Being surrounded, as we are in the North End, by Boise’s beautiful foothills, we tend to measure our urban landscape by the hills and plants that surround us. We are resistant to non-native plants, environments that require too much water, and the tendency is to plant native species when possible.

April is Native Plant Appreciation Month. Join the Idaho Native Plant Society for the month long celebration and check out the wonderful plants available for purchase during the Native Plant Sale at the MK Nature Center. For more – click here.

Native Plants

Plants native to the foothills evolved to withstand hot and dry summers, cold winters, periodic droughts and wildfires. A healthy native foothills plant community is dominated by big sagebrush and bitterbrush with diverse grasses, wildflowers, lichens and mosses. “A Field Guide to Plants of the Boise Foothills” is a printable guide in PDF format that will help guide you through native and non-native species surrounding us. To open click here.

Because gardening enriches life in so many ways not only because it adds beauty to our homes, it brings a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. My grandmother Rachel was raised in Wilder, Idaho and kept a great garden. She often said “every hour spent gardening will add a day to your life”. And I believe her. For more about North End Gardening click here.

Resources

The Idaho Botanical Gardens has tons of interesting resources. My favorite is “What’s Blooming” – click here.

Whether an amateur botanist who’s spotted a rare wild orchid or a professional biologist studying plant diversity, Idaho wildflower enthusiasts have a new tool to help them identify and study the state’s flora. Check out the “The Idaho Wildflowers App” available on Apple, Google and Amazon app stores for $7.99 – click here for details.

A great one-stop shop for those who wish to approach gardening from an educated perspective is the University of Idaho Extension service gardening pages – click here.