Native plants - the plants that originate naturally in a region and have been living there for thousands of years - are a gardener's best friend when it comes to creating a gorgeous, low-maintenance,
Native plants - the plants that originate naturally in a region and have been living there for thousands of years - are a gardener's best friend when it comes to creating a gorgeous, low-maintenance, environment-friendly landscape, because they thrive in our local climate. They are relatively unaffected by drought, wind, extremes in temperature, and the unpredictable early and late frosts that define the short prairie growing season.
Written especially for gardeners in the northern and central prairies of Canada and the United States, June Flanagan shows that a garden rich in native plants is beautiful in its diversity, relatively low maintenance, conserves water, is environmentally sustainable, and provides a natural habitat for birds, butterflies, and insects - all essential ingredients for a healthy garden.
Included in Native Plants for Prairie Gardens:
- advice on how to landscape using native prairie plants
- tips on how to acquire, grow, and propagate native prairie plants
- detailed plant descriptions of native prairie wildflowers, grasses, trees, and shrubs, illustrated with beautiful full-colour photographs
- A native prairie plant bloom chart
- Lists of native prairie seed and plant sources, native plant organizations, and public gardens featuring native prairie plants
"Detailed descriptions of 29 wildflowers. eight grasses and 15 woody plants accompany Flanagan's excellent colour images. Particularly valuable are her many lists, including sources for native plants in the northern and central prairies of North America. A nice bonus is the author's suggestions for native plants for a cutting garden. And, judging by the photographs, native flowers can be as showy as their cultivars."
—
Canadian Gardening"For the chinook gardener interested in planting only species that have called our grassland landscape home for thousands of years, along comes the ideal resource guide: Native Plants for Prairie Gardens, a book penned with Canadian and U.S. flatlanders in mind."
— Calgary Herald
"Solidly researched. . . Flanagan's Native Plants for Prairie Gardens fills a void among existing garden titles. It is truly unique. The softcover book has details on design and propagation, and an excellent index."
— Windsor Star and other Canwest papers
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ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
What Is a Native Plant?
Why Grow Native Plants?
What Region Does This Book Cover?
About Plant Names
About Cultivars
Finally . . .
CHAPTER 2: WHAT IS
PRAIRIE?
The Prairie Environment
A Sea of Grass
Water and Wind
Fires and Grazing
The Fence and Plow: Disappearance of the Prairie
Plants of the PrairieThe One-hundredth Meridian: The Divide Between Species
Grasses, Wildflowers, and Woody Plants
Cool-season and Warm-season Plants
CHAPTER 3: USING
NATIVE PLANTS IN
LANDSCAPES
Begin with a Plan
Design for Water ConservationThe XeriscapeTM Movement
Plan a Water-conserving Design
Limit Lawn Areas
Choose Practical Plants
Implement Water-conserving Gardening Practices
Layered Landscapes: Inspiration from Nature
Informal and Formal Designs
Color and Texture
Beds and Borders
Specialty Gardens Ornamental Grasses
Cutting Garden
Rock Garden
Wildlife Habitat
Butterfly Garden
CHAPTER 4: ACQUIRING NATIVE
PRAIRIE PLANTS
Purchasing Native PlantsCultivated Varieties
Non-native Wildflower Mixes
Creating a Custom Mix
Mail-order Purchases
Collecting Wild Seed Guidelines for Seed Harvesting
Guidelines for Seed Storage
CHAPTER 5: GROWING PRAIRIE
PLANTS
Water-efficient Gardening PracticesImprove the Soil
Mulch
Irrigate Efficiently
Maintain the Landscape Properly
Pest and Disease Control
Seasonal Clean-up
Planting a Prairie Soil Preparation
Weeds
What to Plant
How Much to Plant
When to Plant
How to Plant
Irrigation
Maintenance
Planting a Native Lawn
CHAPTER 6 : PROPAGATING PRAIRIE
PLANTS
SeedsSpecial Pregermination Treatments
Outdoor Germination
Indoor Germination
Division
Layering
CuttingsRoot Cuttings and Suckers
Hardwood Stem Cuttings
Softwood Stem Cuttings
CHAPTER 7: PLANTS FOR
PRAIRIE GARDENS
Wildflowers
Grasses
Woody Plants
Native Plant Bloom Chart
Appendix 1: Native Prairie Seed and Plant Sources
Appendix 2: Native Plant Organizations
Appendix 3: Public Gardens Featuring Native Prairie Plants
Appendix 4: Useful Web Sites
References
Index
"
View Table of contents
June Flanagan
holds a Master of Science in plant science and a Bachelor of Science in environmental and ornamental horticulture from the University of Arizona. She is co-author of The Prairie Gardener's Sourcebook, has written and photographed for several publications on a wide variety of botanical topics, and serves on the Alberta Native Plant Council Board.
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