All things green, outdoors, and nature-y. Whether it's animals in their natural habitat, hiking trails and mountains, or planting a little garden for yourself (and everything in between), you can talk about it here.
See also our Environment community, which is focused on weather, climate, climate change, and stuff like that.
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This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Here is a quick article on high impact plants for supporting pollinators from Eric Toensmeier, author of Edible Forest Gardens and other books. The list is focused on Eastern and Central North America temperate areas.
Don't feel like reading it? Here is a snapshot of the plants listed and their flowering periods:
Curious about the full list of plants from Edible Forest Gardens mentioned in the article? Check out this link here
Hey all, I've created a catio (cat patio) for my two cats in a window well next to my desk. They absolutely love it, but I would like to make it even better for them by using real grass. Currently, I have a pretty good artificial grass in there that they love to lay in and stays green year 'round, which is fine enough. But I would really love to give them some real grass (or moss) to lay on and maybe even munch on.
So, with that backstory, I would love to find a grass that has the following traits.
It would also be a bonus if it were okay with more arid climates, because I would prefer to minimize watering as much as possible.
My mind goes to something like Spanish Moss since it stays relatively short and is pretty comfy, but I'm not sure if that's the best option, so I wanted to ask people more experience than me.
Picture of the window well in its current state and one of its occupants for reference below.
And for anyone concerned, the well is closed in with a grate and some chicken wire so they can't slip out. They are not outdoor cats, but we do take them out on harnesses for walks. They are treated for pests like tics and mites as a precaution.
Thanks anyone who answers!
I've mentioned it in the weekly thread but these are sitting an inch deep in nutrients and water. They drink it down, and I refill it when they need it. Its a hydroponic method called kratky. I don't have a hose or a lot of room so this might be a good solution for me. Excited to see how it goes!
[Image description: clusters of violets bloom in a section of our front yard]
My indoor growing space is bursting at the seams with mountain mint and some very leggy tomatoes I'm babysitting for a friend while she's on vacation. The weather has been relatively pleasant though, so I've gotten a few more things potted and several more trays going now as well.
• Some grasses, elderberry, and Carolina allspice in pots with some hibiscus cuttings in the box 
• Chokeberries, more elderberries, a few types of raspberries, and a few lowbush blueberries I've managed to keep alive after transplanting 
• Even more chokeberries, and a whole other type of raspberry (these ones are red) 
• Another round of brassicas started 
• My worksite supervisor taking a break under a second type of mountain mint I'm growing this year 
What's growing on with you all?
cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/692861243492956253
Everything is so green all of a sudden.
Potting continues here; there are almost eighty elderberries hanging out in our front yard right now in addition to the others (happy to share what the others are if anyone is actually curious). Overnight temperatures are still a little low for some of the transplants potted up this past week and I am running out of shelf space under lights indoors.
Our gardens up front are waking up and they always fill me with joy:
What's growing on with you all?
We're halfway through potting up all the plants we've overwintered, but are looking at temps below freezing for the next two nights. Today will be about getting covers ready for everything and setting up ambient warmth for several of our plants that are currently flowering. On my way home from a doctor's appointment, I stopped to pick up a cutting of a curly willow (Salix matsudana) from a woman in town whose tree was damaged in a recent snow storm.
This one cutting was turned into a dozen after I got home. I've planted out three or four and the remaining sections were loosely bundled and placed into our five gallon bucket with several other varieties of willow we're rooting in water.
What's growing on with you all?
[Image description: clusters of white cherry blossoms bloom along a branch]
[Image description: bundles of flower buds prepare to bloom]
[Image description: a Nan King cherry shows off its flowers and buds in several stages of development on a warm spring morning]
I'm sorry for missing last week, I was so in the thick of storm cleanup I genuinely forgot how days work. As an apology, here's a picture of one of our cherries ready to pop for spring: 
What's growing on with you all?
(Description: Image of Osmia bicornis (I think) chilling on a leaf and cleaning itself.)
picture of garden beds with plants or seeds, St Andrew’s Cross bush, a tree branch, and a berm
Buckwheat. (couldn't get drought-tolerant. sold out)
Cat grass
It took a few hours to cut the grass in today’s garden bed. It was a bit daunting and a bit tedious sometimes, and sometimes, I just wanted it to be over with; but other times, I was lazily lying on my mat and trimming the grass.
I started with cat grass on the edge of the bed since it’s on the edge of the garden plot, so if the neighbor cat comes back over, they might figure out that there’s a snack there for them. I had some buckwheat, today. I’m growing that as cover and maybe some food/seed.
I found a little more grass as I was dropping the initial type(s) of seed. Of course, this grass-cutting might be unnecessary, and a controlled burn might be easier. Like, if there's enough room for a fire, just piling up limbs or sticks that I'm trying to get rid of and burning them on a permitted day with a water hose nearby might make a great garden bed.
Didn't put any food crops with cat grass but did put cover crops. I hope the cats don't poop on my food crops! But if they do, I will clean it out, and I could let those crops go to seed? Some animal has dug some more in my plot and a bed. Previously, they had dug in the mulch near a garlic plant.🧄
With the big seeds, I can space them out by hand.
Stare-at-sky break, some stretches. No, I am not praying.
Not much drought.
I just go by one of those seed schedules that I see in seed stores or seed swaps. Didn't do that until last autumn.
When I walk by my food, grown full of nutrients, it's easy to harvest them
St Andrew's Cross volunteer who gets yellow cross flowers, provides seeds for birds & pollen for bees and butterflies, and might nurse the crops with shelter and shade during the scorching summers.
This started growing in my backyard and I have no clue what it is. Can you guys identify it?
