Meet a PRAIRIE PLANT: Silphium perfoliatum (Cup Plant)

MEET A PRAIRIE PLANT:

This prairie plant might look mighty familiar as it's currently blooming in our area. Silphium perfoliatum is Cup Plant, a prairie plant found standing tall in wetter soils, especially in ditches around the Des Moines metro area! Take a look; it's a fascinating plant. 

 At Blooming Prairie Nursery, we focus a lot of attention on growing species that birds, butterflies and animals love. From insects and butterflies feeding on the summer flowers to birds munching the fall seeds, Cup Plant serves the masses. It even acts as a water source, holding water in its "cup" where the large leaves meet the stem.

Cup Plant is very easily propagated from seed after some stratifiation, and we have an abundance of young plants waiting for a new home.

The "cup." In a very moist setting, Cup Plant can grow around 8 feet high! In drier soils grows quite a bit shorter, but it's incredibly easy to grow in most settings! 

Silphium perfoliatum is also considered carnivorous because it absorbs the insects that remain trapped in its cup of water! What a plant! 

One of my favorite posters of all times, "Blooming Heights" from the Jewels of the Prairie series illustrated by Mark Muller, showcases other Silphium species enormous height potential. Check out the Iowa Living Roadway Trust Fund site for more views of the other posters in the series. They are an amazing educational tool, and a person could pick up a set, too!

Meet A PRAIRIE PLANT: Liatris pycnostachya (Prairie Blazing Star)

MEET A PRAIRIE PLANT:

This is Liatris pycnostachya, the Prairie Blazing Star or Kansas Gayfeather. A true classic of the tall grass prairie biome, it can grow upwards to 5ft tall. It's a lover of wet to average soil moisture and will most certainly tolerate heavy, clay soils! 

The "Prairies," as we call them at Blooming Prairie, attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinating insects! Look at the size of the bloom! This species makes some of the most eye catching cut flowers, too! I don't take too many from the prairie or surrounding areas, though; the birds go WILD over the seeds. The enormous bird population is our biggest seed harvesting competitor come fall, so we plant enough for everyone.

Sometimes, the small field mammals(snake food) munch on a corm(its bulb) or two, and that's why the snake is GREAT! The tallgrass ecosystem is really entertaining and beautiful.

Tomorrow we'll be having a Prairie sale at the Des Moines Downtown Farmers' Market! For $6.50 a gallon, you could start your very own Liatris pycnostachya garden. Stop on by and talk prairie with us! We'd love to hear what kind of prairie restoration and/or gardening you have going on!

Urban Water Runoff: Some Solutions

Des Moines Water Works has asked metro area residences to stop irrigating their lawns due to extremely high nitrate counts.  Read the announcement here.

While industrial agriculture is mostly responsible for these high readings(farmers spraying herbicides/pesticides onto huge plots of fertile Iowa lands), there are ways small landowners/homeowners can combat poor water quality in order to ensure that clean drinking water remains available.

First, stop using chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. The 127 lbs nitrogen fertilizer per acre an average Iowa corn farmer applies to his/her fields places enough stress on drinking water and aquatic habitat and food sources. While small lawn applications don't use nearly as much nitrogen per acre, using other fertilizing methods are healthier and more sustainable. The Power of Compost Refer to Blooming Prairie's past post where fertilizing with compost was addressed. There's no healthier alternative to synthetic fertilizers than compost.

Stop irrigating lawns. The water penetrates the shallow roots system of the lawn grass and immediately washes into the storm water systems. What could have been good drinking water now gets flushed back into the river, taking the synthetic fertilizers and automotive waste with it. Des Moines Water Works has to keep up with water demands, but it can't when the expensively processed clean water is being used for aesthetic purposes. 

Put in a rain garden. This is one of Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District's recommendations on managing urban storm water runoff. A rain garden is a strategically placed shallow depression in which deep rooted native species are planted. They are commonly positioned near downspouts, to the side of driveways, sidewalks and other impermeable surfaces with the intention of diverting the water flow into a garden where native prairie plants and grasses can use the water instead of allowing it to run immediately into streets and sewers. Cost share programs are also available to Polk County residents. Check it out. There's nothing more beautiful than a colorful water runoff solution!
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If you attempted reading this post yesterday, please excuse the poor formatting. It's in better reading condition today!

MEET A PRAIRIE PLANT: Potentilla arguta (Prairie Cinquefoil)

Morning prairie view!

MEET A PRAIRIE PLANT:

This is Prairie Cinquefoil Potentilla arguta. It's a summer time bloomer from the Rose family (Rosaceae)!

It has lovely white blooms with yellow centers that grow in tight clusters.   

 This species is found in dry mesic-dry prairie sites, so consider using it in loamy/sandy soils! Growing only 1-2' tall, it's STRIKINGLY BEAUTIFUL, the folliage, flowers and all!