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Naturescaping

Naturescaping provides many benefits to the home gardener including the opportunity to integrate nature into our daily lives and bring conservation closer to home. By recreating the prairie, meadow or woodland which once characterized your region, you can rediscover the past, promoting a “sense of place” and a tie to the land where you live.

Native plants make excellent landscape plantings because they are adapted to the local weather and soil conditions. Consequently, they require little or no fertilizer, are relatively low maintenance and help conserve scarce resources such as water and energy. Native plants are also less frequently bothered by insect and disease problems thus reducing the need for chemical controls.

The principal of naturescaping relies on increased species diversity and natural predation to keep pest populations in check. Pesticide use is strongly discouraged as it harms beneficial insects such as lady bugs, dragon flies and praying mantis. Pesticide use also reduces pollinator and local butterfly populations significantly.

One of the most important reasons for using native plants in the landscape is to increase public awareness about saving native organisms and their habitats. A garden of native plants preserves habitat for many native birds, insects and mammals that are becoming as rare as the plants and natural environments that feed and shelter them.

Native Plants in the Home Landscape

You can create a beautiful garden with native plants wherever you live. Begin by determining how you want to use native plants in your garden. The most important rule of thumb is to choose plants that will tolerate the conditions available in your landscape. Height, color and time of bloom are also important considerations when selecting native plants for the home landscape. Learn to recognize the native plants that may already exist in your garden such as phlox, black-eyed Susan, butterfly weed, coreopsis, bee balm, deciduous holly and viburnum. On a small scale, you can incorporate a few favorite natives into existing plantings. Or you can devote an entire garden or landscape to native plants.

For gardeners who wish to devote a large portion of their landscape to native plantings, it is helpful first to explore local native plant communities. Conservation organizations, such as the Missouri Department of Conservation, can help you find natural plant communities to explore.

Urban gardeners who may not have the room to recreate an entire plant community can still create the essence of the community by using the dominant native plants as the backbone of their landscape design. Some municipalities may have height restrictions in regard to vegetation. Be sure to check local weed ordinances before beginning any naturescaping project.

Conservation and the Home Landscape

The recent enthusiasm for naturescaping has created a demand for a wide range of native plants. In some cases, these plants are collected from the wild rather than propagated in a nursery. In order to conserve our native flora, gardeners should purchase nursery-propagated plants only.

There are several ways to ensure that the plants you purchase are nursery propagated. Check plant labels and catalogs for information on the source of the plant. Beware of ambiguous phrases such as “nursery-grown” which could mean that the plant was dug from the wild and then transplanted in the nursery.

Get to know your nursery person and ask questions about plant production. Price can be a good indicator. Plants, such as Trillium spp. that take several years to grow from seed, will cost far less when dug from the wild. Some plants that are particularly prone to poaching include cacti, orchids, insectivorous plants and medicinal plants.

A satisfying and easy way to acquire natives is to collect seeds and grow your own. If you decide to collect seed from the wild, follow ethical practices and never collect more seed than you can grow. Always get landowner permission before collecting on private property.

While collecting seed of common wildflowers is acceptable, it is extremely harmful to natural populations of rare and endangered species. In Missouri, contact the Department of Conservation for collection regulations and a list of threatened and endangered plants.

Planting Your Native Wildflower Garden

The Perennial and Mixed Border

Native plants will coexist quite happily with non-natives in the perennial or mixed border. When combining native and non-native plants in the same garden area, be certain to group together plants that have the same specific cultural requirements. Choose woodland wildflowers for the shade garden or gardens located in moist or wet areas; chose meadow, prairie or glade wildflowers for the sunny garden.

When incorporating natives into existing plantings, it is advisable to purchase containerized plants. Follow the planting directions provided by the nursery. While plants may be purchased through mail-order, it is best to buy plants from a local source whenever possible. These plants are more likely to be genetically adapted to your region’s climate and other environmental conditions.

Woodland Wildflowers

Woodland wildflowers will be best suited to your landscape if your yard is shady and wooded. Most woodland wildflowers prefer well-drained soil, light shade and adequate moisture. They will also benefit from a soil high in organic matter as well as a leaf mulch that persists throughout the year.

There are several things to consider before purchasing woodland wildflowers for the home landscape. First, determine whether your wooded area contains wet or dry shade. Rocky outcroppings, white oaks and hickory trees are good indicators of dry shade conditions. Season of bloom is another important consideration in the woodland garden; as many of the woodland wildflowers are spring ephemerals with short-lived bloom periods. Woodland wildflowers are best purchased as containerized plants which establish themselves more reliably than plants started from seed. Finally, select plants from a local nursery as they are more likely to be suited to the growing conditions in your area.

Prairie Wildflowers

The essence of the prairie can be obtained by planting native prairie grasses and wildflowers. Since the prairie is essentially a grassland, a general rule of thumb is to establish an area with 50% native grasses, 50% wildflowers. In the home landscape, this translates to about two or three native grasses for every ten to twelve prairie wildflower species.

Medium-height grasses, such as little bluestem and sideoats grama grass, may be more appropriate in the home landscape than the tall grasses associated with our native prairies.

The prairie garden may be started from either transplants or from seed. The size of the area to be planted is the most important consideration when determining whether to use seed or transplants. In general, seeds are better for larger, naturalized plantings while transplants work well for smaller, landscaped plantings.

Garden soil need not be ammended as organically rich soil will cause prairie plants to grow too exuberantly. As a result, they may become weedy and need staking. Follow the plan outlined above in meadow and glade gardens for growing wildflowers from seed. Transplanting of bare-rooted seedlings should be done in early spring. Containerized plants can be planted at any time.

As a rule, prairie plants spend most of their first year establishing root systems, with little visible above ground growth. Hand pulling may be necessary to control noxious weeds during this vulnerable period. Your garden will begin to look more like a prairie during the second and third year of growth. During this time, an early-summer mowing (late June) will be helpful in controlling annual weeds. The homeowner should also follow-up with a fall mowing when the vegetation reaches a height between 6-10 inches. Spot applications of an herbicide may be applied, if necessary. When using an herbicide, follow the directions on the label.

Your prairie planting should be fairly well established by the fourth year. At this point, maintenance tasks will be minimal and your prairie will pretty much take care of itself in the years to come.

Meadow and Glade Wildflowers

Meadow wildflowers prefer a dry, open, sunny spot with adequate drainage. Many meadow wildflowers are easily grown from direct seeding, but may need a period of stratification to assure germination. To stratify seeds, keep them under cool, dark moist conditions for a minimum period of three months or more depending on the species. This can be accomplished by putting seeds in a sealed bag with moist sand or perlite and placing it in the refrigerator. A fall sowing will allow nature to complete the stratification process for you.

Ideally, garden soil should be prepared two seasons before seeding and/or planting in order to gain control over weeds. If you are selecting a new location for your meadow wildflower garden, be certain to remove existing lawn grass and as many weeds as possible. This can be accomplished by digging, rototilling or by using an herbicide such as Roundup. When using any herbicide, be certain to carefully read the label before application.

When ready to plant, loosen the soil with a rake or a hoe. You can deliberately broadcast the seed for a naturalized look. After seeding, gently rake the seeds into the soil and cover lightly with straw. Keep the ground consistently moist for the next few weeks until the seedlings have an opportunity to become established.

If you plan to plant your meadow in the spring, purchasing container grown plants might be the best option. Purchasing plants is more costly, but they will become established more quickly. Plant according to the directions supplied by the nursery and keep well watered until established.

Many wildflowers that are associated with the meadow garden are actually glade species. Glades are naturally occurring open areas characterized by thin, rocky soils which produce an extremely hot, dry environment. Glade wildflowers will feel “at home” anywhere in a location that receives at least six hours of full sun each day. They are particularly tolerant of poor soils and drought conditions. As with meadow wildflowers, many glade wildflowers can be sown directly from seed.