Natalie's Garden Shop

04/27/2026

Golden Ragwort: The Shade Game-Changer

From Natalie’s Garden Shop — a community-led native plant restoration project in Newtown Township 🌱

Struggling with a shady area where grass won’t grow (and w**ds take over)?

Meet Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea)—a quiet powerhouse.

Why it works:
• Spreads into a lush, w**d-blocking ground layer
• Thrives in part shade to full shade
• Produces cheerful yellow flowers in early spring (pollinators love it)
• Semi-evergreen foliage = year-round coverage
• Deer-resistant and low maintenance

👉 Ideal for under trees, along foundations, or naturalized backyard spaces.

Why we’re growing and giving this away:
Because shade doesn’t have to mean mulch or mess—this is a real, living solution.

3 Things to Try:
• Replace a patch of mulch with golden ragwort
• Plant under mature trees where turf fails
• Use it to slowly outcompete invasive groundcovers

04/27/2026

Moss Phlox Magic (Native Groundcover That Actually Works)

From Natalie’s Garden Shop — a community-led native plant restoration project in Newtown Township 🌱

If you’ve got a hot, sunny spot where grass struggles… this is your plant.

Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) is a low-growing native that:
• Forms a dense mat that crowds out w**ds
• Thrives in dry, poor soil (yes, really)
• Bursts into color each spring—like a living carpet
• Is typically ignored by deer

👉 Perfect for slopes, driveway edges, and those “nothing grows here” zones.

Why we’re growing and giving this away:
Because small swaps like this = less mowing, fewer w**ds, and more habitat.

3 Things to Try:
• Replace a small strip of lawn with moss phlox
• Plant on a slope to prevent erosion
• Let it spread—this one does the work for you

11/08/2025

🍅 Don’t let frost steal your tomatoes!

Fall might be rolling in, but that doesn’t mean your garden’s done showing off. If you’ve got green tomatoes still hanging out on the vine — here’s a little garden magic to keep the season going.

✨ The trick:
Before frost hits, pick your green tomatoes and pop them into a paper bag with an apple.
That apple releases natural ethylene gas (science!) — and within a week or two, you’ll have perfectly ripened red beauties, no sun required.

🌬️ Where to stash them:
Keep the bag in a cool, dark spot like a pantry or basement. Check daily and pull out any that ripen first — or any that get too soft.

🍏 Why it works:
It’s the apple’s secret superpower — helping your tomatoes finish their journey from green to gorgeous.

So go ahead, rescue those tomatoes before the frost and give them a second chance to shine.
Because at Natalie’s Garden Shop… your garden just got interesting. 🌿💚

10/29/2025

Sanibel Consulting LLC

04/16/2025

Sanibel Consulting LLC

Shop the 2025 Spring Plant Sale on May 10, 9am-1pm
Smedley Park, 20 Paper Mill Road, Springfield PA

Shop the Delaware County Master Gardener spring plant sale on Good Gardening Saturday!
- Shop for high quality, reasonably priced plants
- Experience our ‘Kids Korner’ and family photo booth
- Shop the marketplace for unique garden decor
- Enjoy educational displays so you can garden smarter
- Talk to garden experts live

What's new this year?
- More inventory! We'll have 2x as many plants
- Faster checkout process and plant loading zone
- Better traffic flow to reduce wait times

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/661828696263825

Follow Us! To get all the latest news and information from your Delaware County Master Gardeners, you can:

Like our page https://www.facebook.com/DelcoMG

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/delawarecountymastergardeners/

Look at extension information
https://extension.psu.edu/delaware-county

09/12/2023

Available seeds include:

Aromatic Aster
Butterfly w**d
Black Eyed Susan
Foxglove Beardtongue
Clethra Alnifolia 'Hummingbird'^
Common Ninebark
Eastern Redbud
False Indigo
Lance-leaved Coreopsis
Northern Spicebush
Steeplebush
Spotted Bee Balm
Tall Thimblew**d
Yellow Tickseed
Pink Yarrow^
Mixed coneflower^
Common milkw**d*

^May include cultivars
*Seed harvest still pending

09/12/2023

So happy to see that our Steeplebish (spirea tomentosa) has grown in leaps and bounds since last spring. Many seeds to come!

09/12/2023

This year is common milkw**d, is more than 5 feet tall! Waiting for those seed pods to brown

09/12/2023

It’s seed harvesting season! This False Blue Indigo (Baptisia Australis) grew massively this year and is just bursting with seeds.

09/08/2023

Freshly harvested NORTHERN SPICEBUSH seeds (Lindera Benzoin). Mama and papa plants originally from Redbud native plant nursery in Media PA.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindera_benzoin