This prairie beauty resides in my native patch near the driveway. Mine were grown from seed collected in Iowa from pure untouched prairie...Read Mores. This plant likes sandy/rocky soil. All that gravel I usually battle with is bound to be of some use. It can tolerate dry conditions and this spot fits the bill except during the heavy rains we occasionally get. They were put into the ground July 2014 as plugs before they went into dormancy for the year. Now came the long wait... will they survive?
To my surprise they came back and developed nicely, but only one got so far as to grow the single tall stem that flowered. I read these plants do not like competition and they share space with an exuberant Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa). I may try to move them, but let the one go to seed first.
It is an endangered plant in some areas, and mostly found in garden settings. It does not readily escape those conditions. As a note to people who do controlled burns: this short-lived perennial cannot survive because of the growth remaining above the ground. In its historical habitat, large wildfires rarely occurred.
This prairie beauty resides in my native patch near the driveway. Mine were grown from seed collected in Iowa from pure untouched prairie...Read More