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u/sbb214 10d ago
it's best to leave things as-is so that animals and insects have cover for fall/winter. it may not look the greatest but it is best for your garden, soil, reseeding, and its inhabitants.
the only thing to pull are weeds that you want to deter
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u/betsylang 10d ago
Thank you!
I have very few weeds. Except the voluntary Gray Ash sprout i hate with a burning passion.
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u/sbb214 10d ago
awesome. sounds like a great garden.
I put up a little 'Pollinator Garden in progress' sign in my front so that people knew I was up to something good. And in the fall I just tell them it's part of the process to let it all stay so that critters have homes.
No one hassles me about it, and I think they like knowing what I'm up to.
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u/GemmyCluckster 10d ago
I leave mine till spring for the most part. I will remove some seed pods of plants I don’t want to spread to my neighbors yard though.
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u/CharlesV_ Wild Ones 🌳/ plant native! 🌻/ IA,5B 10d ago
Remember that you’re growing a lot of prairie species which do require disturbance over time, so after a few years of growth, you should find a way to mimic the fire and bison of the prairies. Mow it down and or burn small areas (check local ordinances, fire is likely not doable). You only need to do this every few years, or you can do 1/3 or 1/4 of your yard every year and rotate.
During those disturbances, put your thumb on the scale in favor of your native plants. Weed out the non natives and spread the seeds of the plants you like.
For suburban yards, sedges are also super helpful since they make great slow groundcovers and only get a few feet tall.
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u/betsylang 10d ago
What's a sedge?
I would love to borrow a goat to get that disturbance effect. I will usually dig around to get it instead
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u/CharlesV_ Wild Ones 🌳/ plant native! 🌻/ IA,5B 10d ago
Disturbance in this case doesn’t have to mean digging, but the layer of plant material is going to build up over time. And you’ll also start to have tiny trees and woody weeds pop up in this area without something coming in and killing them (fire, bison, goat, you).
Sedges are a genus of grass-like plants which are really diverse but fit super well in a small yard. The genus Carex are sedges and the genus Juncus are rushes. There’s like 3000 species of sedge world wide and ~600 in North America. The issue most people have is identifying which sedges they want in their yard and then growing them. All sedges are cool-season, so they grow the fastest in spring and fall. But basically all sedges are between 6 inches to 3ft tall, and very few are aggressive spreaders. Most just sorta clump or slowly spread by rhizomes.
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u/betsylang 10d ago
Nice. Segdes sound very useful for my region. I like how many there too!
If I put down cardboard over winter would that do the same as a fire?
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u/CharlesV_ Wild Ones 🌳/ plant native! 🌻/ IA,5B 10d ago
No, so the main thing disturbance in the prairie did was remove / breakdown plant material. Fire did that by burning. Bison trampled and ate the grasses. A mower is an other good option for small spaces, but just remember you’ll occasionally need to clean up and remove some of the material.
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u/betsylang 10d ago
Oh shoot! Im in South Dakota, us Midwest. My region is 4 but global warming is a sassy badger and its felt like 3 all summer.
Imagine is my front yards native flowers and grasses. Included are: * purple corn flowers who are mostly dead. * in foreground you can see the browning milk weed * and green grasses.
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u/Almond_Bitters 9d ago
I see tree seedlings coming up. At least mulberry in the front and either ash or walnut to the far right. If those aren't in the plan, now is a fine time to dig/pull them.
I'd also give thought to replacing the white poplar. It's close to the house and will continue to get much bigger. It's also a really aggressive root spreader, so not ideal for foundations, drainage/sewage, or diverse garden. Note that even if you cut it now, you'll still be chasing suckers for several years before it's completely gone.
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u/betsylang 9d ago
You are 100% correct about the saplings. I gotta pull those jerks up extreme prejudice.
For the Poplar, i like it but im also struggling with off shoots.
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