What the Flower

Whether you want to attract more wildlife, improve rainwater filtration to the soil, or cut down on your summer mow-a-thons, we salute you for embracing native prairie! Not only is it a sustainable alternative to high-maintenance landscapes, it provides a daily mental health retreat by reconnecting you to the earth. 

Of course, native prairie isn't a seed it and forget it job. Though we all drive by ditches and admire the Queen Anne's lace and prairie phlox, it's important to realize that didn't just happen overnight. Nature takes her time to do the job right, and by following these steps, so can you!

Though it's tempting to enter Beastmaster cleanup mode as soon the first 60 degree day rolls around, raking too soon can damage the delicate ecosystem at play in your own backyard. 

In early spring, many beneficial insects like pollinators and pest-devouring predators are hibernating deep in hollow plant stems as both adults and pupae. Raking all of these habitats away will disturb these sleeping beauties prematurely. 

It's best to wait as long as you can to do your spring yard cleanup. Ideally, when daytime temps are consistently above 50 degrees for at least a week straight.