Lauritzen Gardens ~

When I read that Lauritzen Gardens was having a presentation on Native Plants of the Midwest, I was excited to attend.  The speaker was Alan Branhagen, author of the first gardening book I bought in Iowa;  Native Plants of the Midwest.

Lauritzen Gardens~

 I had only visited Lauritzen Gardens once, the first December after our move.  Held late in the day, I arrived early, interested in walking some of the garden areas.  We've been having some beautiful weather, with pleasant evenings.

Beginning of my walk~

It was such fun to see the formally planted beds of flowers that included my favorite - marigolds! Not yet to the heat of summer, everything was still fresh.

Trees & grasses~

I have missed my ferns...  I enjoyed seeing the variety below - healthy & thick.  Now, I have to find a place to buy them. 

Ostrich Fern~

The Bald Cypress was so totally beautiful!  It is native to the Midwest.  Iowa's only native tree, is the Eastern Red Cedar.  It was the first tree I noticed on my rides & I thought it was a Juniper with good reason.  It was just a chance photo, that I decided to use for the background of the blog.  We only have one on our property, we're keeping it.  Our new neighbor to the east told Butch he is cutting down the one on our front property line.  I'm sad for that - since the Cedar Waxwings visit in the late winter or early spring & feast on the berries.

Bald Cypress~

The Bottlebrush Buckeye, was amazing looking!  I think it would do well in the semi-shade of the Timber.

Bottlebrush Buckeye

The flowering ground cover below, was totally stunning. I didn't get the name, but will be going back soon with our Garden Club & hope to find out then.

Either a Phlox or maybe wild geranium?

The lecture was very interesting & it was nice to see a packed room!  I was especially glad to attend & learn about plants & an environment so different from the one in Washington.  Mr. Branhagen mentioned that Iowa has one of the "most manipulated landscapes in the world."  Since it's been under cultivation for so long, there are only a few tiny remnants of the original Tall Grass Prairies left.  I've added a visit to the one in Kansas to my bucket list!