The flowers bring the pollinators. Native plants are important as a habitat for all sorts of insects. I have propagated most of the flowers in the yard from seed that I started indoors and moved outside when the weather warmed up. It provides function and such beauty.

I am a really big fan of milkweed. There are two kinds that are native to Virginia and I’ve grown both of them from seed. They survive through the winter and I have been able to get them to flower their first year (despite what some websites told me when I started). I think the trick is just getting them out early enough (15 April seems to do the trick as long as a frost isn’t inbound).