I always loved to garden. Eventually it dawned on me that in the end I was wasting my money and time on foreign perennials and expensive annuals. So I looked around and became fascinated with the prairie glade communities and the remnant prairies near my home. I thought I would do something good for nature, pleasing to the eye and end the constant battle with cutting grass. I selected an area, killed non native turf grasses, and began by buying little bluestem plugs as a base. I knew there would be an initial cost to establish the area but I accepted that. After a couple of years I began to fill in areas with what came to be 70 native prairie forbs and an additional 6 native grasses. The transformation was fantastic and beyond my wildest dreams. Everything benefitted from birds, mammals, reptiles and to the tiniest creatures. People would come by and wander around in fascination and I became something of an ambassador for these plants. I would encourage everyone to take all of Missouri's prairies as a inspiration and incorporate them into their gardening large and small. GROW NATIVE !
Thank you for your dedication to a restoration. I wish more people were proactive in saving what remains and understanding the importance of restorations.
Fantastic video. I really hope more places, businesses, companies, and people use their lands to restore prairie land across the country. I added a native garden to my own yard and I've seen it making a difference every day.
