Creating a Prairie Garden

The largest single ecosystem on the North American continent was the prairie. Nestled between the lush forests along the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, and stretching from southern Texas to southern Canada, America's prairie was a virtual sea of grasses sometimes taller than a horse. Closer to the ground, a carpet of wildflowers of every color and shape blossomed. Under it all was the rich, black soil that settler farmers tilled and planted into wheat, corn, beans and other crops. The eastern part of the range had more moisture and supported taller grass and a large range of colored flowers. As the region moved west less rain fell and there was more mixed grasses and less flowers. Only about 1% of the continent's original prairie still exists. There are many efforts underway to reestablish and protect prairie habitats.

I live just about right in the middle of that great grassland. Other than the fenced in pastures and the fact that you can still see for miles and miles in any direction, it is hard to imagine what it must have looked like 200 years ago.

I have a lot of traditional flowers in my gardens - things planted by past generations that have adapted well to the prairie and seem as though they were probably always here. Things like the peonies which are blooming magnificently right now, the iris, the tulips and daffodils, and annuals like petunias and zinnias.

However, sometimes it can be a challenge to keep some of those plants protected from the wind and watered enough and so a few years ago, I started collecting and planting native flowers in my gardens. The purple coneflowers nearly take over as well as the pink Missouri primroses. I have started a False Indigo plant that I dug up from our pasture along with a pretty little grass with little white flowers called, simply, white eyed grass. Some wood sorrel started a couple of years ago has started filling in nicely and last year I found and planted a beardstongue which is just starting to bloom. Even some patches of Little Bluestem Grass planted amongst the flowers adds to the beauty of it.

Below are some pictures I've been taking of some of the flowers I have blooming this year. I have identified most of these through the website http://www.kswildflowers.org/ This is a great resource as the flowers as listed by color as well as by name, so it makes it pretty easy to find and identify flowers that I find.

Beardstongue - dug up last year while it was blooming. I was really happy when it came up and bloomed so well this year.

Pink Primroses - always beautiful and very prolific - actually can be rather invasive, but I just fight them back into the areas where I want them and they don't seem to mind - just keep blooming for weeks.

This plant is called Moth Mullin. I found a few of them blooming in the pasture when I was checking calves last spring. Couldn't resist the pretty little white flowers with purple centers. They shoot up about 2'-3' tall and the flowers are about 1" across. It starts blooming at the bottom and the buds above open later - rather like a hollyhock. I found out that this one reseeds itself quite well and have had to be a little ruthless about taking out seedlings so that it doesn't choke out everything else. Growing in the pasture, they are contained by native grasses, etc., but in the garden where they could have free range, they come up everywhere! They're worth the extra work now that they are blooming.

Growing Grandma's Iris

I really love iris. I have always had a few iris in any garden that I have had anywhere. A lot of them were the old fashioned kind that were planted many years ago by some former gardener and they are still coming up and blooming every year. I like the idea that my iris will continue to live and give people enjoyment long after I am gone.
I now live in a farmhouse that my husband's grandparents had lived in. When I moved here, all the old flower beds were gone and nothing of his grandmother's flowers had survived. Or so we thought. It seems that she had once had some really beautiful irises growing out by the road, but after having been neglected and mowed off for many years none of them were left.
A few years ago, the local phone company laid all new lines (so we could have DSL internet) and had dug trenches along the ditches all down our road. One day, the next spring as I was mowing along the ditch, I looked down and there were little iris plants coming up! Well, of course, I stopped the mower and dug up those little plants. I transplanted them into my flower beds and these lush yellow iris in the pictures are the result of that project.
I love the fact that these hardy little rhizomes had lain deeply buried in the ground for years surviving until they were brought to the surface by the trencher. Every year when they start to bloom I think, "These are for you, Grandma!" Even though I never had the chance to know her, I think she would be pleased!

Tips for Growing Clematis

I've always thought I live in a pretty harsh environment here on the prairie to grow clematis successfully. However, some gardeners have good success with them, so I have planted several in different areas of my garden. Although, I have lost a few, I do have a few that are finally starting to grow well. I have collected 6 tips for growing success with clematis.

1. Start with the soil. Clematis prefer slightly alkaline soil, so do a soil test. If your area is on the acid side your clematis will benefit from the addition of some lime. Dig a nice deep (18") and wide hole. Work in a lot of moisture holding compost. Set the young plants deeply, so that the first two leaf nodes will be underground. This will encourage the plants to send up more stems and you'll have a thicker plant.

2. Mulch. They always say "Head in the sun, feet in the shade" when it comes to clematis. Is that true? Well, yes and no. They do need cool, moist roots, but a 4-inch layer of mulch will do just as well as shade. Keep the mulch about 8" away from the stems, though, to prevent stem rot.

3. Make the cut. When pruning make the cut just above 2 strong buds. These buds will quickly develop into new vines. Make sure when you purchase a clematis you know what variety it is and what the pruning needs are for that particular variety are. Some need to be cut back to within a foot of the ground and others just need the tips pruned.

4. Watch closely for disease. Clematis wilt will cause a portion of your vine to wilt very quickly. It is caused by a fungus that enters the stem just above the soil line. The only cure is to cut the wilted stem off at the ground and dispose of it in the trash. There are treatments that you can use to prevent wilt from spreading. Also, some varieties of more resistant to wilt, but if you plant your clematis deeply and watch them carefully, you may never have the problem.

5. Feed a balanced diet. Clematis like to be well fed, but don't overfeed. A good plan would be to feed once a year, right after pruning with an all-purpose, granulated fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10.

6. Choose the right trellis. Clematis do not twin around a object. They climb by twisting petioles, or leaf stems. If your structure is too large, the leaf can't wrap around it. Anything over 3/4" in diameter is too large. However, nylon fishing line is a great way to get clematis to climb a pole or post. Tie a small knot every foot or so to keep the vine from sliding down the line.

If you follow these tips, you'll soon be enjoying those big spectacular flowers that you see in pictures in your own garden.

Check out the selection of clematis at http://www.myprairiegardenhome.com/ and get started adding a beautiful climbing addition to your flower garden.

Hens & Chicks

If you asked me what my favorite plant collection is, I would have to say the Hens & Chicks. There are so many different varieties to choose from and they are so great to tuck into sunny places and just let them go. They don't require much water, basically planting them is about as easy as laying them on the ground. The other fun thing about Hens & Chicks is their versatility. They look really great scattered around some rocks in your garden. They really are fun, though, to find different and unique containers to put them in. The Hens & Chicks in the picture are some that I planted in an old Folgers Coffee can that I found rusting near an old homestead. They would completely have the can covered except that I pluck a few off every year and stick them into something else. A piece of aged wood or drift wood with a hollow spot in it looks great with some Hens & Chicks pouring over it. I have a rock that I found that was hollow inside and turned over with some mini Hens & Chicks growing in it makes a cute addition to another garden. I especially like putting them into old enamal ware pans and bowls.

I recently was given a big old concrete turtle planter. My project this summer is to fill it up with Hens & Chicks to give its "shell" an interesting texture. I'll have to share some photos when I get that accomplished.

If you haven't tried any Hens & Chicks yet, pick some up. They come in a huge variety of sizes, colors and textures. Mixing several together makes a very interesting display. Use your imagination and be sure and let me know if you've found some unique ways to display them in your garden.

Shady Summer Escape

Springtime in the garden is about the best time of all. The weather is balmy and perfect, things are growing rapidly, the cold days of winter are nearly forgotten and the heat of summer is a long way off. Or is it? I was thinking that now is probably the time to think about making a nice shady retreat in one of the shady areas of my yard. The first thing to think about would be seating. Do I want a nice bench or a couple of chairs with a little table between them? Look around to see what you might have - or now might be a good excuse to buy some more garden furniture!

I think a definite "must have" will be a water feature of some type. The sound of trickling water would be very cooling and soothing. Anything from a table top fountain to a little pond would work. Or even set up a whiskey barrel water feature. There's no limit to what you could do. Just fit it to your space.

Plants, of course, will be the next thing. I would start with some favorite shade loving perennials. A trick I use is to plant the perennials and then fill in the spaces with some bright annuals. Not only will the annuals add color and fill in until the perennials start to grow and spread, but you can change your color scheme from year to year also.

Well, now that I have that all thought out, I think it's time to get busy and make it happen!

Birdhouses

From Ugly Gourd to Bird Home

I started a new garden project last year - growing birdhouse gourds. These gourds are really easy to grow, but they do grow on large vines so make sure you have adequate space for them to spread out. When the vines died after the first frost last fall, I harvested the gourds and stored them in a single layer on loose straw in a corner of our barn. Then I just forgot about them until this spring. The gourds will cure and dry over the winter and by spring you should be able to hear the seeds rattling inside them when you shake the gourd.

Now begins the fun part! All that nasty, moldy skin on the outside needs to come off. I found the easiest method is to soak the gourds in warm water (you'll have to weigh them down to keep them covered with water) for about an hour. Using a metal scraper (dull knife) and a metal pot scrubber, clean off all of the loose material you can. The gourd will be stained and spotted, but that is perfectly normal. If there are some bumps or rough spots, these can be sanded smooth or left "as is" if you prefer.

After the gourd is completely dried, use a hole bit on your electric drill to place the opening in the gourd. I also use a small bit to drill 3 or 4 drainage holes in the bottom of the gourd.

Your gourd is ready to decorate in any way you want. They are also beautiful just left natural and they are very durable and will last for many years.

I have posted some pictures of gourds I have decorated in a slide show. I sell these gourds on Ebay or give them as gifts.

Spring at Last!!

Now that spring has finally arrived, its time to start working on my flower gardens again. Not that I call it "work" - more like a labor of love. My gardens were started from scratch 6 years ago and I thought the day would never come when I would have so much color to enjoy. I guess patience really is the key. And good planning....I have gone to Plan B several times along the way, and am thinking of some changes now that need to be made. Like the creeping phlox that has grown completely over the stepping stones my grandkids made. Do I move the stepping stones or tear out some of the phlox? Not a good time to decide since the phlox are blooming in glourious lavendar clumps right now!