Native Plant Alternatives for Three Common Non-Natives

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Scott Vogt

One of the great things about native plants is that there is so much diversity found in the prairie. From wet to dry, sun to shade, clay to sand, there is a plant for every place in the landscape. The diversity of plants give us so many options and provides alternatives to what is typically planted in gardens and displays in our area. The non-native plants listed below are coupled with native plant alternatives that make excellent substitutes.

Alternatives for Bugle Weed-Ajuga Cultivars

Ater divaricatus ‘Eastern Star’ (White Woodland Aster): This native aster has small white flowers with pink centers that cover the plant in fall. The attractive foliage is dark green with burgundy highlights. It slowly creeps to fill in an area, but it is not aggressive. This is a nice plant for full to part shade.
Asarum canadense (Wild Ginger): This native of the woods is quite adaptable, but prefers rich organic soils. Wild ginger spreads slowly to form colonies. Plant these about a foot apart and they will form a solid ground cover in two or three years. These will not grow in sun. The kidney shaped leaves are a soft-green and often cover the flowers, which are brownish and bell shaped.
Senecio obovatus (Squaw-weed): I love this woodland native because it looks good all year long. The rounded dark green foliage is semi-evergreen. It is a weaver as it spreads to fill voids in a shaded or part shade situation. The yellow flowers brighten the shade garden in the spring.

Squaw Weed

Alternatives for Barberry – Berberis spp.

Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Little Devil’ or ‘Tiny Wine’ (Ninebark): We have been growing Ninebark here at the arboretum for many years with great success. It is quite adaptable and many of the new cultivated varieties have beautiful reddish purple foliage and whitish-pink blooms in the spring. These two new forms (Little Devil and Tiny Wine) just come in a smaller size. They ultimately get only three to four feet tall. They have the same ornamental characteristics and tough demeanor as the larger varieties. They grow best in average soil with full to part sun. Good things do come in small packages.

Physocarpus ‘Little Devil’

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea): If this native shrub can flourish in the prairie, imagine what it will do in your landscape. This compact native shrub has glossy green leaves. The showy white clusters are held at the end of the branches in May and June. It develops a rounded habit (3-4 feet tall) if given room to spread its branches. The small dark fruit clusters are attractive later in the season.
Panicum virgatum ‘Cheyenne Sky’ (Switchgrass): This native grass forms a dense upright bundle, finally maturing to three feet tall. Red leaves form early in the season and hold fast through the fall. The entire plant turns shades of yellow and orange in the fall. I love grasses in the fall and winter because they provide movement in the garden as the gentlest breeze sets the whole plant in motion. It thrives in full sun and adapts to a wide range of soils, including clay.

Panicum virgatum ‘Cheyenne Sky’

Alternatives to Maiden Grass – Miscanthus spp.

Tripsacum dactyloides (Eastern Gama Grass): We have many clumps of this native grass in the arboretum. The arching stalks arise from a large base of narrow, gray-green leaves. The interesting flower spikes add another focal point atop the stems from May through September.
Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass): This clump-forming native grass can range in size from three feet on up to 8 feet tall. The medium green leaves ultimately change to yellows, oranges and eventually fading to tan through the winter. The finely-textured seed heads are open and airy. They make great screens and produce a nice backdrop for other perennials. ‘Northwind’ and ‘Dallas Blues’ are exceptional cultivars for the home landscape.

Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass): Indian grass matures into a vase shape that is up to six feet tall and three feet wide. The tannish plumes atop the sturdy stems appear in late summer. It prefers a medium to dry soil with full sun for best growth.

Indiangrass

We will follow up these alternatives with some other choices for non-natives in the coming weeks. It is good to know that there are substitutes for many traditional landscape plants. Keep in mind that whatever is planted has consequences, both negative and positive. By choosing natives, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

“You must choose, so choose wisely”. (From Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)

Scott’s Top Ten Sun-Loving Plants for Spring 2015

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Scott Vogt

One of the themes this spring for planting is diversity. By planting a diversity of wildflowers and grasses in your garden, you will attract many different forms of wildlife, including pollinators and birds. A wide variety of plants blooming at different times of the year will provide interest and beauty throughout the growing season.

As we have been busily getting ready for the plant sale this week, I can’t help but notice the diversity of plants available this spring. There are so many wonderful plants to choose and incorporate into a landscape setting.

Here are my top sun-loving plants for the spring sale:

Green Antelopehorn (Asclepias viridis)

This is the 2015 Kansas Native Plant Society wildflower of the year. It grows 18 to 24 inches tall with green flowers in May and June. It loves full sun and thrives in dry prairies. Monarchs use milkweeds as a host plants. Grow this species or any other milkweeds to increase habitat for the perilous populations of monarchs.

Photo courtesy Walters Gardens.

Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’

It is beautiful in flower and foliage. In early spring, the whitish-pink tubular flowers emerge. Bees and even hummingbirds flock to these flowers to sip the sweet nectar. Not only is it attractrive when blooming but the maroon-purple foliage adds interest the rest of the year. A plant for the front of a border that is attractive at many different seasons of the year.

Blue Grama, Boutleoua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’

I was blown away by this grass last summer. It looked fantastic with the airy golden flowers all summer. The horizontal eyelash-like flowers wave in the wind atop the fine blue-green foliage. It grows effortlessly in any sunny site and just about any soil. Great in mass plantings or along borders edges. Quite the dramatic, unique grass.

Ironplant, Vernonia lettermanii ‘Iron Butterfly’

I have grown to appreciate the toughness of this wildflower. This selection found in Arkansas has fine foliage like Amsonia hubrichtii but stays more compact. The dark purple flowers cover the entire plant in late summer attracting pollinators by the herd. It thrives in hot dry locations. When other plants are wilting, it is performing like a champ.

Photo courtesy Walters Gardens.

Arkansas Bluestar, Amsonia hubrichtii

I have put this plant on my top ten list just about every year because it is a great plant. Sky blue flowers in spring develop atop stems with narrow leaves that whorl the stem. Each plant can grow about three feet tall and three feet wide. The real show is in the fall as the entire plant turns a beautiful golden yellow. Plant in mass or alone in the middle of the border. A garden worthy plant that should be used more.

Photo courtesy Walters Gardens.

Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Twilight Zone’

This is a new and improved form of native Little Bluestem. It colors up beautifully in the early fall but the iridescent silver-mauve foliage from spring to fall is eye-catching. Growing stiffly upright, this grass reaches three to four feet tall by the end of summer. Plant as a backdrop for other perennials because the foliage is a wonderful complement. Great native grass for interesting foliage and form.

Photo courtesy Terra Nova Nursery.

Agastache ‘Raspberry Summer’

What an awesome perennial! The large, dark raspberry pink blooms cover this plant all summer and into fall. Pollinators flock to the blooms and make the plant come alive with activity. Plant in full sun and well-drained soil.

Yellow Purple Coneflower Echinacea paradoxa

A yellow purple coneflower is a paradox. However, it is tough and beautiful. The flowers emerge in May and June with long yellow ray petals. It grows best in full sun, ultimately reaching 3-4 feet tall. Mix with native grasses like Little Bluestem or Switchgrass to showcase the attractive seedheads later in the year.

Solidago ‘Little Lemon’ Photo courtesy of North Creek Nurseries

Solidago “Little Lemon’

Goldenrods get a bad rap for causing allergies. Actually, they don’t cause your allergies in the fall – that is the fault of the ragweed pollen instead. So now that you know that tid-bit of information, you can plant this dwarf goldenrod in your garden. It grows to 12 inches tall and mixes well with short grasses along a border or edge. Plant in full sun for best results.

Photo courtesy Walters Gardens.

Beebalm Monarda ‘Cherry Pops’

Brilliant cherry-red flowers cover this new bee balm in midsummer. The well-branched plants have clean mildew-resistant foliage creating a compact mound. Each nectar sweet flower attracts hosts of pollinators throughout the summer. Great new form for the front of a border or along a sidewalk.

It is time to get these plants in the ground. The beneficial rains of the past few weeks have really got me itching to plant some of these varieties this spring. There are so many beautiful plants that are worth trying. Hopefully, you will have a chance to stop by the plant sale, take a look and give some of them a try in your own garden.

Seven Steps to Planning Your Native Landscape

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Scott Vogt

Interest in native landscaping is growing in popularity. This time of year leading up to our spring plant sale, homeowners and businesses contemplate what they would like their landscape to look like. They desire a garden that captures the essence of the prairie, a landscape that creates a sense of place.

Nature gives us such a good model to follow. The diversity and resiliency of native wildflowers and grasses is amazing. We can mimic the prairie and bring it home to our gardens. Follow these seven steps as you develop a plan using native plants.

1. Plants should match your site.

This is the most important element in developing a successful landscape. Take a critical look at the area you want to landscape with native plants. Is it sunny? It is shaded for part of the day? What type of soil do you have? Is there a microclimate? Is it exposed to wind? All these factors will guide you as you select plants for your site. This step requires some research and time as you familiarize yourself with the qualities and environmental needs of native plants.

2. Succession of Bloom

There are no Wave Petunias in the prairie. If you visit a prairie landscape like the Konza Prairie every two to three weeks throughout the year, you will observe plants beginning to bloom, in full bloom or going out of bloom. That is how you need to design your native landscape. Include plants that bloom in every season of the year and then strategically add grasses for movement and texture in the winter months. Again, take time to acquaint yourself with the life cycles of wildflowers and grasses.

3. Forms and Textures

A diversity of plants woven together artistically can create a dramatic effect. Pay attention to the various shapes, textures and colors present in the prairie. Notice how the plants look year-round, not just when they are in bloom. Highlight interesting plant characteristics such as seed heads, forms, and fall color.

4. Interesting Lines

Rock Edging or a clean line along your display bed and lawn can add visual interest. It can also lead you through your garden. Interesting lines lead our eyes and makes you want to see what is around the corner.

5. Complementary Colors

Plant the colors you like, but make them complement each other. Use a color wheel to mix plants. Example: Purples (Spiderwort) and yellows (Coreopsis) are attractive together because they are opposite on the color wheel while whites (Penstemon) harmonize/blend the landscape together.

6. Intentional Plant Height

Are there areas that need screening? Is there an opportunity to layer plants from shortest to tallest as a foundation planting? Is it an island bed that has taller plants in the center with shorter wildflowers and grasses radiating to the edges? Keep plants in scale by not planting wildflowers that are taller than half the bed width. Example: If your bed is six feet wide, only plants that are three feet tall will keep the display in scale. You would not want to plant a compass plant is such a small bed.

7. Perennial and annual weed control

I have made this mistake too often. In a rush to plant, I don’t get problem weeds like bindweed and Bermudagrass under control before planting. I am still fighting this issue to this day in some of these landscape settings. However, when I take the time to properly eradicate these weeds, the overall success of the garden and work to maintain it long-term greatly increase. A little work at the beginning will save you many headaches down the road.

If you have questions about native plants or need help choosing what plants will grow best in your area, visit our spring plant sale or choose from landscape designs on the website. With proper planning and careful consideration, you can create a sustainable garden utilizing native plants adapted to your landscape environment. Transform your landscape using native plants that are sustainable, easy to maintain, and beautiful.

A Garden-Worthy Perennial: Threadleaf Bluestar

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Scott Vogt

Amsonia hubrichtii, the threadleaf bluestar, is one of my favorite plants. It was not well known among gardeners until the Perennial Plant Association named it the 2011 Plant of the Year. The species was discovered in 1942 by Leslie Hubricht growing in the Ouachita Mountains in central Arkansas. The species was later named in her honor.

Each plant has ornamental qualities that make it stand out from other perennial wildflowers. In May and June, clusters of small powder blue, star-like flowers top the strong stems. The stems are encircled with soft, narrow leaves resembling pine needles, making each plant look like a small shrub with feathery texture and incredible fullness. I have found them to be extremely hardy, drought tolerant and very low maintenance.

The real show develops in September when the foliage turns a butter yellow fading to a golden brown by October. One specimen plant is spectacular in each season of the year, but a group of ten or more massed together and strategically located are quite stunning. Individual plants can reach up to 48 inches tall and 24-36 inches wide. They prefer full sun to partial shade and an average garden soil.

This summer I have only watered them 3 times, so they are tough. At the arboretum, they are planted along the east border paths. Amsonia hubrichtii is a dynamic perennial that deserves a place in your garden.

Other Amsonia are just as ornamental, but offer different textural elements and sizes for just about any sunny to partial shade landscape setting. They are Amsonia illustris, Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’, Amsonia cilliata and Amsonia rigida.

Find amsonia hubrichtii and other garden-worthy perennials on our Plant List 2015 and visit us at our FloraKansas Spring Plant Sale, April 24-27, 2015.

Vines: Taking Your Landscape to a New Level

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Scott Vogt

Vines are underutilized in nearly every garden, in my opinion, including here at the arboretum. It may be that we don’t have the structures to support them and show off their attributes, or we are unfamiliar with how to grow them. Either way they need to be used more. In fact, I think vines are one of nature’s greatest gifts to gardeners. They can give us shade by covering a pergola, camouflage ugly elements within the garden such as sheds, poles and fences, or bring color, texture, and fragrance to a trellis or arbor. Vines are utilitarian because they fit into almost any available space. I need to use them more here at the arboretum, so I thought we could work through this problem together and maybe begin to incorporate these native vines to a greater extent, literally.

Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler’) is the best selection of honeysuckle I have grown. It has twining stems with smooth leaves that seem to be resistant to mildew. But who grows this plant for the foliage? I love the flowers. In late spring, it is covered in red trumpet shaped blooms that keep coming well into summer, especially with a post-bloom trim. The hummingbirds will find it from miles around. It grows best in a medium to moist well-drained soil and partial shade.

Major Wheeler Trumpet Honeysuckle

Dutchman’s Pipe-vine (Aristolochia tomentosa) is a vigorous, climbing woody vine without tendrils. The interesting pipe shaped flowers appear in May and June. Large, heart-shaped leaves are attractive throughout the year and turn a nice yellow in the fall. In Kansas, it is found in the southeastern counties. I have this vine growing in morning sun and afternoon shade. It will need a trellis or arbor to grow on and a medium to moist soil. Pipevine is the host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly.

Grape Honeysuckle (Lonicera reticulata ‘Kintley’s Ghost) is a vine we have been using for several years. We have it growing on either side of the entrance to the Visitor Center. The gray-green leaves develop in an attractive eucalyptus pattern. At the terminal ends of the stems the bright yellow flowers develop in spring. It can grow in sun to partial shade and prefers an average to moist soil. It is great in form and flower.

Grape Honeysuckle

American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) is grown for the beautiful fruit clusters that develop during the summer and are noticed and eaten by birds in the fall. Male/female plants are separate and both are needed to produce fruit. Foliage is attractive on the twining stems. It grows best in a morning sun location, but can grow in full sun if given some supplemental water during the summer. Train along fence or over an arbor. Celastrus scandens ‘Autumn Revolution’ is a form with male and female flowers on the same plants.

Bittersweet Fruit

Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) develops three inch diameter lavender flowers that have a rich fragrance. These flowers are striking and have religious symbolism. The vines can reach up to 12’ in one year and die back to the ground during the winter. Situate in a semi-shade area with a medium to moist soil. I would mulch lightly to protect crown from harsh winter temperatures.

Other vines for the garden are Pitcher’s Leather Flower (Clematis pitcheri), Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea peteolaris), and Kentucky Wisteria (Wisteria macrostachya ‘Powell’s Purple’)

Don’t miss the opportunity to include these great vines in your garden by visiting the arboretum spring plant sale. I tend to keep flowers at ground level but these vines will take your garden to new heights and add interest to levels not normally utilized.

For more information on these vines and other garden worthy plants visit the arboretum website at www.dyckarboretum.org.

Five Benefits of Native Plants

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Scott Vogt

The prairies of the Great Plains are diverse and complex. They are often overlooked and taken for granted. They are subtle in beauty, but resilient. Because of the many benefits the prairie provides to us and the environment, it is an ecosystem worth saving. Here are five benefits of native plants – though there are certainly more that we will experience as we begin to utilize these plants in our landscape:

Low Maintenance

There is no such thing as a no-maintenance landscape. Native plants still need some care, but compared to a traditional landscape with a lawn, tidy shrubs and a few trees surrounded by perennial beds, native plants are extremely low in maintenance. Native plants are adapted to our climate and can grow in the toughest environments. Once established, their deep roots take them through prolonged periods of drought. It was great to see native plants blooming in the fall of 2012 after so many days of scorching heat. The blue sage, heath aster, goldenrod, little bluestem, and switchgrass brightened up our prairie reconstruction. It was a testament to their toughness. The slide below illustrates exactly why native plants are so much more resilient than the typical lawn – notice the difference in the root system of turf grass (far left) to many of the most common wildflowers and grasses of the prairie.

Saves money

There are obvious savings associated with a native landscape compared to maintaining a traditional landscape. A native landscape uses less water, little or no fertilizer and no chemicals or pesticides, which in turn saves you time. I am frugal and a native landscape is a low cost alternative to a traditional lawn-dominated landscape. Conservation and stewardship are trends that help you and the environment.
Water

We have seen an increased interest in native plants because of the water they save once established. Many homeowners are decreasing their lawns as a way of saving water and money. Most roots on a fescue or bluegrass lawn are only three to four inches deep compared to prairie wildflowers and grasses that develop extensive root systems several feet deep. Big Bluestem grass for example establishes roots up to ten feet deep. With a shallow root system, a typical lawn requires ten gallons of water per square foot through the summer to keep it looking green. If you minimize your lawn, you will begin to diminish your dependence on water. Click here for an example of a Waterwise Landscape Design.
Beautiful plants

If you have ever walked through a pristine prairie or observed the changing seasons in the Flint Hills, you know the exquisite beauty of wildflowers in bloom coupled with native grasses. It is understated and taken for granted. I am always amazed at the complexity and intricacies of these prairie plants. They create a very unique sense of place.

Missouri Black-eyed Susan

Attract pollinators and wildlife

Pollinators and wildflowers have a symbiotic relationship. If you have wildflowers you will have butterflies. There have been over 20 documented butterflies in the arboretum during the butterfly counts. They seek out our wildflowers and utilize them throughout the year. Monarch populations are declining. They need milkweeds, and since we have milkweeds in the arboretum, they show up. Read this article on how to encourage and sustain the monarch butterfly population by planting milkweed varieties. Also, just like the Monarchs, songbird populations are declining. They need prairie habitat for survival along with wildflower seeds to feed overwintering birds.

Monarch caterpillar on swamp milkweed

There are more reasons to grow native plants, but you get the idea. Prairie is good, not only for you, but also for the environment. The many benefits far outweigh negative perception. When you plant native wildflowers and grasses, you will be rewarded time and again for your prairie habitat. I don’t know how we got away from our regional identity of a prairie landscape, but it is essential to who we are and what grows best here.

Join us in re-establishing some prairie roots in your own yard, and then spread the word by sharing this information with your friends.

Is Your Native Plant Garden For the Birds?

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Scott Vogt

This winter, I have been designing a landscape using native plants for the Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society in Manhattan. This design has been a great experience as I have evaluated the site and thought about what attracts birds to a landscape. Does the design provide the basic necessities of food, shelter and water for birds?

Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning to make your garden bird-friendly:

Certainly, native plants are a preferred food choice of birds. Fruit-bearing trees and shrubs can support a wide variety of bird species. Include plants that hold their fruits through the winter like Viburnums, Junipers and Sumac. Choose deciduous trees such oaks, maples, hackberries, mulberries, crabapples, serviceberries and dogwoods along with shrubs that will provide berries (viburnums, elderberries, sumac, and chokeberry), seeds and nuts at different times throughout the year. Native wildflowers like coneflowers, black-eyed susan, little bluestem, sunflowers (use with caution, these can be aggressive), and asters provide nutritional seeds that birds love.

A robin looks for food in a native plant bed.

A mother robin looks for food in a native plant bed.

Utilize trees, shrubs and perennials to simulate the natural layers of the wild. Birds seek out protection in dense evergreens in winter, while brush and impenetrable thickets keep nesting sites safe from predators. I like to leave a small brush pile and a few dead branches (unless they are dangerous to people or property) in our trees to provide insect food, nesting cavities, and shelter. Larger deciduous trees offer birds a higher vantage point for perching and resting. Ground-feeding birds sift through decaying leaves and even work through the outer layers of our compost pile.

A newly-hatched nest of robins in a hawthorn tree. Photo by Cheri Kaufman.

A nest of robins in a hawthorn tree outside the Visitor Center at the arboretum

A water source for birds can be as simple as a bird bath or as elaborate as a small pond. Any water source is like a magnet for birds. The sound of water is irresistible. Keep the water clean and fresh to eliminate the possibility of algae and diseases by changing water every few days. In winter, water is even more critical for bird survival. Keep water open and unfrozen by installing a thermostatically controlled heating element in your water feature. If birds find your reliable pool of water, they will continually visit your yard and you will be rewarded for your efforts with a diverse collection of colorful visitors each day.

The need for suitable habitat for birds has never been more important. Your yard can be part of the solution by providing a sanctuary for birds. Just, identify the missing elements and include them in your overall design. Birds need a safe place to land. Why not in your yard? I am guessing that with a few enhancements you can turn your landscape into an oasis for local and migrant songbirds.

Remember to garden for the birds! To prepare your native plant garden to attract birds this year, check out our 2015 Plant List and save the date for our FloraKansas Spring Plant Sale, April 23-27, 2015.

What Would Change Your Mind About Using Native Plants in Your Landscape?

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Scott Vogt

Would you choose a garden that takes less of your time to maintain? Or a sustainable, environmentally, eco-friendly, pollinator friendly garden that heightens the senses? Do you want masses and drifts of color that are attractive throughout the year? What about native plants that can be used in smaller spaces? Are you needing a multi-functional garden that attracts pollinators, which also help your food crops or vegetable garden? How about gardens that look attractive both day and night? What if you could still have the usable space you need to entertain, but have a sustainable garden at the same time blended into the landscape? I want each of these to happen in my native plants landscape.

Butterfly weed

It can be intimidating to change the way you garden or landscape. We want evidence that making such a change really will make a difference in our lives and in our gardens. Below is one case in favor of using native plants. When the Lincoln Public Library transitioned its landscape to native buffalograss and prairie plantings, the results were worth the effort.

Case Study from the Great Plains

A Public Library in Lincoln, Nebraska converted 2.5 acres of bluegrass turf to buffalograss and mixed prairie plantings.

Results:

Reduction of 1.5 million gallons of water per year for irrigation
Reduction of 800 pound of fertilizer per year
Reduction of 5 gallons of pesticide concentrate per year.
Source: Leafings, August 2000, a Nebraska Statewide Arboretum publication.

Pale Coneflower

Here is how NATIVE PLANTS DELIVER!

Offer carefree beauty once established
Require less water if properly matched to your site
Adapted to our soils and climate
Attract birds, butterflies and a host of other pollinators to your garden
A properly designed garden provides year-round beauty

Home landscapes can be transformed as well using native plants so that they are sustainable, easy to maintain, and beautiful. To start planning your native plant garden, be sure to SAVE THE DATE for our FloraKansas Spring Plant Sale and keep an eye out for our upcoming 2015 plant list.

How to Design a Native Plant Garden

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Scott Vogt

One of the biggest criticisms of native plants is that they often look too wild, unkempt and messy. Grasses dominate while wildflowers struggle to provide the visual impact desired in a landscape. Wild is as wild does.

So how do we tame the wildness of the prairie? How do we design a native plant garden that doesn’t look so wild? Is it even possible? I believe it can be done. You can have the beauty of the prairie and all the benefits of a native ecosystem with a properly designed native garden.

Consider these fundamentals as you design your native plant garden:

Butterfly weed and ornamental native grass display

Match plants to your site. Look at your landscape. Is it sunny or in the shade? Is the soil clay or sand? Evaluate these elements and choose plants that will thrive in the microclimate of your yard. Sun-loving native plants need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight to grow happily. Otherwise look at more shade-loving natives. A carefree landscape begins with matching plants with climate. Choose plants that occur in the same or similar climate for a maintenance free garden. It has been my experience that this is the most important element in developing a successful native garden. Anytime you stray too far off, the plants don’t flourish and they require more effort. Planting a swamp milkweed on a dry hill or a primrose in a bog will never work.

Native Columbine

Design for succession of bloom. There are no Wave Petunias in the prairie or plants that bloom all season, so choose plants that will bloom in spring, summer and fall. If you go to the prairie throughout the year, you will observe wildflowers coming into or out of bloom. The prairie is constantly changing. Design with those changes in mind. Discover how native plants appear at different times of the year and highlight interesting elements such as seedheads for winter interest. Grasses can be included for structure, winter texture and movement. Little bluestem in fall accentuates the seedheads of the Missouri Black-eyed Susan beautifully.

Summer Prairie Garden

Group similar plants together. Fifteen blazing stars blooming in the summer create a focal point in the landscape. Place them next to a spring blooming wildflower and a fall blooming wildflower and you have organized the display for year round interest. Use grasses sparingly to frame the garden or as a backdrop for some of your wildflowers. This makes it easier to maintain, because you know what is planted in each area. When weeding, you know everything else has to be removed because wildflowers will reseed.

Kansas gayfeather and gray-headed coneflower

Keep your plants in scale. Choose plants that don’t grow taller than half the bed width. So if your display bed is six feet wide choose plants that are no more than three feet tall. A compass plant would be way too tall.

Define the space. A well-designed native garden can be enhanced with a border. It can be edged with limestone, brick or some other natural material. This element alone makes your native garden look clean, attractive, and intentional. Even a clean-cut edge can really help define the garden’s borders.

Control Perennial Weeds. You will save yourself many headaches by eradicating problem weeds like bindweed and Bermuda grass before you plant. It is better to wait until these weeds are eliminated before you establish your new garden, trust me!!!

It sounds so easy, but we all know that landscapes, no matter how well-designed, will take some input on our part. Beautiful gardens don’t just happen. They are the result of planning, development, time and a little bit of effort.

I am still learning too. My epiphany came several years ago after trying to grow dry, sun loving plants in a wet, sunny garden. It took me three tries to realize the futility of my efforts. Hopefully, you can learn from these basic principles and find success in your landscape. If you need information about native plants, visit our plant library, landscape designs or give us a call.

Winter Prairie

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Brad Guhr

Temperatures are cold, hours of darkness are long, and January is a nice time to observe the following beneficial features of a winter prairie garden.

Habitat for micro-wildlife – Insect eggs persist and survive on residual vegetation – a good reason for leaving thatch on site when cutting it in the spring. For animals that don’t hibernate or achieve some form of dormancy, extant biomass provides insulation for body heat, protection from wind, and visual cover from predators; seeds provide an important source of food for small birds and mammals, and these animals will eventually feed others in the food chain.

Vegetation buffer – Dormant plant matter provides an above-ground blanket or biomass buffer that reduces soil moisture loss, and slows changes in temperature. This effect improves chances of winter survival for wildlife, and the roots of living, dormant perennial plants.

Developing seed bank – Allowing seed heads to persist on site, relax, and drop their seeds builds an inventory of propagules in the soil that can produce new seedlings in the future.

Aesthetic beauty – Unique textures, variations of drab colors, organic ways of holding ice and snow, and even some landscape “disorder” provide interesting features for traditional yards that generally lack winter interest.

Be sure to enjoy the subtle nuances of the dormant prairie in winter over the next couple of months.

Happy new year,

Brad

Alternatives for Bugle Weed-Ajuga Cultivars

Alternatives for Barberry – Berberis spp.

Alternatives to Maiden Grass – Miscanthus spp.

Green Antelopehorn (Asclepias viridis)

Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’

Blue Grama, Boutleoua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’

Ironplant, Vernonia lettermanii ‘Iron Butterfly’

Arkansas Bluestar, Amsonia hubrichtii

Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Twilight Zone’

Agastache ‘Raspberry Summer’

Yellow Purple Coneflower Echinacea paradoxa

Solidago “Little Lemon’

Beebalm Monarda ‘Cherry Pops’

1. Plants should match your site.

2. Succession of Bloom

3. Forms and Textures

4. Interesting Lines

5. Complementary Colors

6. Intentional Plant Height

7. Perennial and annual weed control

Low Maintenance

Saves money

Water

Beautiful plants

Attract pollinators and wildlife

Join us in re-establishing some prairie roots in your own yard, and then spread the word by sharing this information with your friends.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning to make your garden bird-friendly:

Case Study from the Great Plains

Results:

Here is how NATIVE PLANTS DELIVER!

Consider these fundamentals as you design your native plant garden: