This Thursday's featured native plant is Yellow Coneflower, Ratibida pinnata. Found in prairie remnants (including roadsides and fencerows), at margins of swamps, and in dry open ground it grows to about 5 feet tall and has droopy yellow flowers that bloom somewhere from July to September. Plant in medium moisture sand, loam, clay, and possibly compacted clay in full to part sun. Interesting plant for the sunny border, meadow or prairie. Best massed because individual plants are narrow and somewhat sparsely leafed. Deer and salt resistant.

Oooo, it's Monday and time to write about my next favorite native plant. Starting today, and for the next two in this series, I will be focusing on the cool and weird genus Silphium. Today I will write about Rosin Weed (Silphium integrifolium), which gets its name from the gooey rosin that oozes from the plant if you break a stem. Threatened in Michigan, and only found on aboriginal lands, Rosin Weed is more numerous in the middle of the contiguous U.S. in dry and wet prairies, sedge meadows, and moist open ground at borders of forests. In the garden, it can be planted in groups in the border or allowed to naturalize in the meadow or prairie. Plant in full sun in medium to dry sand, loam, or clay soils. Being the shortest of the Silphiums, this one clocks in at about 5 feet so use it at the back of the border, of course. It has 2 inch yellow blooms from July to September and is pollinated by many bees. In the fall, it is a goldfinch magnet as they perch on the plant to eat the seeds. Deer resistant.

On this Monday, I will write about the last of the Silphium species in this series, Prairie Dock, Silphium terebinthinaceum. This is an unusual plant with wide basal leaves up to 2-3 feet high which can be ice cold to the touch on a hot summer day. And then there are the flower stalks up to around 9 feet. Think about this survival strategy - broad leaves near the bottom to capture sunlight amongst the grasses and flowers up high above all other prairie vegetation to facilitate pollination from July through September. Just genius! Found in prairies and similar grassy habitats (even conspicuous along roadsides), fens, and railroad embankments. In the landscape, plant it in medium moisture sand, loam, or clay soils in full to part sun. Give it 24 inches of space. Good height for the rear of the border. Also excellent for naturalizing in prairies, cottage gardens, or wildflower gardens. Deer resistant, but I can attest to its new shoots not being bunny resistant in the spring.

Housesketcher: Spend your money on amending the soil for now. Most master gardeners will tell you 90 cents of every dollar spent on a garden should be spent on your soil. If it hasn't been tested, contact your local extension service, buy a testing kit online or at your garden center, or https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-test-soil-acidity-alkalinity-without-a-test-kit-1388584 https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/10-easy-soil-tests you'll need to find out what needs to be added to the soil, especially if it's been compacted by machinery. Are you in the correct zone for a Mediterranean garden (little to no summer rain, temperate climate year round, sandy or quick draining soil) otherwise you might not have much success long term and would have to replant every couple of years. And if your soil is clay you'll need to do a lot of amending for Mediterranean plants to succeed. The best times for planting are in Autumn and Spring, so if you amend your soil for now and draw up a plan, sketch out your ideas and research what plants to add, by the time October or March comes around everything should be ready to go and you can buy your plants or seeds. I'm glad you're not just going to put in a lawn and good luck to you. [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/get-the-dirt-on-your-gardens-soil-stsetivw-vs~63577554[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/get-the-dirt-on-your-gardens-soil-stsetivw-vs~63577554) [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/what-to-do-this-fall-to-build-healthy-garden-soil-stsetivw-vs~76125244[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/what-to-do-this-fall-to-build-healthy-garden-soil-stsetivw-vs~76125244) [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-find-the-right-plants-for-your-garden-stsetivw-vs~28893625[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-find-the-right-plants-for-your-garden-stsetivw-vs~28893625) [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/houzz-call-what-are-your-spring-gardening-plans-stsetivw-vs~60166694[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/houzz-call-what-are-your-spring-gardening-plans-stsetivw-vs~60166694) [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/the-best-winter-garden-project-plan-for-next-year-stsetivw-vs~20391646[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/the-best-winter-garden-project-plan-for-next-year-stsetivw-vs~20391646) [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/get-a-head-start-on-planning-your-garden-even-if-its-snowing-stsetivw-vs~43825694[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/get-a-head-start-on-planning-your-garden-even-if-its-snowing-stsetivw-vs~43825694) https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/query/mediterranean-garden https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/query/no-lawn-garden