If You Plant Them, They Will Come...

PHEW! It sure is warm still! For most of July, our team has kept busy planting rows and rows of native wildflowers before the warmth of our growing season passes. While the summer is quickly passing, it doesn't look like the heat is going to let up anytime soon. This is good news for the most part as our plants' little root systems have some extra time for development.

We're ready for another month of Downtown Farmers' Market, too! 

Something so beautifully telling of how precious prairie nurtures life occurred Saturday morning during the market. Around 9am, a slightly unexpected guest showed up at the very back of our market stall. It didn't have an enormously large physical presence nor was it very loud, so it went undetected by most passersby that morning. Only those who stopped in and took a gander at the plants were privy to this excitement. 

Our visitor sincerely liked one particular species of wildflower, and it did not make a move to visit any of the others during its stay. It perched on Liatris ligulistylis until we were ready to pack up the plants and take off around 12:30pm.

     

            Danaus plexippus, the Monarch Butterfly feeding on Liatris lingulistylis, Meadow Blazing Star

In general, the downtown area is everything but perfect habitat for Monarchs or any nectar hungry critters for that matter, but...as we say all the time, "If you plant them, they will come." So, if you'd like to see more butterflies, take a look at these Butterfly Garden options. Below is a list of recommended wildflowers and/or grasses, their heights and moisture needs. A flat of 38 plants is perfect to get them to come... 

Des Moines Downtown Farmers' Market Update

Blooming Prairie Nursery would like to extend a very gracious thank you to all of those who have stopped by our vendor booth at the Des Moines Downtown Farmers' Market. Not only are we excited to provide the Des Moines metro area with quality(native and hardy) perennial wildflowers and grasses, we are tickled to share prairie stories. Our stories all differ somewhat, but there is definitely one thing we all desire. NATIVES. They play a role in an ecosystem so superbly ornate but still barely "popular." KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, IOWA! Plant our natives. 

We'll be back downtown on three of the following Saturdays. We're curious to hear how this pleasant summer has treated your gardens and prairie/savanna/woodland settings! 

Please, come down and share more of your wonderful native experiences with our team. We'll be sure to have some gorgeous fall bloomers up for grabs! 

FINAL DOWNTOWN FARMERS' MARKET DATES:

August 24th

September 7th and 21st 

On the corner of 2nd and Court. SEE YOU THEN!

Meet a PRAIRIE PLANT: Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower)

MEET A PRAIRIE PLANT:

Say hello to Lobelia cardinalis, Cardinal Flower. It's a native perennial perfect for a rich soil that remains constantly damp. A rain garden beauty especially since its nectar is a vital food source for hummingbirds and butterflies! (The loud noise coming from the two frisky hummingbirds feeding on this species was the action that prompted this plant to be featured.)

 The flower heads flower from bottom up during the late summer months. They can be enjoyed as cut flowers, too! They look really great next to Liatris sp. like Prairie Blazing Star and Meadow Blazing Star. Prairie Blazing Star peeks into the picture below. 

                 

Lobelia cardinalis will grow up to 5ft tall under perfect conditions. It's not a long lived plant, but it will most certainly reseed itself provided the plant has full-partial sun and plently of moisture. The striking color of this species makes it one of a kind.

Meet a PRAIRIE PLANT: Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant)

MEET A PRAIRIE PLANT:

Introducing Silphium laciniatum commonly known as Compass Plant. Compass Plant can grow up to 12 feet tall. It's extremely drought tolerant as its taproot has been measured to be as long as 15 feet, and it's also reported to live a hundred years under ideal conditions. One will find this plant in the tallgrass prairie region where soils are rich and black. Each stalk may contain up to about 30 flowers that resemble wild sunflowers in size and appearance.  

The leaves of Compass Plant have an exotic appearance and grow to a height around 2feet. They are rough and have deeply pinnated lobes much like ferns. It supposedly received its common name from its tendency to orientate its leaves in a north-south direction. Curious, but from what we've seen, its definitely not alway true. Little critters are always munching down on these leaves. 

With all these Silphiums in bloom, some of the Blooming Prairie team members are really excited. These plants have such amazing presence out on the prairie, and we're not the only ones who have recognized their beauty. Aldo Leopoldo, an ecologist, environmentalist and writer born in Iowa who spent his adult life in Wisconsin, wrote in his famous A Sand County Almanac entitled July: "What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." August has come, and Silphium seed will be ready for harvest soon!