Crow’s Nest: New native perennial garden

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager

A narrow strip of ground in an otherwise inhospitable space (clay fill, rain shadow of house, hot western exposure at top of hill) is going to be a demonstration place for native prairie plants that thrive under these difficult conditions. In addition to a few tough wildflowers the planting is mainly warm-season grasses: little bluestem, prairie dropseed, and a clump of switchgrass. I added a fountain for a refreshing feeling and some aural separation between the different units’ entrances.

(Here’s a very much before photo—May 1st of this year:) Wow, we have removed a lot of rocks since then.