Micro prairie

Lauren Springer Ogden designed prairie garden at Chatfield Farms The Great Plains made their historical entre onto the consciousness of the European world with the publication of the Report of the Long Expedition in 1823 where they are labeled "the Great American Desert"...our plains and prairies have suffered a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde complex ever since. Who hasn't driven across I-80 or I-70 and not quietly grumbled about the endless miles of "nothing"? But if you happen to be in the right…

I have been thinking about the future of my prairie garden for a while and now on April 1, I have finally made the difficult decision that it is time to abandon this foolishness and declare my four year prairie garden experiment a mistake and a waste of time. I know this will come as a shock to many, but I have thought long and hard about this and the truth of the matter is that I miss my lawn and I want it back. I wish I could have known how much I would miss my lawn before I went through…

An Iowa gardener takes cues from nature to create an easy-care wildlife haven filled with colorful native plants.

Want to create a beautiful mini-wildlife sanctuary that is beautiful year-round? Maybe provide some valuable food for pollinators and save the bees? How about making…

This prairie style planting is composed of vigorous perennials which will add drama in your garden from early summer to fall.

Grow native plants in natural layers to create a meadow garden.

Prairie borders take their inspiration from the vast grassland and horizons of the American plains. This natural style of design is known as Prairie planting. It uses bold blocks of plants and colours. Allowing groups to self seed and colonize. Rich in pollen for insects and following a very natural flow. This guide will show you just how easy it is to achieve in the smallest of gardens.

Urban micro prairies attract native insects and pollinators, including butterflies and bumblebees. Fortunately, native plants are readily available.

“They are ... going to be with you for the rest of your life perhaps. They are long lived, and outside of a few little diseases, they are really hardy," says Dan Cummings.

In the February 2015 issue of Fine Gardening, we introduced you to a stunning garden in central Illinois designed by Adam Woodruff. Here are the plants featured in each of the photos.