Monarch Gardens LLC is a prairie-inspired design firm based in Nebraska. Focusing on low maintenance, sustainable, wildlife habitat using native plants, our gardens look and perform well in every season. Our focus is on bringing prairies and shade meadows home, helping families engage with artful wildness while the landscape cleans the air, filters water, and rebuilds soil.
Benjamin Vogt is principal and owner. He is the author of A NEW GARDEN ETHIC: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future as well as PRAIRIE UP: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design. Benjamin's work has appeared in The American Gardener, Dwell, fine Gardening, Garden Design, The Guardian, Horticulture, Midwest Living, and the Wall Street Journal. He is a sought-after international speaker on ethical landscapes and lawn conversions. Benjamin has a PhD from the University of Nebraska and dreams of restoring 40 acres to prairie while hosting an artist residency program.
My city just tried no mow may for one year and cancelled it! BUT here in Minnesota our glorious leaders allow us have a native prairie lawn!!!! I'm setting up a greenhouse next spring just to get as many flats of native plants going as possible and to spread the love BAHAHAHAHA
My wife is of the lawn cult in America, they are rabidly committed to their own tiny flat,fake green, water wasting, energy wasting, imitation rich Englishman’s estate. I cannot budge her off of this poisonous fantasy and even if I divorced her and moved out over this issue she would happily go on worshipping lawn, wasting horrific amounts of water here in the southern desert. Her excuse is that meadow is “so ugly and buggy”. Help!
I wish grass lawns would become a thing of the past. So bad for the environment and wildlife. Just make the whole thing a wildflower lawn. Do you have an HOA? I know certain entities won’t allow you to do this because it can lower the value of neighborhood homes. Do they have rules or fees for this sort of thing?
We are from St. Joseph Missouri. We love this video would we be able to use this video in a court case about our prairie. Please and thank you for your time ❤
Oh my neighbors are going to be upset if I make our front lawn look like the backyard. Oh well.
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Why would you use tropical milkweed? I can think of quite a few reasons. It's annual here so it's not gonna send up runners and seeds don't overwinter and it blooms year one profusely unlike natives. You need to remember people garden for all kinds of reasons and in all kinds of conditions.
Lots of research from reliable sources. We have a guide at our Etsy shop to help you www.etsy.com/listing/1603767384/intro-to-plant-sociability-index?click_key=529c17b715a096c8abb559de97fb6f491010eb13%3A1603767384&click_sum=43f3dd41&ref=shop_home_active_3&pro=1&sts=1
I live in a town that gets 17 inches of rain annually and is naturally prairie land but most of our citizens couldn't tell ya the difference in a zero-scape and a xericsape. They all have bluegrass yards with zone 7 plants in a zone 6 USDA zone Your beautiful landscape would immediately get me a code violation letter with a fine.
@@KneenibbleI had to look up " edgelord" , I appreciate learning a new word. I edited my comment to be a bit less edgy. Thank you. I am like a pelican in the forest, an owl at the ocean, the quote psalms.
My opinion year two-four looked good wild but not unkept thereafter it looked too unkept and almost 'abandoned house' look for my taste. I'd suggest doing this in the backyard first.
If done well it looks amazing if done poorly it just looks messy and unkept ... and if your neighbors move can actually lower their resale value ... I am a firm believer of planting natives and planting closely HOWEVER I am also a firm believer of being considerate of your neighbors ... Frankly I plant some plants I rarely see so my property looks attractive from the viewpoint of my neighbors. It's great to be ecological but please also be nice.
Can burning be used as a site prep to get rid of turf before sowing native seeds? If so, what time of year for burn? What other steps? Really hope you can answer this for me! Thank you!
Never understand why you don’t move out to the country. Noticed how you conveniently only show close up shots so you don’t see how ridiculous it looks driving thru the neighborhood - but hey you do you. What’s next a thatched roof to do away with those nasty asphalt shingles?
I decided to pursue this path out of frustration with the cost of hiring someone to mow. Coming out of winter it was good timing. I was surprised to discover this subculture of meadow cultivators. In a short space of time my property is now boasting ground covers that flower and attract bees, and I'm able to use my push mower (not power), for a few paths within my new meadow inspired landscape.
Thank you I have been on a CRUSADE to convince my family that grass isn’t the way to go! I just started converting our yard to a native paradise that is welcoming to the birds, butterflies, frogs rabbits & deer! My parents were sitting on our back porch last summer & they commented on how beautiful & peaceful it was! They couldn’t believe all the birds! Sometimes it’s just easier to show people- that’s how I won over my family at least & YES THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVE the beauty & less work! Not to mention it’s a wonderful teaching environment for our children, they get to see frogs, newts, baby birds & owls - to see their joy is amazing. They are learning to appreciate nature & respect our environment right outside their back door! Those are lessons being lost on too many young people these days.
Great info! Im going to do this with my front lawn. Transformed the back yard from monoculture to wild life garden (including a wild life pond) based on the channel of Joel Ashton (Brittain). He is also very inspirational. My yard is brimming with life! (Ordered your book!)
Out of curiosity, wouldnt it be better to have more diversity in your base matrix? Help hedge agaonat disease and looks better year round? Sorry in advamce if youve addressed this in othwr videos
Great talk, but really wish you hadn't advised planting tropical milkweed without advising people to check their native varieties. Planting non-native milkweed, specific to your region, is helping to spread disease among the monarchs.
Maybe I didn't hear you make the disclaimer, but the variety you showed may be native to your area, but is highly problematic here in CA where it is not native, but still commonly sold in nurseries as being benficial to monarchs, causing lots of confusion. Sorry, not trying to nitpick, there's just so much pseudo-info out there, as you know, that we have to be extra diligent when educating the public that the info may regionally specific. @@bvogt
Everyone should plant to local ecoregion. I harp on this in EVERY class and lecture I give. I can't assume to know your site being thousands of miles away, but I CAN help you learn to garden locally, think locally, act locally, advocate locally. @@jonrosell3700
Great video! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. 🐰 bunnies have def loved the tender new growth of my agastache, milkweed, liatris and asters. Maybe that new growth is build differently than the older growth 😄
My wife and I bought a house in December of 2022, and the roughly .25 acre backyard was all turf grass with 2 medium sized Dogwood trees in the back corners. I went to town and in one season built a path that twists and turns around the perimeter, planted 4 small native trees, over 40 shrubs, and too many perennials to count. I created a large area reserved for milkweed to help the Monarchs. And I've dug out two ponds. Looking forward to year 2.
I didn't set out to do this five years ago, but here I am...~3/4 of my front lawn has been converted to mostly (not all) natives. Some intermixed traditional (i.e. non-native) plants (daffodils, iris, tulips, lavender, et al) temper the anxiety of passing neanderthals.
