Native plants, especially local-source natives, offer the gardener beauty, resilience and the opportunity to do something positive for the environment. Native plants have adapted over tens of thousands of years to survive and thrive in our climate so they require less maintenance are less prone to destructive insects and disease, and come back year after year. They also have evolved along with our wildlife, providing needed food, cover and habitat. And with well over 2,000 Midwestern species, you can increase the diversity and uniqueness of your landscape.

Some sun loving prairie plants become "weedy" when they are grown in soil that is too fertile and rich in organic matter. Rich soil causes prairie grasses and flowers to grow too tall and fall over. For this reason, you generally don't want to fertilize the soil before planting sun loving grasses and forbs. Most native plants that grow in the shade such as ferns and Celandine poppy do need organic matter added to the soil because they are accustomed to growing in richer forest soils.

As in all landscape situations, matching the right plants to a given set of conditions is the key to a successful planting. In some cases, such as a 10-acre reconstructed prairie, you may want to use plants that tend to spread energetically by seed or underground rhizomes. This will help the planting become denser at a quicker rate and lower cost than non-spreading plants. However, in smaller landscape situations, it is important to select plants that don't spread but grow as distinct individual clumps so they don't invade space belonging to other plants.

Some sun loving prairie plants become "weedy" when they are grown in soil that is too fertile and rich in organic matter. Rich soil causes prairie grasses and flowers to grow too tall and fall over. For this reason, you generally don't want to fertilize the soil before planting sun loving grasses and forbs. Most native plants that grow in the shade such as ferns and Celandine poppy do need organic matter added to the soil because they are accustomed to growing in richer forest soils.

That answer depends on what you call vermin! Natives attract hummingbirds and butterflies which come to take nectar from flowers. Many fruit bearing trees and shrubs attract songbirds and game birds that come to eat berries and fruit in the summer, fall and winter. Native plants also provide protective cover and nesting sites for a wide variety of wildlife. As you add a variety of native plants to your landscape, you'll actually create a small ecosystem which will bring in additional species of wildlife to balance each other. So yes, natives do attract a wonderful array of watchable wildlife that adds interest to our lives.

Natives have incredible root systems that support the plants in times of drought. Compared to the roots of most non-natives, warm season grasses and flowers have a deep, extensive root system which helps absorb moisture and prevent erosion. Many species of prairie plants have roots that extend between four and eight feet into the soil while cool season non-native grasses such as Kentucky blue grass and smooth brome only extend a few inches into the soil. This helps them withstand long periods of dry weather and so require little or no watering after they are established.

*Recent research also suggests that a beneficial fungus called arbuscular micorrhizae plays an important role in prairie plant root development. The fungi live in the top few inches of soil and send projections that provide nutrients from the topsoil into the upper roots. For prairie plants with deep tap roots, the fungal growth greatly increases the roots' surface area just below the surface of the soil, allowing plants to concentrate on deep growth.
*Adapted from The Nov./Dec. 2002 Wild Ones Journal.

Our customers are buying more native plants and trees in the fall because they are having such good success. Plants use the warm soils of autumn to establish a vigorous root system before the ground freezes. Come spring the plants have a head start and appear with lush foliage, often blooming that first year. Additionally, the more established root systems sustain the plants better through summer droughts. Fall planting gives gardeners a chance to decide what to add to their garden with the images of summer fresh in their minds.

Like all plants, native plants do best when planted when soil temperatures are warm, usually in late April and early May when the danger of frost is past and spring rains are dependable. Saying that, you can plant earlier in the year in protected areas as long as the ground is workable, you can keep the ground moist and can prevent frost heaving.

Spring mulching: Mulch can be applied about 1 inch thick after transplants are in the ground. If soil is kept too moist, native plants may experience root rot and die.

Fall mulching: After the plants go dormant, mulch with bark, pea gravel or compost to a depth of 2 inches. Mulching keeps the soil temperature more even, reducing the effects of erratic temperature swings of the winter and spring months by keeping the soil frozen, reducing water loss, and reducing frost heaving.

Mulching large plantings (over 1000 sq. ft.) is usually cost prohibitive and very labor intensive. Most large prairie plantings are able to survive with no mulching.

Yes, providing the site is properly prepared and void of competing vegetation. Eliminate existing cool season turf grasses with a Glyphosate based herbicide (Roundup or equal) prior to seeding. Critsite offers an excellent native seed mix containing local-source native grasses, wildflowers, and some wetland species for use in establishing a wet meadow prairie in the bottom of a standard detention basin (see 'Tip Sheet' for "Creating a Wet Meadow." In most applications, the user should utilize a biodegradable straw blanket (Greenfix WS072 or NAG S150BN) to ensure that the seed does not float from the soil. Our firm also recommends the use of a mycorrhizal inoculant (GroLife granular, or equal) per the seed producer's recommendation at the time of seed installation.

Some sun loving prairie plants become "weedy" when they are grown in soil that is too fertile and rich in organic matter. Rich soil causes prairie grasses and flowers to grow too tall and fall over. For this reason, you generally don't want to fertilize the soil before planting sun loving grasses and forbs. Most native plants that grow in the shade such as ferns and Celandine poppy do need organic matter added to the soil because they are accustomed to growing in richer forest soils.

Hydrologic, or soil moisture, designations describe a plant's tolerance to soil saturation.

Critical Site Products specializes in production of local-source native plants. In order to increase the long-term success of a planting, CSP emphasizes the importance of native plant specification and use in landscapes as appropriate to the natural hydrologic conditions where you are likely to find them.

The hydrologic designations are:

Data and definitions are abstracted from the National List of Vascular Plant Species, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 1988.

Roots are the first structures to develop in a growing plant.

• Roots anchor the plant in the soil.
• Roots absorb water and mineral salts from the soil.
• Roots may store food.
• Roots form a passage way for water and dissolved substances from the root into the stem and also for foods from the stem down into the root.

Each native plant's root system has evolved to perform best in the environment where it is usually found. 

These are the most common root structure characteristics:

Taproot

A root system which contains one large, primary vertical root that spawns many smaller horizontal root structures. By penetrating deep in the soil, taproots provide stability and store nutrients. Plants with large taproots should not be used when the soil depth will be very shallow. Examples include coneflowers, milkweeds, indigos, as well as certain trees and shrubs.

Fibrous

Fibrous root systems consist of many fine hairlike roots that form a thick mat below the surface. These root systems are very effective at water and mineral absorption, as well as plant stabilization. Fibrous rooted plants are very effective at preventing soil erosion and promoting slope stability because of the formation of fibrous root systems near the soil surface. Examples include native grasses, sedges, and rushes as well as most colonizing wildflowers.

Rhizomes

Rhizomes are horizontal stems that grow below the surface and help a plant reproduce vegetatively. Plants with rhizomes will colonize or spread laterally, which can be a benefit if the intention is to fill in a planting area completely, or a detriment if a plant is meant to stay within a confined area. Examples include some grasses as well as Lily of the Valley, Iris, and Solomon's Seal.

Stolons

Stolons, or runners, are not roots but are above ground horizontal stems which help plants spread vegetatively, in much the same way as rhizomes. Use stoloniferous species only in areas where it is acceptable for them to spread freely. Examples of plants with stolons include Buffalo Grass.

Adventitious

Adventitious roots do not grow from a plant's root system but instead sprout above ground, most commonly from stems. These root structures often increase plant stability or allow the plant to reproduce vegetatively. Plants with adventitious root systems will readily spread along the surface and should not be planted in areas where the vegetation is intended to be confined within a specific area. Examples include Rose Verbena.