– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension
Don’t forget native grasses and flowers.
This week we continue the quest for native plants to enhance Ohio landscapes and will focus on how to incorporate native grasses and flowers that are appealing to both people and animals. Whether you manage acres of meadows or a few square feet in a garden bed, the addition of native grasses and flowers will be beneficial to your environment. Along with adding interest to the appearance of the landscape, natives increase the functionality of the landscape by providing benefits to the environment.
Native grasses and flowers are already adapted to our climate, soils, insects, and often thrive with less water and fertilizer than other introduced species. Areas that are often seen as “challenging” such as chronically wet, chronically dry, or sloped areas are often sites where native grasses and flowers can be established and need little follow-up care. Many native plants can be left to stand in the landscape through the winter for interest and as overwintering sites for native insects. Occasional removal of access dormant plant material will aid new growth. In the wild, this disturbance would typically occur via fire. In residential landscapes, fire is not an acceptable way to remove biomass and mechanical cutting of the plant may be needed.
The most common way to establish native grasses and flowers is by seed. A variety of seed suppliers in the mid-west and eastern United States specialize in the production and distribution of native seeds and custom mixes. Grasses and flowers can be paired together as a mix for a meadow or layered strategically in the landscape by height to draw the eye up, down, or across the landscape. Native seed can be broadcast on the surface of lightly tilled soil or drilled into the soil without the use of tillage. Weed control before seeding is important to reduce competition for resources regardless of the seeding method.
With hundreds of options of native flowers to choose from, it is a challenge to list them all in this column. Several categories to consider include trilliums, coneflowers, phlox, asters, indigos, sunflowers, and irises. A wonderful place to find suggestions is on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas & Preserve’s webpage. There, lists of native plants are compiled by where they grow (field/prairie, floodplains, uplands, etc.), when they flower, and even by color. Visit https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-ODNR/nature-preserves/Documents/native-plants-lists to browse plant lists.
You can learn more about the significance of flowers specfically for pollinators in the fact sheet “Attracting Pollinators to the Garden” by Denise Ellsworth, available from OSU Extension in print or online at: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-47
There are fewer options when it comes to selecting native grass species (which are also included in the ODNR lists grouped by habitat). These amazing grasses have extensive root systems that help stabilize the soil around them and aid the grasses in withstanding environmental stress. They are typically grouped by growing habit: tall-growing vs. short-growing. Our tall growing species will range from 3-9 feet in height: switchgrass, indiangrass, big bluestem, broomsedge bluestem, and eastern gamagrass. Our short-growing grasses will range from 2-5 feet in height: sideoats grama and little bluestem.
You can learn more about the grasses listed above in the fact sheet “Establishing Early Successional Habitat for Wildlife” by Chris Zoller, available from OSU Extension in print or online at: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/w-23
I will end this 3-piece series on native plants with this famous quote about meadows of native grasses and flowers-
“Anybody can love the mountains, but it takes a soul to love the prairie.” -Willa Cather
I am proud to be among the group of souls who love and respect the prairie on scales both large and small.
For additional assistance with selecting native plants for your landscape, reach out to your local OSU Extension office.