ROOS YARD
642 Sylviawood Ave
In 2023, I decided that I needed to do something to help the Monarch butterflies. So, I bought milkweed seeds. My interest in native plants escalated rapidly from there, and the following year we requested a consultation from Red Stem Native Landscapes.
We're on a corner lot, and I decided to do it myself for the sides of the house that are not visible from the street. Red Stem did the sides of the house along the street.
My focus is on several themes. One is milkweed for the Monarchs, including butterfly weed and swamp milkweed and common milkweed.
A second theme is providing food for a variety of types of birds throughout the year. Examples are Purple Coneflower, Anise Hyssop, Prairie Blazing Star, Major Wheeler Honeysuckle (beloved by hummingbirds), Columbine, Serviceberry, Chokeberry, and Snowberry.
A third theme is drought tolerance, particularly on the north side which gets a lot of sun. Climate change is causing hotter temperatures and drier summers, and watering a garden is not an environmentally sustainable use of resources.
A fourth theme is natural weed control and almost entirely avoiding use of water or chemicals on our lawn. I mow the lawn to 3.5” for most of the year to help the grass survive droughts and to naturally prevent weed germination as much as possible. I let clover grow, it outcompetes weeds and fixes nitrogen in the soil. I use a tool to remove dandelions. I let violets grow anywhere, to act as groundcover.
A final theme is ferns on the shaded north side. They are among some of the oldest vascular plants, they evoke an ancient forest and our planet’s evolutionary history.
—Kevin Roos and Family
In 2023, I decided that I needed to do something to help the Monarch butterflies. So, I bought milkweed seeds. My interest in native plants escalated rapidly from there, and the following year we requested a consultation from Red Stem Native Landscapes.
We're on a corner lot, and I decided to do it myself for the sides of the house that are not visible from the street. Red Stem did the sides of the house along the street.
My focus is on several themes. One is milkweed for the Monarchs, including butterfly weed and swamp milkweed and common milkweed.
A second theme is providing food for a variety of types of birds throughout the year. Examples are Purple Coneflower, Anise Hyssop, Prairie Blazing Star, Major Wheeler Honeysuckle (beloved by hummingbirds), Columbine, Serviceberry, Chokeberry, and Snowberry.
A third theme is drought tolerance, particularly on the north side which gets a lot of sun. Climate change is causing hotter temperatures and drier summers, and watering a garden is not an environmentally sustainable use of resources.
A fourth theme is natural weed control and almost entirely avoiding use of water or chemicals on our lawn. I mow the lawn to 3.5” for most of the year to help the grass survive droughts and to naturally prevent weed germination as much as possible. I let clover grow, it outcompetes weeds and fixes nitrogen in the soil. I use a tool to remove dandelions. I let violets grow anywhere, to act as groundcover.
A final theme is ferns on the shaded north side. They are among some of the oldest vascular plants, they evoke an ancient forest and our planet’s evolutionary history.
—Kevin Roos and Family
