This week in my garden - October 3, 2025

Native Find! Pearl Milkvine

I purchased and tried to grow this plant last year... and it died. Then, when i was gathering chicken fencing to use in the backyard to keep the dogs in, I found a plant that looked a lot like that same Milkvine. But I had to pull it up to get to the fence. But just today, as i was sitting in the back bench, I looked at a vine growing up the iron fencing, and thought it might be milkvine... or morning glory. So i took out iNat, and it identified it as milkvine.

New Plant: Gregg's Tube tongue

Justicia pilosells

When I was at Natural Gardener last week, one of the staff excitedly mentioned this rare native, but when she went to look for it, it was already sold. She said she had come across this species when she worked in Dallas, but hasn't seen it since (in 12 years or so). So when I saw them there today, I couldn't resist. The staff today couldn't tell me much about it, but I decided to splurge and try something very new. They were able to tell me the grower is a small grower in Dripping who focuses on rare native plants. 

There isn't much online. I see this repeated everywhere:  Usually found growing in a colony, and looks best when planted en masse. Great addition to a shade or woodland garden. Larval and nectar food plant for various species of checkerspot butterflies. Good for wetland gardens and habitat.

At $15 a pop, en masse isn't going to happen. I bought two.

We'll give it a try and see what we learn. If it is a wetland plant, it won't last long in my garden.  But the label on the plant from NG said it was drought resistant.  Hmmm.

Yucca Plant Bugs

I found these crawling all over my weeping blue yucca. I took pictures to identify them and learned they were, unsurprisingly perhaps, Yucca Plants Bugs.

The Ohio State University page says "the bugs further reduce the aesthetic value of yucca blades by depositing spent yucca extract in the form of black, tarry waste spots. The little black waste and yellow spotting on the branch above is a result of the bug." Well, they definitely deposit black spots and cause yellow spotting. I'm not so concerned about the aesthetic value, as much as the eco-value.

Everything I read about these bugs gives information on how to eradicate them with pesticides. It says the bugs could eventually kill the plant.  I will watch and see what happens. My hope is that these bugs become some yummy food for a lizard or bird. It seems kind of hard to believe that these little bugs could kill a whole plant. And if they are yucca bugs, presumably if they killed the yuccas, they would no longer have any food to eat, thus ending their life cycle.

So, let's see!

It must be Fall, if the Fall Asters are blooming!

The first blooms started this week. 

And the butterflies continue to amaze me!

Common Buckeye