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December 13, 2011 · 1 Comment

Book Review: Prairie-Style Gardens

Books/Writing

A Gardener’s Reading, 12 of 30

By Lynn Steiner (Timber Press, 2010)

I’ve written before about Prairie-Style Gardens: Capturing the Essence of the American Prairie Wherever You Live, Lynn Steiner’s 2010 book on garden design done in the spirit of the North American prairie.  Lynn has written about native plants extensively, and this book does include a large section of plant profiles. But it’s the book’s focus on design that makes it different and very useful.

prairie style gardens coverLynn starts the book by explaining where prairies existed in North America, a vast swath from the middle of Texas to Alberta, from the western edge of Indiana to Montana. The book is aimed at both gardeners who want to re-create (or at least attempt to re-create) the prairie in their landscape and those who want a traditional home landscape but would like to use prairie plants because of their hardiness and beauty.

One aspect of Lynn’s book that I think will make it extremely popular among home gardeners is her understanding that while many people might like to plant a prairie in theory, actually accomplishing it is difficult unless you live in the country. In an earlier article in Northern Gardener, she recommended using formal lines, having clean edges, and maintaining your garden tidily to keep the peace among the neighbors, if you landscape with a prairie aesthetic.

But any northern gardener can plant native or prairie plants somewhere on their property — even if it’s a small city lot. The book provides tips on designing a prairie-style garden as well as ideas for choosing plants for particular purposes, such as attracting birds or butterflies.  Her plant lists – such as lists for creating season long interest or lists of potentially invasive plants – are worth checking out before a trip to the nursery.

For those interested in seeing how fabulous a prairie-style garden can be, I cannot help but put in a plug for the January/February 2012 issue of Northern Gardener, which will be on news stands in a couple of weeks. The cover story is a profile of Lynn’s garden. It’s a beautiful example of blending the prairie and traditional garden style to create a garden that fits perfectly in its environment.

 

Related posts:

  1. Five Prairie Plants for Traditional Gardens Last night, I attended Lynn Steiner’s talk at Bachman’s about...
  2. Book Review: Home Outside: Creating a Landscape You Love A Gardener’s Reading (fifth of 30) By Julie Moir Messervy...
  3. Book Review: Birdscaping in the Midwest (and others) A Gardener’s Reading, Fourth of 30 By Mariette Nowak (Itchy...
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  1. Lessons from a Native Plant Revolutionary - My Northern Garden says:
    February 19, 2019 at 8:17 am

    […] for design (or maintenance). In urban areas especially, gardens with lots of native plants need to look intentional to keep the neighbors happy. Echoing plants throughout a design, creating paths, thinking about […]

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New podcast episode and giveaway! Dill is one of t New podcast episode and giveaway! Dill is one of those plants that brings in all sorts of beneficial insects, creating a productive, healthy vegetable 🍅 garden. On this week’s Grow it, Minnesota podcast, I talked companion planting with local food advocate and gardener Michelle Bruhn from @forksinthedirt. 

We’re both fans of a new book by @jessicawalliser called Plant Partners that looks at the science behind companion planting. A lot of it boils down to creating healthy soil and a welcoming environment for bugs, bees and pollinators. My review of the book is over on the My Northern Garden blog (link in bio) and I’m giving away a copy of the book. To be eligible for the giveaway, just comment below — do you use companion planting methods? What combinations work in your garden? What flowers do you plant near your veg garden? The winner will be chosen March 10 (US and Canada only)
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In winter sowing, you create mini-greenhouses out of milk jugs and other recyclables. Perennial flowers 💐 can be planted in February and March, while annuals, vegetables and herbs can be set out in April. Mother Nature does most of the work. It’s a budget friendly way to grow lots of plants! 

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What is this? Like day 10 or 12 with temps below z What is this? Like day 10 or 12 with temps below zero? Time to ramble back to June when the penstemon was covered in bees and the veronica looked so pretty. June is my second favorite month in the garden (believe it or not, September is number one for me). What’s your favorite month? P.S. only 14 weeks until June! 
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Oh boy, check out the bucket hat and shades. I was Oh boy, check out the bucket hat and shades. I was digging through some old family photos and came across this one of me circa 1990s, I’d guess, weeding at our first house. I had a lot to learn (like A LOT) about gardening, and little did I know then that I’d be writing about gardening for a living someday. Lots of good thing happen in the garden. 
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Listen to the podcast at growitminnesota.com or wherever you get your podcasts. 
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