Parade of Homes | Spring 2025

“You can naturalize the area with wildflowers suited to those conditions,” DuBois says. “They are terrifically deer and rabbit

resistant. Many of them attract pollinators — bees, butterflies, hummingbirds. And then

GRASSES

beyond that, like every plant, they’re pretty.” Growing a variety of wildflowers with different bloom times also ensures season- long colour in your gardens, while native grasses often produce pretty plumes.

BIG BLUESTEM

This tall grass shows off different colours, from bluish-green in the spring to a rusty colour in the fall. It’s a native alternative to the popular Karl Foerster grass and grows 115 cm (45 inches) or taller. Like most grasses, it does best in full to part sun. It can take soil conditions that are medium moist to very moist.

Big Bluestem

“Prairie wildflowers have been growing here for so long they have built up that tolerance for the zone that we are in, the weather conditions and are relatively disease resistant,” she says. “Many of them will also self-seed, so that’s a benefit in the garden. For ongoing maintenance, yes, they are perennials, yes, they’re going to come back, but if you get some die-off, that may be overtaken by the fact that some of them are very successful self-seeders.”

BEBB’S SEDGE

It’s a great ground cover for wet meadows because it likes moist to wet soil. It prefers full sun and grows to a medium height of about 45 cm (17 inches). It reseeds easily and is good for controlling shoreline erosion.

SWEETGRASS

It’s used in many healing cere- monies by Indigenous Peoples and can be made into herbal teas. It grows well in full sun and likes moist to wet soil conditions. It’s not a tall grass and grows to about 60 cm (24 inches). It has some plumes and moves nicely in the wind. It’s good if you’re looking to populate an area because it spreads a lot. Other options include oat grasses, which have interesting textures, DuBois says. She also likes a grass called Blue Grama, as well as Canada wild rye grasses.

SPRING 2025 PARADE of HOMES 29

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