Native Plant Selection Made Easy

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Scott Vogt

I have found that a beautiful native landscape doesn’t magically appear. It starts with a plan. By choosing the right plants that grow well together in your setting, you will avoid many of the challenges homeowners face after the plants are established. Plant selection is the most important step in the process of developing a native landscape, but it can also be the most challenging. How do you select the best plants for a particular setting? What do you need to do to insure their success? Here are the steps I use to choose the best plants for a site and design a landscape that is both functional and beautiful.

Analyze the Location

You know your garden better than anyone. You know the soil type. Does it stay wet or is it extremely dry or something in between? You know how much sun your area receives during the day and throughout the year. You know where the water flows. Are there areas that you can utilize as a background or backdrop? Is there something you are trying to screen? Is there an area you are trying to develop? These are important questions that ultimately affect the types of plants you will choose.

Prepare the Site

Site preparation doesn’t have much to do with plant selection, but it is an important step to consider as you develop your native landscape. You need to get perennial weeds such as bindweed and Bermuda grass eradicated before you plant your garden. If these weeds are not eliminated, they will overrun and out compete anything you plant. Trust me on this. I am still fighting these weeds in certain areas in my yard because I didn’t complete this step.

It is also good to define the area with some kind of border. I have used metal edging, brick, limestone or landscape stone. Edging makes your native garden look intentional. Develop an area you can manage and fits your lifestyle. You can always expand, but a bed that is too large can quickly become overwhelming.

Choose the Plants

Once you have gathered all this information about your site and all the initial work has been done, you are ready to decide which plants will grow well together. The most important step in the selection process is matching plants to the site. You need to become familiar with every aspect of the plants through investigation, research and experience. I often start with one or two plants I know will grow in this location. Once I have established them as the foundation, the other plant combinations come easier.

I design each landscape with the finished picture in mind. I consider heights, bloom time, habit, forms and textures. We often only think about these plants when they are in bloom, but don’t forget their other qualities, such as seed heads that provide visual interest in the winter months. It provides you an opportunity to highlight these qualities with another perennials or native grasses (e.g. coneflower seed heads against little bluestem). I group plants together for visual affect and stagger blooms throughout the season. You want something coming into bloom and going out of bloom from spring through fall. I include grasses for texture and movement during the winter months.

Why plant a garden if you can’t enjoy it? I predict that your native landscape will be a hub of pollinator and butterfly activity. It will be an important link to other gardens in your neighborhood. It may even inspire you to establish other prairie gardens in your landscape. Your success may influence others to follow your example. A native plant garden should be cherished, because you are helping the natural world in so many far-reaching ways. Believe it or not, your garden will have a positive impact. So get started! Let your imagination and creativity inspire your design.

Bearer of the Ammonite by Paul Friesen-Photo Courtesy of Jen LeFevre

Photo Credit

Landscaping with Native Plants – One Small Step at a Time

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Brad Guhr

I am an enthusiastic advocate for landscaping with native plants. I preach this message at our spring and fall plant sales, talk about it in presentations, plan and promote lectures and symposia around this and other related topics, and run an Earth Partnership for Schools Program that has planted prairie pocket gardens at more than 60 schools in Kansas over the last 10 years.

But when it comes to my home landscape, I have been TERRIBLE historically at practicing what I preach. The saying “the cobbler’s children have no shoes” has certainly applied to me when it comes to my landscaping. For a majority of my home ownership years, I have hypocritically landscaped mostly with a lawnmower.

Such actions were not intentional as I knew and desired better. I love aesthetically-rich native plant communities that offer a variety of flowers and seeds throughout the year and I love all the different types of wildlife that they attract. I know the ecological principle that greater plant diversity in my yard will lead to greater wildlife diversity of insects, birds, amphibians, mammals, and reptiles. I know that trying to grow a thick monoculture of grass requires regular inputs of water, fertilizer, herbicides, and sometimes even pesticides – none of which are in sync with environmental stewardship or human health. I know that it takes thousands of caterpillars to feed a nest of young birds and that plant monocultures do not host many caterpillars.

I’ve always known better, but have used the excuses of a lack of time and money to keep from doing better.

A few years ago, I decided to try to make some incremental changes…baby steps even. Sara and I started digging up small square-footage sections of our lawn each spring and fall, covering them with newspapers and mulch, and putting in 10, 20, or 30 plants at a time. The time commitment and $ outlay to plant and establish each of these native plant beds was manageable. We’d lose a few plants here and there, but the majority would survive with regular watering in the first year to get those soon-to-be deep, perennial maintenance-free roots established.

Clothesline corner – April 27, 2016

New applications of mulch from the free municipal mulch pile in Newton once per year and weekly regular visits throughout each week were not only manageable time allotments, but provided welcome forms of exercise and reflection. Weeding, when done in regular and short repetitions, has actually become enjoyable and therapeutic for me.

Main backyard garden – April 27, 2016

Northside porch planting – April 27, 2016

Street sidewalk planting – April 27, 2016

As plants become established and more profuse in their flowering each year, my enjoyment of these native plant gardens has grown. And the wildlife has seemed to enjoy the plants too. There are loads of insects pollinating flowers, and more species of butterflies and birds appear to be visiting our yard. I haven’t seen snakes yet, but have seen toads and a salamander. There has even been a pair of brown bats in my bat house the last couple of years that for many years was empty.

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Main backyard garden – July 14, 2014

My home landscape is far from perfect and it may never meet my grandest expectations. Not all of the species I bring in are native and there is always more weeding to do than I will give time. Soccer, croquet, and wiffleball games still require that a chunk of lawn remain. But baby steps of forward progress are being made.

Native Plant Combinations for the Landscape

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Scott Vogt

Many people who visit our FloraKansas Plant Sale are very interested in converting their gardens to using native plants, but they often are unsure of which plants to put together and in what configurations. Here are a few tried and true combinations that I have enjoyed, both in our plantings at the Arboretum, and at my home. I hope these suggestions start to get your creativity flowing.

(In addition, you may want to check out these other resources: Landscaping Recipe Card, Establishing Native Plants, and Other Native Plant Landscape Designs)

Perennial Gardens Using Natives

Use these native plant combinations in either a foundation or island planting. Each garden can be modified to fit your space. These plant combinations have been carefully selected to provide year around interest with minimal maintenance required, and will attract a diverse group of pollinators.

PERENNIAL BORDER-SUN

Five Panicum ‘Northwind’ and five Baptisia ‘Pink Truffles’ in the back row, alternating
Seven Aster ‘Raydon’s Favorite’, middle back row
Seven Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’, middle front row
Seven Solidago ‘Little Lemon’ and seven Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ in the front row, alternating

PERENNIAL BORDER-SUN Less than 36 inches tall

Seven Panicum virgatum Cheyenne Sky’ in the back row
Seven Agastache ‘Summer Love’ in the middle back
Five Echinacea paradoxa and five Schizachryium ‘Standing Ovation’, alternating in the middle front
Five Aster ‘Snow Flurry’, five Callirhoe involucrata and five Bouteloua ‘Blonde Ambition alternating in the front row

Purple Poppy Mallow and Blue Grama

ISLAND PLANTING-SUN

Three Cephalanthus ‘Sugar Shack’ (Center)
Five Schizachyrium ‘Blue Paradise’, five Liatris spicata ‘Alba’, three Butterfly weed, alternating in the middle row back
Five Aster ‘October Skies’’ and three butterfly weed middle row front
Seven Oenothera macrocarpa and seven Prairie Dropseed, alternating front row

Butterfly weed and Shasta Daisy

SHADE

Three Oakleaf Hydrangea, back row
Five Solidago caesia, middle row back
Five Aquilegia canadensis and five Polygonatum biflorum, middle row front, alternating
Nine Carex eburnea, front row

Plants for containers

These combinations will provide interesting colors, textures and blooms throughout the growing season. Each list of plants are for larger pots that are at least 12-18 inches in diameter. Place center plants in pot first, then arrange other perennials evenly around the rim of the container. I really enjoyed my potted native plants last year. It was amazing to watch the pollinators come up to my back deck. It was like having a front row seat.

SUN

Three Coreopsis ‘Cosmic Eye’
Two Heuchera
One Gaura ‘Rosyjane’
One Schizachyrium ‘Twilight Zone’ (Center)

Three Agastache ‘Raspberry Summer’
One Panicum ‘Northwind’ (Center)
Three Monarda ‘Grape Gumball’

One Physocaprus ‘Tiny Wine’
Three Agastache ‘Kudos Yellow’
Three Bouteloua ‘Blonde Ambition’

SHADE

Three Heuchera ‘Autumn Leaves’
Three Carex appalachica
One Solidago odora (Center)

Three Native Ferns
Two Wild Ginger
One Aruncus ‘Misty Lace’ (Center)

PART SUN

One Rhus ‘Tiger Eyes’ (Center)
Two Heuchera ‘Obsidian’
Two Aster divaricatus ‘Eastern Star’

These are do it yourself native plant combinations that will work well, if matched to your landscape. They will provide easy care, attract a wide variety of wildlife, while providing beauty for your garden. Just choose a set of plants that fit your area or pot.

As the saying goes, “…if you build it they will come” or in this case “…if you plant it they will come.” Have fun in your garden this year.

Principles of a Sustainable Landscape Design

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Scott Vogt

Through our work in promoting the use of native plants in landscaping, we have observed that homeowners and gardeners are becoming increasingly aware of the positive impacts they can have on the natural world. At the same time, they are looking for ways they can sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

In a weekly article I receive online, landscape architects were asked to rate the expected popularity of a variety of residential outdoor design elements in 2016. Here are the top trends in landscape design, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA):

Rainwater/graywater harvesting-88%
Native plants-86%
Native/adapted drought tolerant plants-85%
Low maintenance landscapes-85%
Permeable paving-77%
Fire pits/fireplaces-75%
Food/vegetable gardens (including orchard, vineyards, etc.)-75%
Rain gardens-73%
Drip irrigation-72%
Reduced lawn area-72%

These trends highlight the importance homeowners place on a functional landscape – landscapes that reflect their values and life style, gardens that center on solutions to problems rather than creating additional problems. Invest your time and energy in something that can make a significant difference. Think about these four principles as your develop your own sustainable landscape design.

Principle #1 – Treat Water as a Valuable Resource

We have seen the dramatic results of the drought in the west. Throughout 2011 and 2012, we endured our own drought here in Kansas. Certainly, the extremes we faced were not as severe as in places like California or Texas, but the impact on our landscapes can still be seen. Water demand was at an all-time high. Our landscapes were losing water faster than it could be replaced. In the aftermath, people began to ask tough questions about water use, irrigation practices, plant material and rainwater collection.

A sustainable design focuses on proper plant selection (i.e. native plants), drip irrigation if necessary and rain gardens or collection points to capture storm water. This new approach to design keeps water in the proper perspective.

Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’ is a native, drought tolerant perennial

Principle #2 – Value Your Soil

Like water, soil is a finite resource. There are choices we can make to improve our soil and to reduce or eliminate runoff and soil erosion in our landscape.

A sustainable design uses deep rooted perennials and grasses to hold the soil. These plants can be combined in appealing combinations. Beautiful blooms, textures and forms serve functional purposes in the design.

“Twilight Zone” little bluestem Photo courtesy Walters Gardens.

Principle #3 – Choose Native Plants

In my opinion, your first choice in a landscape should always be native plants. There are so many wonderful plants to choose for your landscape. I know there are some amazing adaptable perennials too, but if you start with a base of natives, you will be rewarded year after year.

A sustainable design matches appropriate plants to the site. Right plant, right place.

Native planting at Sunset Elementary in Newton, KS

Principle #4 – Don’t Be Wasteful

Does your landscape add to the landfill? How much waste does it produce each year? Lawns are an important functional element in the landscape. I need a space for my children and pets to roam. They can also generate large quantities of yard waste, especially if you collect grass clippings. Do we need a huge lawn or can it be reduced in size and replaced with beautiful wildflowers, grasses and ornamental trees and shrubs?

A sustainable design evaluates every aspect of the landscape with the goal to reduce your negative environmental impact, while including features that are beneficial to the natural world and beautiful at the same time.

These homeowners chose to reduce lawn by replacing with wildflowers and shrubs.

“It’s simple: By gardening with native plants, no matter where you live or how small or large your space is, you can help sustain wildlife.” – Doug Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home

Still wanting more information? You may find some helpful hints on our “Landscaping with Native Plants” page. Or, you may wish to sign up for a Native Landscaping Class and/or visit with one of our staff at the FloraKansas Native Plant Sale, April 21-25.

Spring Flowering Native Plants

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Brad Guhr

I love changes in the seasons. The dawn of spring, however – giving forth increased warmth, a variety of distinctive earthy to sweet smells, green and colorful sights, and sounds from many species of waking wildlife — is a favored time of the year.

Spring-blooming prairie and woodland plants are among the first to take advantage of warmer soils and days with increasingly just enough sunshine. Their green shoots emerge early and produce colorful flowers that feed early pollinators and brighten sunny to partially-shaded landscapes.

The following are some of my favorite spring prairie and open woodland plants that also serve as landscaping gems because they flower in March, April, and May:

a.	Baptisia australis var. major	blue false indigo	full sun
b.	Callirhoe involucrata	purple poppy mallow	full sun
c.	Clematis fremontii	Fremont’s clematis	full sun
d.	Geum triflorum	prairie smoke	full sun
e.	Koeleria cristata	Junegrass	full sun
f.	Oenothera macrocarpa	Missouri evening primrose	full sun
g.	Penstemon cobaea	penstemon cobaea	full sun
h.	Penstemon digitalis	foxglove beardtongue	full sun
i.	Pullsatilla patens	pasque flower	full sun
j.	Tradescantia tharpii	spiderwort	full sun
k.	Verbena canadensis	rose verbena	full sun
l.	Amsonia tabernaemontana	blue star	part shade
m.	Aquilegia canadensis	columbine	part shade
n.	Heuchera richardsonii	coral bells	part shade
o.	Senecio plattensis	golden ragwort	part shade
p.	Zizia aurea	golden alexander	part shade

There are so many benefits to be found in landscaping with native plants. They will greatly enhance the biological diversity and ecology of your yard by providing food for insect larvae and flower nectar for pollinators. Small mammals and birds feast on the abundance of available seeds. Predatory insects, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles will find food in the abundance of available insects. Even the smallest of native gardens can be a mini wildlife sanctuary.

Native plant gardens connect us to our natural and cultural history. Even if you don’t use your home landscape today as your grocery store, home improvement store, and pharmacy, Plains Indians and later European settlers certainly did just a few generations ago. The plant and animals of the prairie (especially the bison) were critically important to human survival.

The deep roots and unique traits of native plants make them very adaptable to our Kansas climate and provide sensible and sustainable landscaping. Once established, these plants require little to no supplemental water and require no fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides if properly matched to the site.

Even if you are only interested in colorful garden eye candy, this list of spring flowering native plants will provide a beautiful array of flowers to brighten your spring landscape. You can find these plants at our FloraKansas Plant Sale.

Photo Credits

Five Ways Native Plants Enrich the Environment

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Scott Vogt

One of the traits of being a horticulturist is a heightened awareness of plants. The good, the bad, the ugly, the sad, and the beautiful are all critiqued. My family is used to it, but they still roll their eyes from time to time as I stop to look at various landscapes.

Over the past few days as I shop for gifts for Christmas, I have noticed several sad landscaping attempts outside the stores. Creativity is at a minimum and most displays add nothing to the beauty of the place. Granted, it is a parking lot or store front, but the plants I have seen do nothing to enrich the environment.

I don’t have all the answers for these areas, but I think native plants could really bring some life to these tough spaces and our own landscapes. Here are five ways I believe native plants enrich the environment.

Native plants increase biodiversity.

A healthy ecosystem includes a variety of plants that are in bloom throughout the year, attracting a host of pollinators. We don’t need to give up beauty for function. Simply put, native plants make things happen in the landscape.

Native plants enrich the soil.

It goes without saying, but a diverse collection of native plants with deep roots benefits any soil type. Native plant roots can grow up to 10 to 15 feet deep depending on the species. Their roots break up heavy clay soils and allow water to thoroughly permeate the soil profile.

A good example would be Big Bluestem. What we see above ground is only 1/3 of the entire plant. The roots are 2/3 of the plant and 1/3 of those roots die each year, adding organic matter to the soil and opening pores so water can percolate into the soil. Legumes such as purple prairie clover or wild indigos fix nitrogen from the air and deposit it into the soil as well. The extensive root systems of native plants help stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. Wow, so many soil benefits!

Native plants reduce inputs.

Native plants do not need pesticides or fertilizers to promote growth. They are able to use nutrients already in the soil to actively grow. A healthy plant that is not under stress is able to fend off pests more easily. Native plants are drought tolerant and require little – if any – supplemental water to survive. If the right plant is matched to the site, that native plant will grow with minimal care after it is properly established.

Native plants provide habitat.

Native plants increase habitat used by wildlife, particularly songbirds. With songbird populations in decline, native plants provide the food and shelter they need for survival. Even a small garden display can have a positive impact.

A robin looks for food in a native plant bed.

Native plants provide a “sense of place”.

Native plants thrive in the Great Plains. They are adapted to its unique environmental conditions and require no special care to survive. Native plants growing in your area convey an understanding of the special place where we live. Let’s look at the particular plants that are native to the land and embrace our “sense of place”.

Four Ways to Highlight Elements of Your Natural Landscape.

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Scott Vogt

Many people come to the Luminary Walk each year and enjoy the prairie landscape illuminated by Christmas lights. It is amazing how a few lights can make the natural landscape come to life at night. Typically, the winter landscape is cold, harsh and lifeless, but warm glowing Christmas lights can invite you in and provide visual interest. Here are some ways we use lights to warm up our prairie garden.

Up-Light Trees, Shrubs and Focal Points:

As trees and shrubs lose their leaves, some remarkable architecture is revealed. What we perceive as a barren, stark landscape in the winter has beautiful, often unnoticed shapes, forms and branching structure. The simple use of well-placed lights such as spot lights under trees and shrubs brings these plants to life. Shop lights with an incandescent light bulb are what we use, but LED can be used as well. Weaving strings of lights through evergreens or draping lights over shrubs illuminate their round shapes. I have even wrapped tree trunks and branches with strings of mini lights. Icicle lights, rope lights, lath wrapped with mini lights, and shooting stars are just a few alternatives to traditional mini lights.

Outline Paths

Strings of mini lights along a path or placed on plants next to the path edge are a fantastic way to lead you through your garden. I have even used rope lights to brighten a path or bridge. If you are going to be in the garden at night, why not light up your way?

Less Is More

Too many lights is too commercial in my opinion. I tend to err on the side of putting out less rather than more. Focus on a few focal points within the landscape. Accent the most important elements with lights, but don’t overdo it. Too many lights will only distract from the natural beauty of your landscape.

We have also been using more LED lights. They use far less energy than conventional outdoor lights and can be connected together in longer lengths.

Avoid Using Colored Lights:

I know this is a preference, but I really believe white lights make everything seem much brighter. At night, they really stand out more than other colors. Warm, white lights illuminate plants and focal points naturally. Red, blues and greens are not normal, authentic and look fake in my opinion.

Bald Cypress

I find new ideas from the web. People more creative than me are always coming up with ways to illuminate the natural elements in the landscape. I try to keep it simple by accenting points of interest. Look at the lights from different perspectives to get the positioning right. By adding just a few lights you can enjoy you landscape even when it is sleeping for the winter.

Asters: Autumn’s Crescendo

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Scott Vogt

Mention fall blooms to most gardeners and they think of chrysanthemums. Blooming in September and October, “mums” are the major source of color in most late-season gardens.

Another group of fall-bloomers that are just as attractive, but not as well-known, are the asters. Asters are related to chrysanthemums (both are in the Sunflower Family) and have similar daisy-like flowers. Like chrysanthemums, asters also come in a wide variety of sizes and colors and are perennial, meaning they come up year-after-year. There are several native asters in the collections of the Dyck Arboretum and these are discussed below.

The New England aster (Aster novae-angliae) occurs in eastern Kansas. One of the taller species, this plant may reach three to four feet in height. The flowers are generally a shade of purple in color, although pink and white-flowered forms have been found. ‘Purple Dome’, ‘Hella Lacy’, ‘Alma Potschke’ and ‘Vibrant Dome’ are good varieties for the garden.

New England Aster with Monarch

The sky blue aster (previously Aster azureus, now Aster oolentaniensis) grow two to three feet tall and has a bright blue flower. Also occurring in eastern Kansas, this species in particularly useful as a garden plant because it can tolerate dry shade. ‘Bluebird’ is a nice selection.

The aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius) grows further west than the previous species, and is a more drought-tolerant plant. Its name alludes to its fragrant purple flowers and pungent foliage when bruised. This species grows about two foot tall. We have ‘Dream of Beauty’ (short with pink blooms), ‘October Skies’ (2’ x 2’ with light blue flowers) and ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ (3’ x 2’ with light blue flowers).

Aster oblongifolius ‘October Skies’

The heath aster (Aster ericoides) has the smallest flowers of any in the group, but it produces them in large enough numbers to make an impressive show. In the late summer, it is covered with tiny white daisies. Typically, it grows to two feet tall. This adaptable plant occurs throughout much of Kansas. ‘Snow Flurry’ is a groundcover form only reaching 6-8 inches tall.

Fendler’s aster (Aster fendleri) is the smallest of all the Kansas asters, only reaching about eight inches in height. Occurring in central and western Kansas on dry, rocky prairie, it is probably the most drought-tolerant of our native asters. In September these low plants are literally covered with lavender daisies. The variety ‘My Antonia’ would make a nice addition to a xeric garden.

A few varieties for shade would be White Woodland Aster (Aster divaricatus ‘Eastern Star’) which makes a great groundcover with white blooms and mahogany stems. It only reaches 12 inches tall. The other woodland aster is Blue Wood Aster (Aster cordifolius) which is taller (3’ X 3’) with loads of tiny light blue flowers.

White Woodland Aster

In addition to being appreciated by humans, many asters also attract many different pollinators including Monarchs. Planting asters is a good way to bring these beautiful creatures into the home garden.

Of the asters described above, only New England aster is widely available for purchase. We carry many of these asters at our FloraKansas plant sales. The others can be obtained from mail-order nurseries that specialize in wildflowers.

These native wildflowers are good examples of plants that are not only beautiful and useful, but also hardy and adapted to our climate and growing conditions. In my opinion, you should give them a try.

Some Prairie Garden Favorites

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Brad Guhr

Late summer to early fall is the best time to establish perennial wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs. With cooler, wetter fall and spring seasons to begin to establish deep, long-lived root systems, plantings at this time of the year have the greatest chance of survival. Our Dyck Arboretum members understand this reality well and are strong attendees at our September plant sale.

Asters typically bloom during the peak of the fall monarch butterfly migration.

With a couple decades of experience seeing native plants in their natural habitat and helping folks establish these plants in their home and school landscapes, I have come to most commonly recommend some favorite species. Criteria for choosing these 27 species include the following:

Eye candy – attractive flowering in spring, summer or fall with species representing a variety of colors and heights;

Bio-diversity – ability to attract insects with tasty foliage, sweet nectar, and/or cover (insects attract many other forms of wildlife too);

Durability – all new transplants require TLC in the first year, but once established in favored conditions, these species are Kansas-hearty;

Good behavior – all happy plants create offspring with their seeds, but if given the space needed for their natural growth form, these selections are not vegetative-spreading bullies;

Full sun, average soil – thriving in at least six hours of sunlight and with soils possessing moderate amounts of silt, clay and moisture.

SPRING

Amsonia hubrechtii – narrow leaf blue star, 18-24”
Baptisia australis var. minor – blue false indigo, 15-24”
Callirhoe involucrata – purple poppy mallow, 6″
Ceanothus americanus – New Jersey tea, 24-36”
Oenothera macrocarpa – MO evening primrose, 8-10”
Penstemon digitalis – smooth penstemon ‘Dark Towers’, 30”
Tradescantia ohiensis – Ohio spiderwort, 30-36”
Verbena canadensis – rose verbena, 8-18”
Zizia aurea – golden alexanders, 24-36”

Blue false indigo with golden alexanders in the background.

Missouri evening primrose.

SUMMER

Amorpha canescens – leadplant, 24-36”
Asclepias tuberosa – butterfly milkweed, 20-24”
Dalea purpurea – purple prairie clover, 15-18”
Echinacea angustifolia – black sampson Echinacea, 18”
Liatris aspera – tall gayfeather, 24-36”
Monarda fistulosa – beebalm, 36-48”
Rudbeckia missouriensis – MO black-eyed susan, 12-18”

Butterfly milkweed and Echinacea flowering in a wildly-planted arrangement.

FALL

Allium stellatum – prairie onion, 10-20”
Asclepias incarnata – marsh milkweed, 36-48”
Aster oblongifolius – aromatic aster ‘October skies’, 18”
Salvia azurea – blue sage, 36-48”
Solidago nemoralis – gray goldenrod, 12-36”
Vernonia lettermanii – ironweed ‘Iron Butterflies’, 30-36”

Aromatic aster ‘October Skies’.

GRASSES

Bouteloua gracilis – golden blue grama ‘Blonde Ambition’ (warm season), 12-24”
Koeleria pyramidata – June grass (cool season), 12-18”
Panicum virgatum – switchgrass ‘Cheyenne Skies’ (warm season), 24-36”
Schizachyrium scoparium – little bluestem (warm season), 12-24”
Sporobolus heterolepis – prairie dropseed (warm season), 12”

Little bluestem with seed.

Your prairie garden planting strategy could go in a couple of different directions: 1) a high diversity, wild prairie look with a few plants of each of these species, or 2) a more focused horticultural look with say only a half a dozen of these species planted in higher frequency and purposeful clumps or patterns. As an ecologist, I historically leaned toward the former. But I also appreciate that our human landscaping sensibilities crave order, and thus find myself more each year leaning toward the latter when advising plantings.

There are many other fascinating features of these plants, including wildlife species specificity, cool pollination mechanisms, herbal/medicinal values, attractive textures/seed heads, and interesting cultural and natural history connections. Whatever your planting strategy you implement with your next garden, just know that selecting from these species will provide you a great start to a lifetime of rewarding and educational native gardening experiences.

Ohio spiderwort, New Jersey tea, rose verbena, and marsh milkweed.

Three Native Sedges Made for the Shade

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Scott Vogt

One of the toughest areas to grow plants is in dry shade. There is a smaller plant palette that grows in these harsh conditions compared to more sunny locations in your yard. Root competition really limits what will do well under the trees. While most home landscapes have at least one area that is either partially or fully shaded throughout the day, it can be difficult finding native alternatives to the standard plants like hostas chosen for these shady niches.

There are a few native plants that will thrive in this tough environment. Here are three native sedges that are worth considering.

Appalachian Sedge – Carex appalachica

An exciting native sedge that works well in mass plantings (one to two foot spacing), along shady slopes and “no mow” lawns. It is gaining in popularity because it is so easy to grow. We have carried it the last few years at our plant sales and customers who have tried it come back wanting more. It forms a true clump with narrow leaves only getting 6-8 inches tall. Each clump spirals upward as each blade intermingles with the others. It is a shade to part sun-loving sedge that is quite appealing.

Carex appalachica Photo Courtesy Hoffman Nursery, Inc.

Bristle-leaf Sedge – Carex eburnea

This fine-leaved sedge makes an excellent ground cover or lawn alternative for that shady spot. The fountain-like clumps of dark green foliage are soft to the touch. It stays short only reaching 6-12 inches. Over time, the individual tufts will grow together forming a thick sod. In the fall, the clusters turn a nice tan. It appreciates sharp drainage, but not too much sun. Plant them in mass for dramatic effect.

Carex eburnea Photo Courtesy Hoffman Nursery, Inc.

Pennsylvania Sedge – Carex pensylvanica

This sedge is tough. It spreads by runners forming a dense mat after several years. This quality is why many use it as a great lawn substitute for the shade. The fine textured leaves are soft under your feet, too. It is most effective when planted in mass. You will appreciate its drought tolerance and resilient nature once it is fully established.

Carex pensylvanica Photo Courtesy Hoffman Nursery, Inc.

See, there are some plants that flourish in the shade of trees. They even mix well with many other types of woodland wildflowers such as woodland phlox, columbine, wild geranium, and golden ragwort, and Short’s Aster. You can find these companion plants along with the aforementioned sedges at our FloraKansas Fall Plant Sale. Each of these low-growing sedges are delicate with arching leaves that are very appealing as ground covers. In my opinion, they are definitely worth trying.