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Creating an American Prairie Meadow

Prairies and meadows require sunny, open sites with good air circulation. A minimum of one half day of full sun is necessary for most prairie plants to thrive and bloom. Any sunny, level site is suitable for a prairie meadowOn hills, south-facing slopes receive more sun than level ground, are hotter and drier, and well suited to prairie meadows. West-facing slopes are subject to desiccation from prevailing westerly winds and the hot afternoon sun, and are also good sites for prairies. East-facing slopes are good candidates as well. Steep north-facing slopes are protected from the sun, stay cooler and moister and are usually not well suited to prairies. Prairie flowers and grasses will also do well when planted on the east, west and south sides of a building in full sun. The north side is too shady for prairie, and better suited to ferns and woodland wildflowers.

Prairie meadows are often recommended for planting over septic fields and mound systems The roots of the herbaceous perennial flowers and grasses apparently do not grow into the pipes and do not pose a threat to their function. An added benefit is that the deep-rooted prairie plants can utilize the wastewater and the nutrients contained in it, preventing them from entering the ground water. You can help recycle your wastewater with native plants

Be careful if aggressive, weedy plants are located adjacent to your future prairie site. Some plants can creep into your meadow by means of underground rhizomes, while others have seeds that can blow in on the wind. “Problem neighbors” include Quackgrass, Smooth Bromegrass, Johnsongrass, Canada Goldenrod, Tall Goldenrod, Canada Thistle, Grey Dogwood, Sumac, Buckthorn, Tatarian and Japanese Honeysuckles and Multiflora Rose, to name a few. If there is an old field next to your prairie, expect some incursion by unwanted visitors, some of whom may attempt to make your prairie their home! To prevent this problem, maintain a mowed strip 5-10 feet wide between the prairie and the old field, and mow the adjacent fields every summer in late July, before the plants go to seed.

Beware of attempting to establish a prairie on sites that have a long history of weedy vegetation. Extensive site preparation will be required to kill off existing weeds growing on the site, and also to reduce the weed seeds that are harbored in the soil. This typically requires one to two full years, using Roundup herbicide, smothering, cultivation, or a combination of these methods.

The Tallgrass Prairie once covered the midsection of North America, from central Kansas east into Ohio, and Texas north to Manitoba. On the richer, moister soils grew many taller plants. On poor, dry soils, shorter plants predominated. Today, we use combinations of these plants to create the landscape effects we desire. Short prairies are a good choice around homes and buildings. Tall prairies are best when planted on larger acreages, or in background situations. Most tall prairie plants grow best on rich soils and clay soils, while many of the shorter species tend to prefer drier, sandy and rocky soils

You may want to plant some areas of both tall and short prairie to create two different landscape effects and habitat types. Place the tall prairie to the back and short prairie in the front to create a layered effect. Be aware that if you plant tall prairie to the west or north of your short prairie, the ripening seeds of the taller plants may blow into the short prairie to the east and south. Eventually your short prairie may become a tall prairie, as the invading seeds from the tall plants grow and mature

For a prominent display of wildflowers, plant them with the shorter bunchgrasses, such as Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed and Sideoats Grama. These low-growing, clump-forming grasses allow the flowers to show off better than when planted with tall prairie grasses.

For tall prairies, an excellent combination is Indiangrass and Little Bluestem, mixed with various flowers. These two clump-forming grasses leave plenty of room for the flowers. Large, robust flowers should be planted with the tall prairie grasses, such as Big Bluestem, Indiangrass and Switchgrass.

Beware of planting only one type of flower in an area. Most flowers do not have sufficiently thick root systems to squeeze out weeds by themselves. They require help from other flowers and grasses. Tap-rooted flowers seem to grow better and produce more flowers when growing together with clump-forming grasses

The complementary root systems of the prairie flowers and grasses work together to squeeze out weeds. By occupying different parts of the soil, these plants coexist as a tight-knit plant community. The inclusion of a wide variety of native flowers and grasses is the secret to creating low-maintenance flower gardens that require little chemical input and less work than typical flower beds. By understanding plant behavior and working with nature, the plants will do most of the work for you.

The area to be planted must be completely free of weeds and grasses. Heavy clay soils should be cultivated or dug to a depth of one foot to break up layers of compacted soil. Organic matter such as compost, peat moss, well rotted manure or leaves can be tilled into poor clay soils to improve aeration and water infiltration. Do not add sawdust, bark chips, or other organic materials derived from wood, as these will rob the soil of nitrogen and retard the growth of your plants. Dry sandy soils can also be improved by the addition of organic matter to increase their nutrient and water-holding capacity.

Five Tips on Designing a Prairie Garden Using Transplants

The following tips on designing your prairie garden combine the principles of plant ecology with garden design. You can select the ideas that you wish to apply in your garden and express your own style using wildflowers and native grasses

1)  Plant wildflowers and grasses together to create a naturalistic meadow effect. The dense root systems of the grasses will do much of the “weeding” for you by eliminating open soil in which weed seeds germinate and grow. Tap-rooted flowers do not provide sufficient soil cover to prevent weed growth around them, and should be inter-planted with grasses. Grasses also help support the wildflowers, reducing the need for staking tall flowers.

2)  Select plants to match the scale of your landscape. Plant tall plants in back and short ones in front. Use short flowers and grasses in small prairie gardens. Tall flowers and grasses work best in back borders and areas where bold plants are desired, as well as for screening undesirable views in late summer and fall.

3)  Plant flowers in masses and drifts of color to create drama and impact in the garden. Include short prairie grasses with mass flower plantings to help control weeds. In a closely tended or heavily-mulched garden, flowers can be planted without the grasses, but will require more maintenance.

4) Select plants for a succession of bloom throughout the growing season. This ensures that something interesting is always going on in your prairie garden. Include spring bloomers, as these are among the most attractive and delicate of the prairie flowers. Late in the year after all the flowers have gone by, the prairie grasses will provide a great show in fall and winter.

5) Use large “specimen” plants as architectural focal points in the garden. Surround individual specimen plants with lower-growing flowers and grasses to help them show off. Use groundcover plants for inter-planting among taller flowers and grasses, and in areas where low-growing cover is desired.

By integrating the principles of ecology with garden design, you can create attractive, ecological prairie gardens. After the first year of establishment, these gardens will require no fertilizers, pesticides, or irrigation to keep them healthy and vibrant. Even during severe heat and drought, prairie gardens continue to perform while most other plants fade. And that ensures you of “more flowers per hours” spent in the garden.