Native Plants for Prairie Gardens (Prairie Gardener) Paperback – Illustrated, January 31, 2005

The title is a bit misleading. I was expecting more of a field guide to plants suitable for gardening. Instead, the book is more about acquiring, planting and growing the native species. Only the final chapter (Ch. 7) describes the plants. I probably would have called the book "Gardening with Native Prairie Plants" because what you get is a well thought out treatise on that topic. The book starts with definitions of prairie, then lists the plants for various uses in the garden (colour, xeriscaping, shade, winter interest, etc.). The chapter on acquiring native plants differentiates between garden center sources (true native plants vs cultivars), and gathering your own seed - including a section on storing your seeds.The chapter on growing these plants includes soil amendments, irrigation, weeding, pest control and more. There is a chapter on plant propagation (if you are serious about this aspect, I highly recommend  The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest ). The final chapter - Plants for Prairie Gardens - is broken down into wildflowers, grasses and woody plants, and includes a table on the blooming period of the plants. Each plant is well described, with good photos, and lots of interesting information. The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest

Very helpful resource! Really appreciated that there are pictures to see the plants so you can select native plants you find attractive.

I am planning a prairie zen garden.This book is helping understandand organize the plants I need tomake this garden happen.

Great book for the area I live in.Very informative.

I enjoyed seeing the photos. I bought this to help plan my garden.Just note that the book is specific to the Prairies not just one Province. Which is fine. I had to cross reference some of them to identify the right species native to my province.