Journal Archives - Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes

Learning from Seeds: Winter Sowing, Seed Starting, and Youth Discovery

Posted on Jan 22nd, 2026Jan 22, 2026 | Journal

Long before winter sowing became a trending gardening topic online, Wild Ones members were already experimenting with seeds, soil, and seasonal cycles. In the Winter 1993 issue of The Outside Story, contributors shared practical guidance on seed stratification, cold-weather sowing, and hands-on ways to help young people understand how plants grow and move through the world. Continue reading "Learning from Seeds: Winter Sowing, Seed Starting, and Youth Discovery"

Manoomin: Wild Rice, Tribal sovereignty and the rights of nature in northern Minnesota 

Posted on Dec 21st, 2025Dec 30, 2025 | General, Journal

This article examines Manoomin v. Minnesota DNR, the first U.S. court case brought by a plant, exploring wild rice, Tribal sovereignty, and the rights of nature through the cultural and legal lens of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. Continue reading "Manoomin: Wild Rice, Tribal sovereignty and the rights of nature in northern Minnesota  "

Autumn’s Natural Skeletons and Witches

Posted on Oct 20th, 2024Oct 15, 2024 | Journal

Is there a skeleton in your garden? If your garden is a rain garden, two plants will make you think “skeletons” – mad dog skullcap and boneset. A member of the mint family, mad dog skull cap (Scutellaria lateriflora) blooms in mid to late summer. Early settlers believed that this plant cured rabies, hence the […] Continue reading "Autumn’s Natural Skeletons and Witches"

Creating Habitat for Snakes

Posted on Jul 15th, 2024Sep 24, 2024 | Journal

A great habitat will support all kinds of animals, even some that may not be included on your personal “desired animal” list. Many people aren’t concerned if they see an owl, rabbit, fox or turtle in their yard. But a snake is another story.  Continue reading "Creating Habitat for Snakes"

Leave the leaves!

Posted on Oct 2nd, 2023Sep 19, 2024 | Journal

Besides providing the right plants, and protecting your garden from pesticides, one of the next most valuable things you can do to support pollinators and other invertebrates is to provide them with the winter cover they need in the form of fall leaves and standing dead plant material. Frequently however, this is the hardest pill […] Continue reading "Leave the leaves!"

Demonstration garden beautifies area, teaches others about native plants

Posted on Jan 8th, 2021Dec 9, 2024 | Journal

Residents of the North Capitol Hill neighborhood in Denver have noticed a lot of activity at the Denver Turnverein. Founded in 1865, the Denver Turnverein is a member-supported nonprofit focused on the educational, social and physical benefits of dancing. Under normal circumstances, the building would be filled nightly with music and dancers. In the age […] Continue reading "Demonstration garden beautifies area, teaches others about native plants"

Simple Ways to Prevent Birds from Colliding with your Windows

Posted on Aug 29th, 2018Aug 30, 2024 | Journal

Few sounds are as disheartening to a homeowner as that of a bird colliding with a window. And with good reason, since studies show not only that such collisions are frequently fatal — one in two results in the death of the bird — but that they are also all too common. In the United […] Continue reading "Simple Ways to Prevent Birds from Colliding with your Windows"

Native Elderberry

Posted on May 4th, 2017Sep 4, 2024 | Journal

You can easily grow native elderberry (Sambucus L. ssp. canadensis) in semi-shaded areas with moist loam or clay soils, or in rain gardens. Their wild habitat is floodplains, shorelines and edges of swampy woods. Continue reading "Native Elderberry"

A Mystery Explored: Maintaining Biodiversity

Posted on Jan 7th, 2016Oct 7, 2024 | Journal

One of the most critical roles plants play in nature is supporting food webs—that is, all of the animal life as it exists and interacts in our ecosystems; it is in performing this essential ecosystem service that plants introduced from other parts of the Earth, do not measure up to our native species, in serving […] Continue reading "A Mystery Explored: Maintaining Biodiversity"

The End of an Era

Posted on Nov 26th, 2015Sep 26, 2024 | Journal

Some may say that dirt was created when she was born just so she could grow her native plants. I’m not so sure that is true. But what is true is that Donna VanBuecken has a passion for the health of the Earth by planting native habitats. And equally, she loves to share that passion […] Continue reading "The End of an Era"

Category: Journal