Posts By

Dr. Liessa Bowen

Liessa started learning everything she could about plants, animals, and ecosystems at a young age. Since then, she's earned a Master’s degree in wildlife biology (Iowa State University) and a PhD in forestry (North Carolina State University), both with an emphasis on conservation biology and birds. She has worked as a greenhouse technician, wildlife biologist, educational consultant, and writer.

native plants midwest

Ornamental Gardens

31 Recommended Native Plants For the Midwest

Are you a Midwestern gardener looking for great native plants to add to your landscape? There is a wide variety of beautiful and ornamental native plants that you can grow to enhance the beauty of your yard and encourage birds and pollinators to visit. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen introduces 31 of her favorite Midwestern native plants that work well in the home garden.

Close-up of a flowering Liriodendron tulipifera tree, commonly known as the Tulip Tree, in a sunny garden. The unique, lobed leaves are glossy green and shaped like tulip flowers, showing a distinctive silhouette. The tree produces tulip-shaped flowers with greenish-yellow petals and orange markings.

Trees

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Tulip Trees

Are you curious about tulip trees? Tulip trees are beautiful, fast-growing shade trees with tall, straight trunks, broadly conical crowns, and beautiful flowers. They are easy to grow and adaptable to a variety of growing conditions. In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will discuss the proper care and maintenance of these spectacular trees.

Close-up of blooming ornamental grass for shade - Sisyrinchium. This perennial herb forms tufts of slender, iris-like leaves that are grass-like in appearance. The foliage provides an emerald-green backdrop to the star-shaped flowers that bloom in purple. Each flower has a distinctive yellow center.

Ornamental Gardens

11 Best Ornamental Grasses for Shade

Do you have a shaded landscape but will want to add a few ornamental grasses? Grasses typically perform best in full sun, but there are plenty of grasses and grass-like plants that will not only grow well but look fantastic in your shade garden. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen introduces 11 of the best shade-loving and showy grass plants that you can grow.

A close-up of Purple Culver's Root. The vibrant purple blooms stand out, some still in the youthful green stage below. In the blurred background, lush greenery complements the blossoms, creating a visually captivating scene.

Flowers

How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Culver’s Root

Are you curious about growing Culver’s root? This native wildflower has grown in popularity in recent years, and for good reason. It is easy to grow, low maintenance, and virtually trouble-free. In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will discuss the proper care and maintenance of these beautiful and versatile native plants.

A solitary green oak tree stands tall and proud amidst a vast expanse of golden fields. The tree's verdant leaves contrast vividly with the sun-drenched hues of the surrounding landscape, creating a striking image of resilience and solitude.

Trees

21 Oak Tree Varieties for Your Landscape

Are you looking for the ideal oak for your landscape? Luckily, there are oak tree species that are well adapted to just about any growing conditions, so no matter where you live, there’s an oak tree for you! In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will introduce 25 beautiful oak trees to liven up your landscape.

Elderberry

Shrubs

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Elderberry Shrubs

Are you curious about growing your own elderberry shrub? Elderberry is an easy-to-grow and vigorous plant that especially loves moist soils. In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will discuss the proper care and maintenance of these interesting, showy, and wildlife-friendly plants.

Close-up of a blooming Goldenrod plant, belonging to the Solidago genus. It graces landscapes with clusters of plume-like flowers in a striking yellow hue. These flowers are neatly arranged in dense, elongated spikes, standing tall above the plant's serrated, lance-shaped leaves.

Ornamental Gardens

How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Goldenrod

Are you looking for some showy fall-blooming perennials for your wildflower garden? There are many different species of goldenrods you can use to attract pollinators, enhance your native plant garden, or start a pocket prairie garden. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen will introduce goldenrods and how to grow these showy wildflowers.

Close-up of ripe fruits on Fig tree. The tree has broad, lobed leaves of bright green color with pale green veins. Figs, the tree's signature fruit, grow directly on the branches and are characterized by a pear-like shape with a small opening, known as the "eye," at the bottom. The fruit has a soft, greenish-purple skin.

Fruits

31 Fabulous Fig Varieties for Your Home and Garden

Are you curious about figs, if you can grow them, and which type to grow? If you love to eat fresh figs and live in a moderate to warm climate, you may be very happy to know you can grow your own figs without much effort! In this article, gardening expert and fig lover Liessa Bowen introduces 31 different fig cultivars available to the home gardener.

Close-up of Prairie Dropseed plants growing in a garden bed. The Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) is a native North American grass known for its fine-textured and graceful appearance. The plant forms dense, rounded tufts of slender, arching leaves that are green and narrow.

Ornamental Gardens

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Prairie Dropseed

Are you looking for an ornamental grass for your sunny landscape? Prairie dropseed is an easy-to-grow native grass that can be used in a variety of garden arrangements. All you need is a sunny plot with well-drained soil. In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will discuss the proper care and maintenance of this beautiful and useful ornamental grass.

Native ornamental grasses. Close-up of blooming ornamental grass Muhlenbergia capillaris, commonly known as pink muhly grass, in a sunny garden. This perennial grass features fine, thread-like leaves that form compact tufts. The plant bursts into a spectacular display of vibrant pink to reddish-pink, airy inflorescences that create a billowy and feathery appearance. The delicate and hazy pink plumes hold above the foliage.

Ornamental Gardens

45 Ornamental Grasses Native to the United States

Are you looking for an ornamental grass to enhance your landscape? There are a multitude of beautiful, interesting, and hardy ornamental native grasses to choose from. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen introduces 47 fantastic native grass species that make excellent landscaping plants.

native seeds to winter sow. Close-up of a flowering Blue flax plant in a sunny garden. Blue flax (Linum perenne) is a charming and delicate perennial plant that features slender, wiry stems with narrow, linear leaves. It produces an abundance of striking sky-blue flowers that are saucer-shaped and approximately one inch in diameter.

Flowers

25 Native Plant Seeds Ideal for Winter Sowing

Are you looking forward to gardening season starting again in the spring? You don’t need to wait until spring to start gardening. There are plenty of seeds that you can sow in the fall and winter months for new growth starting in the spring. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen will introduce 25 beautiful native plants that you can start from seed this winter!

In this close-up, a collection of ripe blueberries presents a delightful sight, showcasing their smooth, round forms and gradient of blues. The lush foliage in the background creates a gentle blur, offering a sense of the berries' natural habitat.

Fruits

27 Different Types of Blueberries For Your Garden

Would you like to grow your own blueberries? If you have a sunny spot in your garden, you can grow these delicious fruits and enjoy the attractive plants in your landscape. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen introduces 27 tasty blueberry varieties for the home gardener.