Micro prairies: No yard is too small to go with earth-friendly native plants

If glimpses of strikingly beautiful butterflies are scarcer than a rare bird alert in your yard, maybe it’s time to go native.

Native plants are key to aiding and attracting native insects and pollinators, including swamp metalmark and monarch butterflies, hummingbirds and endangered rusty-patched bumblebees that were once plentiful in Wisconsin.

Restoring green space is important  . . .  no matter the size.

In fact, the more modest the yard, the easier it is to transform it into a micro prairie teeming with living things. Think of your yard as just one diminutive piece of the collective urban landscape.

“No yard is too small for the inclusion of native plants,” said Neil Diboll, consulting ecologist and president of Prairie Nursery in Westfield. “Even one plant of butterfly milkweed can attract monarch butterflies to lay their eggs and result in caterpillars that become the next generation of monarchs.”

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Diboll is an internationally known expert on native plants who is living and working right here in Wisconsin. He is intensely knowledgeable and a regular guest on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Garden Talk.

“Numerous studies have shown that green spaces in cities improve air quality, reduce summer temperatures and benefit people’s mental health,” Diboll said.

“Restoration of the planet does not depend solely on preservation of large tracts of land in a pristine condition,” he added. “Small plantings of native plants, in urban and suburban landscapes, can provide critical habitat for a wide variety of birds, pollinators, other beneficial insects — even reptiles and amphibians, too.”

Diboll proposes the alternative of native plants.

“One of the advantages of a prairie in a small yard is the replacement of a nearly sterile lawn with a living landscape of beautiful native flowers and ornamental grasses.  . . . They also provide wonderful opportunities for children to learn about the intricacies of nature right in their own backyard.”

The term “prairie” has a specific meaning, according to Diboll.

“Prairie is the French word for meadow,” he said. “The term prairie has come to represent the mid-continental grasslands dominated by warm-season prairie grasses and many showy flowers. Meadow typically refers to cool-season grasslands more common in the higher rainfall (areas of) northeastern U.S. and Canada.”

Little house on the little prairie

It seems that homeowners are looking to spend more time with birds than with lawnmowers, as native plants top the list of demands in a recent survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects.

A whopping 84% of both single-family and multifamily owners wish to incorporate natives into their yards. Drought-tolerant plants and low-maintenance landscapes came in second and third on the list  . . .  some qualities that native plants can also deliver.

Karen Johnson is setting the example in her Bay View yard.

A member of the Southwest Milwaukee/Wehr chapter of Wild Ones, Johnson wanted to “attract insects which in turn attract insect-eating birds.” Wild Ones is a national non-profit organization that began in Milwaukee in 1977 to promote landscaping with native plants.

Initial preparation for natives is labor intensive, Johnson explained, but after that “maintenance is minimal.”

According to Diboll, the first step is destroying turf grass and weeds.

For fast micro prairie results this summer, manually dig up turf. Or, rent a mechanical sod cutter for larger areas. Visualize the area by using a garden hose as a border.

For an easy but slower method, Diboll recommended smothering the lawn with black plastic, cardboard or plywood for about three months.

Or, kill grass with a broad-spectrum, non-persistent herbicide such as glyphosate (Roundup) at eight-week intervals beginning in late May.

Plants then can be placed directly into the dead grass. The easy, slow method’s advantage is it does not disturb the soil and expose it to invading weed seeds.

Leaving a spot or two of bare soil in your yard is also beneficial to native bees, as 70% nest in the ground.

Once your natives are planted, water as needed until they are established in about two months.

Be patient with native plants, as they will first develop their long roots. Prairie plant roots can easily reach six feet or more, where turf grass roots grow only a few inches.

Mowing may be needed a few times the first season or two for weed control. After that, mow just once in early spring. Early spring is best because many insects overwinter in plants, and the native seed heads are a good food source for birds in the winter. 

“Transplants are definitely better than seeds for micro prairie gardens,” Diboll said. “Seeds require two to five years to reach maturity, while many transplants will bloom the year they are installed (not all). Plants also result in tidier, planned gardens, while seeded prairies have a more casual and wilder appearance.”

Buy natives locally

Be picky about plant choice.

Regard any generic “wildflowers” with suspicion (especially in those free seed packets); make sure what you’re planting is truly indigenous and desired. The last thing you want is to unwittingly introduce invasives to your micro prairie.

It’s best to obtain native plants grown as locally as possible, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Most nurseries will reveal where their plants are grown, but ask if it’s not apparent.

Luckily, Wisconsin native plants are readily available.

From Prairie Nursery, order online or by telephone. Live transplant plants are still being shipped through June 6 then resume after Labor Day. Seeds are shipped anytime.

Prairie Nursery offers pollinator favorites, grasses, sedges, shade plants and no-mow grass. You’ll find natives that thrive in clay or sandy soils, moist or dry areas. The pre-planned gardens feature selections skillfully picked, or you can opt for the U-pick plant kits.

Stein’s Garden & Home also sells native plants at its  17 locations in Wisconsin. Stein’s has offered a special True Wisconsin Native area since 2011.

“Customers were looking for native plants that in many cases were already in our collection but mixed with the other perennials,” said Michelle Blayney, horticulture merchant for Stein’s. “True Wisconsin Native program allowed for those plants to be easily identified separately from the rest of the plants in the perennial assortment, as well as some additions that were not in the collection.” The natives saw strong growth, especially the bee-friendly varieties, she said.

Blayney said Stein's True Wisconsin Native plants are raised in Germantown and have not been subject to hybridization. “They are truly Wisconsin natives,” she said. “They are unaltered.”

Johnson in Bay View said she finds natives at Stein’s, Shady Acres Perennial Nursery in New Berlin and annual sales at the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and Wehr Nature Center.

For further guidance, read “Landscaping with Native Plants of Wisconsin” (Voyageur Press, 2007) by Lynn M. Steiner, a Wisconsin-raised author and speaker on native plants.

In addition, “Wildflowers of Wisconsin” (Adventure Publications, 2000) by Stan Tekiela is handy for easily identifying flowers and distinguishing natives from exotics or invasives. If something blooms in your prairie, it’s imperative to know if it’s native or something detrimental that should be destroyed before going to seed.

Jennifer Rude Klett is a Wisconsin freelance writer of history, food and Midwestern life. Contact her at jrudeklett.com.

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Top 10 native plants

Here are Neil Diboll’s top 10 plant recommendations to help transform your yard into a beautiful, natural sanctuary that’s restorative for both people and wildlife. The list contains low-growing prairie plants for southeastern Wisconsin micro prairie gardens on well-drained, medium soils with full to mostly sunny conditions.

But keep in mind, there are natives to address just about any yard issues, including heavy clay soil, shoreline protection and nibbling deer.

GRASSES:

Prairie dropseed (sporobolus heterolepis), elegant emerald clump

Little bluestem (schizachyrium scoparium), blazing red fall color

FLOWERS:

Butterflyweed for clay (asclepias tuberosa, var. clay), attracts monarchs

Smooth aster (aster laevis), late fall bloomer

Cream false indigo (baptisia bracteata), loved by bumblebees

Purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea), butterfly favorite

Rattlesnake master (eryngium yuccifolium), attracts beneficial insects

Prairie blazingstar (liatris pycnostachya), beautiful lavender spires

Wild quinine (parthenium integrifolium), extra-long-bloomer

Ohio goldenrod (solidago ohioensis), compact pollinator favorite