Portage Park Garden Club

I used to pull these without thinking twice 😅 Now I look a little closer first:
🌸 Violets are native wildflowers in many areas, not just “lawn weeds.”
🦋 They support fritillary butterflies, which use violet leaves as host plants.
🌿 They do well in shady spots where grass often struggles.
💧 Once settled, they usually don’t need much attention.
✂️ If they spread too much, I just thin them instead of wiping them out completely.
I don’t let them take over every bed, but I do think they deserve a little more credit.

Happy World Bee Day!

Bees are incredible organisms who deserve our support and protection. They pollinate the plants that will become our food as well as the plants on which our ecosystems are built. It's not just honey bees either - while honey bees are economically important, they are not native to North America and are not the only pollinators for our food crops. Many plants require buzz pollination, like blueberries and tomatoes, which is a service that bumble bees can provide and honey bees cannot.

There are over 3,600 bee species native to North America, and you can help them by planting native plants! Not only that, but planting a diverse assortment of native plants will help more types of bees, since around 1/3 of bee species are pollen specialists that can only forage on specific types of plants. The more diversity you have, the more bees you will support!

Like keystone host plants, there are some plants that support more pollen specialists than others. Here are some of the plants that support the most pollen specialist bee species in our ecoregion (and ones that will have the biggest impact on supporting bees in your gardens):

Helianthus (Sunflowers): 50 species
Solidago (Goldenrods): 42 species
Sympyotrichum (Asters): 33 species
Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susans & relatives): 29
Coreopsis (Tickseeds): 20

Even plants with only 1 pollen specialist are still important, however, and will bring their own benefits to your landscape.

Happy World Bee Day!

The weekend heat swept in, reminding us that summer is brewing up. Illinois summers can be a scorcher, but with proper care, there are both trial plants evaluated throughout the season for heat tolerance and native plants known to tolerate Illinois summers.

Here are a few to consider adding to your landscape:
- Verbena ‘Superbena’ Sparkling Amethyst Improved
- Zinnia ‘Double Zahara Fire’
- Vincas Titan series
- Ornamental onions or the Allium spp.
- Arkansas Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii)
- Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii; N. racemosa)
- Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
- Salvia ‘May Night’
- Little Blue Stem (Schizachyrium scoparium) ‘The Blues’
- ‘Autumn Fire’ and ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum
- Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) ‘Fireworks’ Goldenrod

Learn more about these cultivars and get care tips at https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/survive-summer-heat-choose-plants-built-sizzle

Flitting from one flower to the next, pollinators are among the most essential species to sustain ecosystems and biodiversity. In the U.S alone, 150 crops rely on pollinators to produce a third of its food supply.

This June, celebrate National Pollinator Month by learning how to provide food and shelter to pollinators, and become more aware of native plants that attract them at local Extension Events.

Read more about upcoming events at https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/grow-healthier-ecosystems-home-pollinator-month

Add these pollinator events to your calendar at https://extension.illinois.edu/newsletters/global/2026-pollinator-month

Photo Credits to Taryn Bieri

Join us in the Play & Grow Garden, June 3rd @ 5pm, for s'mores, campfire songs, a nature walk, and more! RSVP for this free event using the link below.
https://tickets.garfieldconservatory.org/orders/585/tickets?cdEventIds=69f23df72384780d974510f7&date=2026-06-03T17:00:00-05:00&eventId=69f23df72384780d974510f7

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