Filtering by tag: native plants ✕

Time to Count Insects in North Carolina on Friday August 22 and August 23 2025

Anyone Can Count Pollinators in North Carolina for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census

We Need YOUR Help!Get ready, North Carolina! It's time to join a critical scientific effort from August 22-23 and contribute to the Great Southeast Pollinator Census (GSEPC).Our goal across the state…

Screen shot with red arrow pointing to the Download Image button that displays below the photo.

Getting the Picture Just Got Easier

The curated collection of plant images is just one of the many useful features on the Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, and downloading those images for use in garden signs, blogs and presentations…

A colored line drawing of maple leaves showing green and fall colors and pale underside.

Botanical Illustrations of Southeastern Trees and Shrubs

The Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox has always been the go-to site for photos of cultivated plants, both native and exotic. We are pleased to announce that the Plant Toolbox also hosts illustrations…

Large potted cactus with glaucus, barrel-shaped body.

The Plant Toolbox Has Cacti

Cacti—are widely grown houseplants with a devoted fan base. Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti are popular holiday gifts and decorations. A few are hardy landscape plants, and some species are native…

Tree branch with large green leaves and a round pink seed pod

Native Plant Profile: Bigleaf Magnolia

My favorite native tree is the Bigleaf magnolia. Sometimes known as the 'newspaper tree', the huge leaves of Magnolia macrophylla, can be as big as 30 inches long. When they collect on the ground in…

Pink Muhly Grass

Ornamental Grasses in the Home Landscape

Ornamental grasses are fast becoming a commonplace addition to landscape beds and along roadsides. Because of the graceful, arching foliage, colorful plumes, and many varieties that provide seasonal…

Wild Columbine flower

Wild Columbine in the Garden

Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is a perennial plant native to North America and grows well in just about any type of habitat, from rocky open woodlands, to loamy or sandy soils with moist or…

native plants planted today are an investment in the future

Landscape Legacy: Utilizing Native Plants for Natural Landscapes

The pristine look of wall to wall turf and manicured plants is out among many landscape professionals, property managers, and gardeners. More and more often people are allowing swaths of property to…

Tersa moth nectaring on Pentas flowers.

Make Your Garden a Haven for Moths

Moths are the unsung heroes of plant pollination. On a worldwide scale, there are twice as many species of pollinating moths as there are bees, and there are six times as many pollinating moths as…

A goldfinch sits atop a Goldfinch on Rudbeckia maxima.

Garden for the Birds With the Plant Toolbox

You can select plants for your garden that attract and support our feathered friends. The Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox tagged the plants in the Plant Toolbox that are also listed in North…