It's been about a year since planting and the KARE front yard prairie is thriving.
The black eyed susans have taken over in this first full year, which is typical of prairie or pollinator plantings, and one reason why they are included in the seed mix!
In the next few years we will see less and less of the black eyed susans and more of the other species in the prairie, like bee balm, anise hyssop, Canadian milk vetch, butterfly weed and so much more.
The mix that was planted was from Minnesota Native Landscapes.
The sunny spots of the prairie are thriving but there are some shady spots under the trees that are taking longer to establish.
A few weeds have been spotted, so we cut those out. White prairie clover and Canadian thistle are a couple notable ones.
There are some thistles in there on purpose though! Field thistle is a native species that attracts songbirds like gold finches! And sometimes if you're lucky, the finches will head toward the thistles and leave the popular cone flowers alone!
Not everyone has the space for a large prairie area. Minnesota Native Landscapes has released the My Pocket Prairie kit, an easy to install mini prairie for any yard.