In many films, cowboys ride through infinite expanses that are decorated with beautiful flowers. You can bring this flair home with you in the form of a prairie garden.
Endless expanses, hardly a tree far and wide, only grass and wildflowers: you only know such a landscape from cowboy and Indian films? This is usually the so-called prairie, a grass steppe on the North American continent. She has a very special charm. This is exactly what you can take home with you. Namely by creating a prairie garden. It is easy to care for and is trendy. The selection of suitable grasses and flowers is also inexhaustible.
The maintenance effort for prairie gardens is also very limited. You don't have to fertilize and only water regularly during the growth phase, and later only if the drought lasts for a long time. The elimination of weeds is also no longer an issue after two to three years, since the perennials have then spread so far that a dense carpet has formed. In addition to the wild charm, there are also very tangible reasons for creating a prairie garden. But how is that done? And which plants fit in there? We want to clarify all that now.
Where does a prairie garden grow best?
Locate your prairie garden in a light location so that the grasses receive four hours or more of direct sunlight per day. In terms of soil, prairie grasses and plenty of matching flowers are not very demanding. Sandy subsoil is just as acceptable as soil rich in humus. However, good water permeability is important. If the ground is compacted, you can easily remedy this by adding coarse sand and pebbles.
Plant suggestions for your prairie garden
❖ Star Globe Onion (Allium cristophii):
- robust perennial plant
- up to 60 cm high
- Large, spherical inflorescences with star-shaped flowers in violet
❖ spike grass (Chasmanthium latifolium):
- owes its name to the flat brown spikes of flowers with a touch of pink
- can grow up to 100 cm high
- provides with golden yellowLeaves in autumn for great optical effects
❖ Dewdrop Grass (Sporobolus heterolepis):
- filigree North American prairie grass
- attractive contrast of green stalks and ocher-colored panicles of flowers
- Blossoms smell wonderful
- with growth height of 30 to 50 cm well suited for the edges of the prairie bed
❖ Sweet nettle (Agastache rugusa):
- beautiful perennial up to 150 cm high
- Magnificent blue to violet inflorescences
- extended flowering period of more than two months
- attracts bees and birds
❖ Bearded Grass (Andropogon gerardii):
- very undemanding, robust and long-lived prairie grass
- Attractive blue-green foliage that turns brown to reddish in fall
- Growth can reach 150 cm
❖ Blanket Flower (Gaillardia):
- The Blanket Flower is a 30 to 80 cm high, bushy perennial
- Colorful red flowers with yellow edges
- may need winter protection in very cold areas
- needs lots of sun and prefers sandy soil
❖ Mosquito Grass (Bouteloua gracilis):
- Grass native to Mexico with brown horizontal flowers
- becomes 20 to 50 cm high
- Fits well between colorful grasses and flowers thanks to its "optical calmness"
- becomes 20 to 40 cm high