There are two ways in which you can do this; each creates a different style.
- By planting established grasses and flowering perennials in drifts or blocks of varying proportions. Although always evolving, the plantings are redolent of a traditional border.
- By broadcast sowing, to create ecological communities. Competition between plants is natural and planting changes continuously over the years. This is more akin to true prairie.
In general, choose a site that receives full sun for most of the day.
1. Planting a prairie-style border
This interpretation of prairie planting is closer to the traditional Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
Advantages
- Ideal in smaller areas
- Planting well-developed plants gives them a head start in establishment and resistance to pest damage
- Planting in drifts and blocks makes identifying weeds easier than establishment from seed
Disadvantages
- Needs as much maintenance and management as a traditional herbaceous border
- Less dense than a seeded prairie, so there are more opportunities for weed
A seedling is a young plant grown from seed.
How to prepare the ground
Ensure the ground is absolutely free of perennial weeds such as couch grass, ground elder, bindweed and dandelions.
Rotovate the ground if you are creating a border on a new site, incorporating a 7.5cm (3in) layer of well-rotted garden Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.
Design and planting
Next you can build up your palette of plants to suit the conditions. Within these constraints, you can make your design choices.
- Decide how much sun the proposed planting area receives
- Decide the soil type
- How long must flowering last and when would you like the main display to be?
- Aim to include variety in flower shape and flowering time – daisies, spires, round, spiky, umbrella-like and ethereal ‘see-through’ plants
- In small areas, plant in informal drifts of at least five plants. Drifts can be variable in shape, but are usually longer and thinner than blocks and can give an attractive naturalistic impression
- Make use of back lighting to show off grasses and other ‘see through’ plants, as opposed to a fence. Island beds work well
- Choose plants that will provide interest throughout the growing season, which means planning in layers. Start with a low understory of spring
Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
- Choose a mixture of both species and cultivars of plants to lend a feel that is as naturalistic as possible
- Try to repeat groupings to give coherence and rhythm
- Annuals,
Biennials are plants that complete their life cycle over the course of two years. In the first year, biennials typically produce leaves and roots but no flowers. In the second year, they flower and produce seeds before dying. Some common biennials include foxgloves (Digitalis), honesty (Lunaria annua) and viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare).
These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.
In a larger space, you can use a ‘matrix’ planting technique. This is a principle of Piet Oudolf, one of the main proponents of this style of planting. He ranks plants according to visual impact.
- The matrix is a species, planted in large numbers that acts as the background, pulling the whole mix together. It is often, but not always a grass.
- Planted among the matrix are groups or drifts of strong or ‘primary’ flowering plants. These offer the main interest in terms of colour and structure.
- Finally, add scatter plants add a natural, random feel. Verbascum would be an example of a scatter or ‘secondary’ plant.
Aftercare
- While plants are establishing, apply a deep mulch of at least 75mm (3in) bark, gravel or wood chips
- Water thoroughly at least twice a week through the first couple of growing seasons
- Weed regularly, before they seed
- Cut prairie-like foliage down in spring so that plant material accumulated through winter acts as a
Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.
Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.
2. Prairie plant communities from seed
The most naturalistic way to establish a prairie planting is to sow seed. The aim is to create low maintenance ecological communities. The main characteristic of this type of planting is the intermingling of plants. They are not grown in blocks or drifts of species, but scattered. It requires a certain amount of knowledge and observational skill to establish and maintain such plantings. Researchers and designers, James Hitchmough and Nigel Dunnett have spent many years developing this novel approach to gardening, based on semi-natural vegetation types, which has become known as the ‘Sheffield School’ of planting design.
Examples can be seen in the Merton Borders at Oxford Botanic Gardens by James Hitchmough and London Olympic Park designed by Nigel Dunnett and James Hitchmough.
Advantages
- A genuine plant community is established that evolves over time and will resist weeds better once mature because plants are more densely packed
- Cheaper than planting plants
- More species can be included, therefore extended flowering is possible
- Makes good use of sites with low fertility
Disadvantages
- Much weeding maintenance at first
- Slugs are not a problem in many drier climates, but they find seedlings and young plants in the UK’s damp conditions, irresistible
Assess the limitations of the site
Decide on the look of the planting
- How long must flowering last and when would you like the main display to be?
- Also consider heights of plants – those emerging later in the season will shade out lower layers – will these be tolerant of shade?
- Aim for all the plants to be cut down at the same time
Once you can answer these questions, you can start to choose the seed mix for these conditions, or you can make your own customised mix. You can do this by researching the seed supply websites. Ensure that the seeds used to create mixes all have the same Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.
Choosing plants from the same geographical location means you have a chance they will all grow together well. However, if you combine plants from geographically diverse areas, you can achieve the ideal colour combinations and greater longevity of flowering.
To avoid grasses becoming too dominant, you can add them afterwards. There is a list of seed suppliers at the end of the page.
A considerable amount of maintenance is required to establish seed-grown prairies, and depending on conditions, certain plants may assume dominance.
How to prepare for seed sowing
- The area you are to sow must be completely free of all vegetation, especially perennial weeds. The most organic approach to removing this plant cover, is by hand. This can take a year or more to eliminate persistent weeds. Eradication of weeds such as couch grass or bindweed would respond well to use of a systemic herbicide allowing you to sow soon after treatment.
- If the area was lawn, it is likely to be compacted, so dig or rotovate to the depth of a spade’s blade and level carefully with a landscape rake.
- To prevent annual weed seeds germinating from the seed bank already in the soil, lay a layer at least 75mm (3in) deep of washed
Sharp sand is washed, gritty sand used in potting compost mixes, This is sold for gardening and is not the same as builders sharp sand.
Sowing
- Mark out the area to be sown with string, making grids of m²
- Mix seed thoroughly with a two handfuls of a carrier such as damp sawdust at a rate of 1-2g per m² (3½-7oz per 10.8sqft)
- Broadcast seed with carrier (such as kiln-dried sand or sawdust shavings), making two passes over the area in differing directions to obtain good coverage
- Using a wide landscape rake, incorporate the seed into the top by raking in two directions at right angles to each other
- It can be useful to lay open-weave jute netting over the area to prevent digging by cats, squirrels or badgers. This is also useful when seeding onto a slope
- Add in some mature plants if necessary
Creating a prairie from seed can be very cost effective, but some perennials may be difficult to grow from seed or take too long. Buying and planting a few container-grown specimens amongst the prairie may also mean that a better choice of cultivars is available. Do this before laying the sand mulch and sowing seed.
- When planting, remove 2-4cm compost from the top of plant containers; this removes the seed bank on the compost surface
Aftercare
- Water the whole area thoroughly every two or three days for the first season
- Implement a slug deterrent programme
- Weeding – in early summer, it is easier to identify any young weed seedlings and to remove them
- After the second year,
Pulling out some of the seedlings, usually along a row, so the remaining seedlings are spaced further apart. It reduces overcrowded, which can hinder their growth.