Episode 7

The DIY Prairie Garden with Host Stephanie Barelman

Published on: 7th June, 2023

THE DIY PRAIRIE GARDEN

Episode Introduction

In today's episode, The DIY Prairie Garden, we go over a short breakdown of what a prairie is, some unique medicinal and edible qualities of native prairie plants, how to site prep, and what plants and grasses to use in your very own meadowscape.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

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Episode Content

Go back and catch up on old episodes

-PLEASE PLEASE listen to Episode 1 if you haven't already which gives you a primer on what native plants even are, link here

-Episode 2 is also helpful link here

Understand that a prairie is an ecosystem, one that we've killed off

Like the idea of a wildflower meadow? We do too. And Nebraska was naturally a wildflower meadow before the Waltons, Big Ag, and developers had their way. Something like 99% of the original prairie is gone. Very sad deal, and a compelling reason to ditch your lawn for native plants.

Not all prairies are created equal

Different ecoregions, different plants. See here

In short, you have: tall grass prairie, shortgrass prairie, mixed grass prairie depending on geography and subdivisions of mesic prairie, dry prairie, and wet prairie depending on elevation and nearby proximity to water.

Also, prairie ecosystems extend into Colorado, Minnesota, south towards Texas, or even further east into Indiana. There's plants that have residency in different parts of this range and what's wonderful is we can have uniquely beautiful and beneficial Nebraska gardens and what that looks like in Scottsbluff, Lincoln, and Omaha can have slight differences between them.

Our focus: Tallgrass Prairie

I am obviously bias, hailing from the Omaha area. But you can find links to shortgrass and mixed grass ideas here:

Some of the inspiration for today's chat on tallgrass prairie:

Shortgrass:

here, here(scroll down to shortgrass prairie section,) and here. For this last one, scroll down to a tab menu and select components to see plant species.

Mixed Grass:

here, here, and here.

Why should we even bother planting a naturalistic landscape?

Beautiful meadows aren’t just for Europe. Nope, beauty can be homegrown. It doesn't need to be exotic, people.
You are providing habitat for insects, birds, and other wildlife! You are fighting the food desert establishment! You are making much necessary scientific research possible in your own backyard! Need I say more?
Pollination? Your garden's got it covered!
Sprinkler system? Nope your garden won't need it! Just a little supplemental water here and there and we're good!
Mowing is so 1990, let's just put it in the past where it belongs...
You will have very little weeding time down the road- that being said: MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN! Once a month, which is literally less time than you devote to people you really don't like, things you don't really want to do, etc. So you can give one instance a month of not-self care to your garden after it is established. Really, you can do it. We believe in you!
Also, you are hoarding a decent amount of carbon below ground. Carbon bouncing around in the air since some people just have to have their pickup trucks and climate change.

What are some unique reasons for planting a prairie garden?

You can forage your own prairie for wild edibles. Bob and I talked a little about this in Episode 3 of the podcast. We have plants with:

-Edible berries: chokecherry, elderberry, wild strawberry

-Edible flowers- violets, elderberry, yucca

-Edible fruit: American plum, fragrant and smooth sumac

-Plants that make great teas, so you can truly spill the tea: wild bergamot, lead plant, echinacea

There are hundreds of plants with edible parts native to the midwest. Just always double check if any of the plant parts are poisonous or if the flowers or fruit need to be COOKED before it’s consumed

You can harvest plant material from your own meadow garden to use for natural dyes. Wildflower tie dyes anyone?

-Coreopsis, goldenrod, Indian blanket, butterfly milkweed and many more

You can grow medicine in your garden.

-elderberry, Carolina gernanium, sweetgrass, New England aster

You can grow prairie plants that can be used in basket weaving:

-sweetgrass, sumac, Virginia creeper, big bluestem, rattlesnake master, and dogwood

PRETTY COOL, HUH? Check out these two books here and here for more ideas on native plant usefulness.

How does one site prep exactly? What does that even mean?

https://www.prairiemoon.com/blog/site-prep= pro tips

In short, remove with sod cutter, spade and plant in with an optional one time application of shredded mulch around plants OR kill off a larger area with short lived herbicide and plant directly in OR close mow area and then solarize/ smother with plastic or cardboard for a few series of weeks (think 5 smother, 1 uncover; 5 smother, 1 uncover; five smother, 1 uncover, plant)

Strategic Mowing

Yes, after you have planted the garden. You can mow to mimic fire to control weeds and prevent saplings from taking over your prairiescape.

Please follow some professional directions and don't deviate. If you mow at the wrong time, it could really mess with the plants.

PLANTS FOR A DRY, FULL SUN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE GARDEN

60 to 80 percent grasses

-TALLGRASS: MAIN GRASSES INDIANGRASS, BIG BLUESTEM, SWITCHGRASS

WORK IN SIDE OATS GRAMA, BLUE GRAMA, PURPLE LOVEGRASS, CANADA WILD RYE, PRAIRIE DROPSEED, LITTLE BLUESTEM,

-SEDGES: CAREX BREVIOR, FOX SEDGE

20-40 PERCENT WILDFLOWERS

-A TON OF OPTIONS AND EVEN MORE OUT THERE: DOGSBANE, BUTTERFLY MILKWEED, PLAINS MILKWEED, SULLIVANT’S MILKWEED, WESTERN YARROW, HEATH ASTER, NEW ENGLAND ASTER, HAIRY GOLDEN ASTER, PLAINS COREOPSIS, DAISY FLEABANE, PURPLE CONEFLOWER, SAWTOOTH SUNFLOWER, JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, THICK SPIKE LIATRIS, GRAY HEADED CONEFLOWER, BLACK EYED SUSAN, ROSINWEED, CANADA GOLDENROD, MISSOURI GOLDENROD, BALDWIN’S IRONWEED, PARTRIDGE PEA, ROCKY MOUNTAIN BEE PLANT, PRAIRIE SPIDERWORT, OHIO SPIDERWORT, FLOWERING SPURGE, GROUND PLUM, PLAINS WILD INDIGO, ROUND HEADED BUSH CLOVER, WHITE AND PURPLE PRAIRIE CLOVER, CAROLINA GERANIUM- SOURCED FROM PRAIRIE MOON, WILD BERGAMOT, LANCELEAF SAGE, WILD PETUNIA, ALLIUM STELLATUM, ALLIUM CANADENSE, PURPLE POPPY MALLOW, ILLINOIS BUNDLE FLOWER, LARGE FLOWERED GAURA, PRAIRIE PHLOX, PRAIRIE VIOLET, WILD STRAWBERRY, WHITE PRAIRIE SAGE, VERBENA STRICTA, COBEA SLENDER AND SHELL LEAF PENSTEMON, RATTLESNAKE MASTER

You can include SHRUBS (mimicking natural scrubland found on the outskirts of a prairie, great for a privacy screen!)

-LEADPLANT(should and can also be included in the prairie garden itself,) SMOOTH SUMAC, SILKY DOGWOOD, AMORPHA FRUTICOSA, CHOKECHERRY, PRAIRIE ROSE, ROSA ARKANSANA, CORALBERRY

PRAIRIE INSECT PUBLICATIONS

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

PRAIRIE PLANT PUBLICATIONS

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum

GARDENING WITH PRAIRIE PLANTS https://plantnebraska.org/file_download/inline/87b1360a-d3d6-43ba-be27-7adc8f1d50ec

WHY WE LOVE PRAIRIE https://plantnebraska.org/file_download/inline/d4298e4c-cb9e-45db-b64f-c400b4668b85

Prairie Legacy

https://prairielegacyinc.com/planning-your-prairie/#planning-your-prairie

Where to source plants and seed

Local Plant Suppliers

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum- Spring Affair event in Lincoln

Midwest Natives Nursery- Lincoln

Great Plains Nursery

Prairie Legacy Nursery

Online Plant Suppliers

Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Nursery

Additional content related to this episode:

What makes a plant native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

BNPS aforementioned

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska