Winter Dreams
The seeds I like to save are put away until next March- impatiens, phlox, and blue lobelia among them. I’ll probably pick up some seed packets too for some tomatoes, beans, and herbs along with perhaps some new varieties of flowers. March is when the growing season begins for me- moistening up the seed mix, filling the seed trays and scattering the seeds on the surface to start ‘the watch’. In a matter of just a few days the miracle happens- first a little white root then a hint of green and before long, baby plants have sprouted and are shoving their way up towards the grow lights, shouldering aside their siblings in the tray. I can hardly wait!
In the mean time over the winter, perhaps I’ll do some research on the possibility of designing a prairie garden. I had the opportunity this past summer to spend over a week traveling across the northern Plains states and spent quite a bit of time photographing and appreciating the vastness of an open prairie. We visited some Prairie preserves in western Minnesota and drove across both North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa, stopping frequently to appreciate the beauty of the Great Plains.
I’m sure many of the same grasses and wildflowers also can be grown here in the wetter climate of Michigan and would certainly be low maintenance. Some of the plants I saw I’ve even used as part of a perennial border- Purple Coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans, Blanket Flowers and grasses. What we don’t use here are the beautiful silver sages. If those aren’t available, a Russian Sage could be a good stand in for that, along with a culinary sage for a different bloom time, leaf and flower form. Of course there will have to be a Prickly Pear Cactus here and there as well and some low growing Prairie Roses. And it won’t be complete unless there are grasses to wave in the breeze and blend the flowers together to finish the composition.
The book I bought on the trip: ‘Wildflowers and Grasses of the Northern Plains and Black Hills’ will be thoroughly studied along with the multiple photographs we took. I can find sources on line for seeds and plants and make notes for a future time when I may have just the right spot for my ‘Prairie Garden’, dreaming of the day when I can turn the soil, scatter the seeds and find just the right spot for each of those special plants I want to highlight in the garden. And through the center of it all will be a grassy path leading to a rustic seat to relax on and remember the beauty of the prairie.
Happy dreaming, see you in the Garden!
Ellen Leigh
http://WWW.americanmeadows.Com
Cute little flowers! Wish I can add them in my garden. I love them. Thanks for sharing.
-seff-