traditional consumers. Mulhall's (https://mulhalls.com/) is helping to change the game on native plants in the mainstream and take it out of a strictly niche market.

Studying Rare Ecosystems, Different Habitats, and Wildlife Activity at...

In today’s episode, The Native Patio Garden, we go over why Native American plants are important for non-home dwellers to consider, how we can rework container garden philosophy using native plants, and which native plants can hack it in smaller square footage than the average garden. Dive deeper into today's episode by visiting our Patreon @patreon.com/PlantNativeNebraska .

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by Lauritzen Gardens:

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

You do not need a yard to contribute to conservation!

More people are trying native plants in container gardens. Although a lot of prairie plants have taproots or extensive root systems, there are some shallower-rooting options to try. If you are trying out things or have experience at growing native plants in container gardens, please email us your stories and successes at plantnativenebraska@outlook.com.

DO: Get Large Pots

The larger the better. Get crafty and recycle old whiskey barrels, 5 gallon buckets, or just pick some up at your local plant rescue, thrift store, or off Facebook marketplace. Big box stores and nurseries are okay too.

Make good soil.

Potting mix tossed with a bit of compost will do just fine but look up some DIY potting soil compositions online. Some mix in sand or vermiculite. Many good ways to make a nice container mix.

Prepare to take care of your plants

Water thine plants and to thine own self be true.

Thanks for listening!

Native Patio Pots For Shade!

Thrillers

• VIRGINIA WILD RYE Elymus virginicus
• CALICO ASTER Symphyotrichum laterifolius (regional)
• HEARTLEAF ASTER Symphyotrichum cordifolius
• OSTRICH FERN

Fillers

• BLACK EYED SUSAN Rudbeckia hirta or fulgida (regional)
• WESTERN YARROW...

In today’s episode, Lessons From the Prairie, we chat with Chris Helzer about invasive species, what makes a landscape ecologically resilient, and why we don't have to recreate the past for the present to be meaningful.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Chris Helzer

Chris Helzer is Director of Science and Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska, where he conducts research and supervises the Conservancy’s preserve stewardship program. He also helps develop and test prairie management and restoration strategies. Chris is also dedicated to raising awareness about the value of prairies through his photography, writing and presentations. He is the author of The Prairie Ecologist blog, and two books: The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States and Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter. He is also a frequent contributor to NEBRASKAland magazine and other publications. 

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by Lauritzen Gardens:

laurtizengardens.org

Today's episode is also sponsored by Lucky Toad Restorative Gardens:

https://www.luckytoadgardens.com/

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

I gleaned talking points from Chris's blog, The Prairie Ecologist, which you can and should read here!

• Insects and invertebrates are very important to ecosystem function: help soil fertility, insect biomass, ant engineers, species balance (predators and prey,) seed dispersal, bird food, pollination.
• A prairie is only as good as its ecological resilience: Habitat size/ connectivity to other habitats and biodiversity is important. A landscape needs to be malleable and able to deal with changes because nature isn't static. A large diverse community is best able to adapt to changes.
• Management...

In today’s episode, The Very Real Importance of Pollinators, we chat with Jennifer Hopwood and Rae Powers from the Xerces Society about the importance of pollinators in what foods make it to our plate, why European honeybees can't do all of the work, and some ways you can help pollinators at home.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Jennifer Hopwood

Jennifer Hopwood is Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. She has a master's in entomology from the University of Kansas. She provides resources and training for pollinator and beneficial insect habitat management and restoration in a variety of landscapes. Jennifer is co-author of several books, including Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, Farming with Soil Life, 100 Plants to Feed the Bees, and a roadside revegetation manual.

Guest Rae Powers

Rae Powers is a Pollinator Conservation Specialist with The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Rae works with farmers, ranchers, and others to identify wildlife conservation opportunities and promote pollinator and beneficial insect habitat across landscapes through the Natural Resources Conservation Services. She has a master's in plant ecology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has worked in grassland restoration and management and native plant production. 

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode sponsored by Midwest Natives Nursery:

https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives

https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery/

Today's episode is also sponsored by Lauritzen Gardens:

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

In today’s episode, The Modern Botanist, we examine what modern gardening can look like within the native plants framework, different tools you can use to get “spec’d out” in your gardening abilities, and why it matters more than ever to bring back gardening as part of a healthy lifestyle. 

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode sponsored by Midwest Natives Nursery:

https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives

https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery/

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Growing 

Get nerdy and grow your own plants!

Start with a good potting soil. This could be Pro-Mix or a Berger mix or another recommended potting soil. You can even google how to make your own potting soil and mix the components up in a wheelbarrow. It’s fun to experiment!

Pre-moisten your soil in a tubtrug or wheelbarrow or 5 gal bucket.

Get seed trays: one drain tray (example: 1020 seed starting tray), one cell tray(example 72 cell seed tray,) and humidity domes. Bootstrap Farmer has really good ones:

https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/collections/plug-trays/products/extra-strength-72-cell-seedling-starter-trays

https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/collections/1020-trays-and-flats/products/1020-trays-multi-color

Bottom water when your soil starts to get dry so your seedlings don't get washed out.

Pack the cell trays with soil. Knead those puppies down.

Plant seeds at right depth (per instructions on packet.) Plant two to three seeds in the middle of each cell for best germination. You can cull or up-pot extra seedlings.

What I’ve been doing for labels is using my Brother label maker and taking one popsicle stick, place one label at the

In today's episode, Native Edible Plants Part 4, we chat with Bob Henrickson about survival foods, how to make native Shirley Temples, and which native plant has been used as a spice for centuries. If you don't like rabbit holes, this episode will be a dangerous romp through Gardenland.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Bob Henrickson

Bob attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology in the School of Natural Resources. Currently, Bob is the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc., a private, non-profit organization and program of the Nebraska Forest Service. His responsibilities include assisting affiliated arboretum sites with plant collection development and to acquire, propagate and produce native and other resilient landscape plants for plant sales to our members and the public. Bob has hosted a live, call-in gardening talk show called How’s it Growin’ on a community radio station in Lincoln since 2000. He is passionate about native plants, herbs, dried flowers, vegetable gardening, wild mushrooms and wild edible plants. 

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode sponsored by Midwest Natives Nursery:

https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives

https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery/

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Wild strawberry- Fragaria virginiana

Wild strawberry is so very pretty, and I hear from people all the time they have this in their yard. But they are mistaking false strawberry for our native one. The leaves are larger than false strawberry and the small flowers are white and not yellow.

Makes a great edible ground cover. Plant with violets for more fun!

Early bloomer.

Maybe make a sedge meadow with strawberries.

Hackberry- one of the earliest plants eaten by humans

An understory tree, you see this everywhere...

In today's episode, The Prairie Herbalist , we chat with Rachel Liester about food as medicine, the best herbal salve ever, and how you can grow a pharmacy in your garden.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Rachel Liester

Rachel Liester is an ethnobotanist, bioregional herbalist, educator, naturalist, writer and photographer. She specializes in prairie plants and has a five-acre herb farm and learning center in northeast Nebraska where she's been teaching about traditional uses of herbs as food and medicine for 30 years. Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLC is part of United Plants Saver's Botanical Sanctuary Network, a Certified Wildlife Habitat, a Monarch Waystation and a haven of peace and tranquility where Rachel hosts events, retreats, classes and wild herb walks and encourages visitors to experience Nature's healing touch.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Red Road Retreat and Learning Center

• on the web: http://www.redroadherbs.com/
• on Facebook: Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLCFacebook 

Prairie Herbalist Conference- classes and intensives designed to give you the expertise to be an herbalist- in Nebraska, by golly! Let's make it a glamping extravaganza this year. Dates in July. Check the site above!

Home Herbalist Program- Growing, Harvesting, and Creating 101

Rugel's plantain AKA Plantago rugelii : good for bug bites, eczema., inflammation, trapped thorns

Stinging nettle AKA Urtica dioica-full of vitamins, minerals, and antihistamines. Consider it a worthy weed and know it's stings are very effective for arthritis pain. Also know it's stinging sensation dissipates once cooked. Sick of hearing about Kay Young's Wild Seasons? If so, you're listening to the wrong podcast.

Wild bergamot AKA Monarda fistulosa AKA aswego tea

• member of mint family
• mosquito repellant,...

In today’s episode, Rain Gardens for the Reluctant Gardener, we chat with Steve Rodie about just how much water comes off your roof in a single rain, what the heck bioswales are, and some tried and true native plants to select for your rain garden projects.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Steve Rodie

Steve Rodie retired in 2020 from 26 years of teaching, research, and extension at the University of Nebraska. He is currently an Emeritus Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at UNO. During his academic career, he focused his teaching and research on landscape plants, landscape and environmental appreciation and sustainability, sustainable landscape design, and green infrastructure stormwater management using rain gardens, bioretention gardens, and other best management practices. 

Steve is also a registered landscape architect and worked on environmental assessments and visual resources analyses for almost 10 years in Colorado and California. In 2012, he was elected as a Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Midwest Natives Nursery

www.midwestnativesnursery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives

https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

TRIGGER WARNING: We occasionally discuss plants with a more eastern or western range. But we make a point to only discuss midwestern U.S. plants. Always check BONAP or other range maps to determine the best estimates of historical nativity.

625 GALLONS OF WATER

That's how much an 1000 square foot roof sheds with the average rain.

In a...

In today’s episode, The Dark Side of Native Plants: Fandoms, Gatekeeping, Anxiety, Pretense, and What You Can Do To Avoid Their Pitfalls, we discuss exactly that.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Midwest Natives Nursery

www.midwestnativesnursery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives

https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

ATTENTION: Today’s episode is marked explicit for a single, well-placed F-bomb.

Roadblocks to Our New Way of Life

• Interesting opinions-from surprising sources! 
• Expensive workshops
• Paywalls
• Feeling like you have to sign up for email lists 

Today’s Public Service Announcement:

Beware of the Gatekeepers 

You DON’T need to buy a certain book, or take certain classes. There are wonderful organizations that work very hard to provide this education to you for FREE such as:

• The Xerces Society 
• Pollinator Partnership
• Homegrown National Park 
• National Wildlife Federation

That being said, we DO recommend wonderful authors on our show such as:

• Heather Holm
• Douglas Tallamy 
• Jim Locklear 
• Rick Darke 
• Enrique Salmon 
• Benjamin Vogt 

We also DO recommend...

In today's episode, Fall in Love with Native Plants, we go over why not to neglect the three season garden and the many native perennials and grasses you can incorporate for fall interest.

We've dug into our archives and given new life to an old episode. Come for a refresh on some great native fall-blooming plants in case you need some ideas for some last-ditch fall projects.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

I've gleaned a lot of today's fun insect info from Heather Holm's book Pollinators of Native Plants: https://amzn.to/3ZyEK85

Go find her podcast episode from last October for more seasonally-relevant info!

Fall Plant Families

• Asters 

New England aster

• Come one come all bees, butterflies, and moths!
• Host plant for pearl crescent butterfly
• Caters to specialist Andrea mining bee
• Nectar source for small carpenter bees, leaf cutter bees, bumblebees, green sweat bees
• Nectar source for arcigera flower moth
• Nectar source for buckeye and crescent butterflies 
• Nectar and pollen for syrphid flies, soldier beetles
• Beautiful color, nice tall aster for a moist area of your garden

Also:

heath aster

Looks like a snowy blanket in bloom ('snow flurry') or if using the straight native species, like snow covered branches reaching up

Growth habit from 1 foot to 3 feet, two completely different habits depending on if you use 'snow flurry cultivar' or the straight native species

Other utility: long lived aster, suited for dry, tough areas

silky aster

Looks very delicate, grows around things, very wispy and ethereal 

Growth habit up to 1 foot and a half 

heartleaf...

Show notes coming soon!

Show notes coming soon!

Episode Introduction

In today’s episode, The Modern Gardener's Dilemma, I chat with my friend and garden designer Christina Musgrave on how the average person can fight overwhelm and tackle their garden projects with a dose of reason.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Christina Musgrave

Christina Musgrave has spent most of her life as an artist specializing in watercolor and printmaking. During COVID, Christina felt a strong desire to begin her garden journey and fell in love. After discovering the myriad benefits of native gardening, she changed her focus to converting her suburban lawn into pollinator habitat. As much as she enjoys gardening for herself, Christina felt a deep desire to assist others with their gardens as well as educate the necessity of pollinators to the environment. She has since returned to school to become a certified landscape designer and has started her own business, Kingsfoil Gardens.

Christina now uses her background in art and love of gardening to bring joy and appreciation for the native landscape.

Thanks so much for joining us Christina!

Episode Sponsors

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Listen, Rate, and Subscribe!

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The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

TRIGGER WARNING: We occasionally discuss plants with a more eastern or western range. But we make a point to only discuss midwestern U.S. plants. Always check BONAP or other range maps to determine the best estimates of historical nativity.

Kingsfoil Gardens

Visit Christina's website and learn more about her work and business at www.kingsfoilgardens.com

What Most Gardeners Would Do Differently

Plan first, tackle projects in small steps, and remember creating excellence takes time.

Cool Gardeners

Monty Don, UK gardener: not US native-plant focused, but has solid gardening knowledge and techniques

Piet Oudolf, dutch designer that does favor quite a few native plants: very artistic naturalistic landscapes,

Kelly Norris, garden designer and author from Iowa: visually stunning native plant-forward landscapes

How to Start Planning Your Landscape

• Make a list of what kinds of spaces you...

In today's episode, The Truth About Dandelions, we discuss what it means for a plant to be useful, what bees really want in their bento box, and resources for you to grow a rebellious garden year-round that humans and wildlife can enjoy.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Dandelions: Public Enemy #1 Vs. Freedom Fighter?

Our parents (I'm looking at you, boomers) and their parents bought in to the idea of pristine and high-maintenance landscapes and dandelions look like a rebellious boy on a motor-bike.

What Dandelions and Native Plants Have in Common

Both native and non-native plants can be judged for being unruly and not conforming to societal expectations for perfect, tidy landscapes. But in aspiring to have native-plant forward gardens, we try to rely less on ideal aesthetics and more on what is wholesome for wildlife but also, sustainable.

Respect What's Native Where It's Native While Also Acknowledging Naturalized Plants Can Have Useful Qualities.

What's native will change where you go. It varies across the U.S. and across the globe. There's a strong benefit to planting locally historical plants but that doesn't mean we need to demonize all non-native plants. One-size-fits all never really lives up to its name, does it?

A Little Backstory on the Dandelion

The Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is native to Europe and Asia and is a true herb of antiquity. So for those of you who might not know, it’s not native. 

Ancient Medical 

Has been hailed for its many medicinal uses including problems with the bladder, liver, and stomach.

Culinary Wonder

Every part of the plant is edible, which is unique for most plants. We’re talking salads, cooked greens, edible flowers, teas, wine. 

Indigenous Use

The Iroquois tribe alone used it for pain relief, to...

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

Welcome to a brand new season of Plant Native Nebraska. We have an incredible lineup of episodes this year that I am anxious to share with you. Thank you to all of our listeners, sponsors, supporters that have made another year of this podcast possible. 

As usual, the podcast will balance monologues and interviews to give you different perspectives navigating the world of native plants. 

This is not a native plant purist show, but it is a show that is pro-native plant. We acknowledge that not all native plants are superior and not all exotic plants are inferior at providing pollen or nectar. We also acknowledge that not all exotic plants are invasive. 

That being said, most landscapes without native plants are essentially food deserts. We’re not talking about your crazy neighbor’s garden that has a million annuals and exotics and is full of pollinators in the summer. We’re talking about the average person’s landscape of Kentucky bluegrass, Round-up dirt patches, a few evergreens, and a smattering of Asian shrubs for foundation plantings.  

Now, we aren’t here to trash non-native landscapes. Most folks simply don’t have the time, money, or know-how to do better. Thus, the reason this podcast exists! 

Most plants native to your location are suitable for your local climate, soil conditions, and are imperative for pollinator and wildlife health. This does not mean to plop a wetland plant in a dry, full-sun garden bed or to plant a prairie plant in your boggy backyard that’s always wet due to your neighbor’s sprinkling system. There’s a reason for the mantra, “Right plant, right place.” Although, who you ask about the right plant may lead to different results. Gardeners can be opinionated folks. 

Lucky for us, conservationists, educators, entomologists, botanists, nurserymen, authors, and other experts are making it easier than ever to know what native plants to plant where. The...

In today's episode, Patience, Mistakes, and #gardengoals, we go over common mistakes beginner and even intermediate gardeners can make; the virtues of serenity, patience, and open-mindedness in the garden; and how your best-laid plans can come true.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/

Find us on Facebook

Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm

Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska

Support My Work via Patreon

The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.

#gardengoals

• Don't be rigid
• Do have fun
• Don't fall on the sword of perfectionism
• Don't worry about every little weed
• Do think about what your spaces to be
• Do be thoughtful
• Do make a plan, but don't be afraid to deviate from it

Failures are the star-stuff dreams are made of

You know how we are all just leftover particles from dead stars?

The very beginning of human knowledge is screwing up, or at the very least, understanding how things work.

Failure= Understanding Success

We can also acknowledge beautiful things unfolding from devastating realties. Waxing philosophical now...

That being said there may be mistakes you'd like to avoid altogether:

Mistake #1: All planning and no action.

Don't plan stuff out and then not do it. Don't do that to yourself, it's not nice.

• Don't panic! We can help you think of ideas! https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society
• You can take Monarch Gardens classes https://www.monarchgard.com/classes.html
• Prairie Moon has some layouts to get you started: https://www.prairiemoon.com/PDF/2020-Prairie-Moon-Nursery.Garden-Kit-Layout-Suggestion_WEB.pdf

Mistake #2: Ignoring the house front.

The front of your house should be the first place you look to make a statement about natural spaces and it's likely the one you frequent the most. Just remember:

• Use cues to care

Show notes coming soon!