I was out on a walk this morning with Marsh (our unofficial NBN co-mascot) and as we strolled through the NEIU campus I got to thinking... can we manage native species height to fit in more spaces and for more uses?
My thoughts first turned to turf-grass —that one-size fits all monoculture so common in many landscapes. From a maintenance standpoint, European turf grass does what it does really really well. A little like paving a site, turf has a primary function —it creates a surface that people can use for various activities. It can be an easy maintenance-focused application that fills in a space, deters weeds, stays low in height, is soft under foot, durable to walk and run on, and is green (even if oddly so). But, there may be a better solution if done in the right way...
With a host of functions such as improving water infiltration, feeding many insects that in turn feed many birds, teaching us of place and the natural history of our area, lowering maintenance needs, and adding beauty, native species may be the answer. Native non-clumping grasses and other soft stemmed plants can be used in place of turf grass and mowed several times a season if needing to host various activities, or grow it out for a more natural appearance.
Pictured: A mowed shady area at NEIU dominated by Elymus, Symphyotrichum and Echinacea species next to common turf grass --upright stems in the native area holds the leaves in place.
On the campus of NEIU, they have taken to mowing several naturalized areas —primarily to control volunteer species such as canada goldenrod, teasel, buckthorn and Callery pear. This does not hurt the native plants and will give them more room to fill in while limiting growth by things that would otherwise crowd them out. At Chicago Botanic Garden, Dixon Prairie, areas are mowed several times a season to do the same. The fresh flush of growth and shorter height is a crowd pleaser (increasing visibility and revealing a wide variety of colors and textures) and allows for easier maintenance. At Morton Arboretum, Bouteloua curtipendula is used to create a mowed buffer along some pathways, limiting walkway crowding by taller native plants.
Cutting back your native landscape can also work well to bring the height down on species that outgrow their spot or block a view. New England aster may look better in the garden if cut back mid June, and Joe pye weed that bends down in a heavy rain can also be reduced by half to extend the flowering season and shorten its stems. Parkway planting getting too tall? A trim may be just the thing to tidy up its appearance.
Whether you want to cut it back to a turf-like height, or simply trim it back late spring to bring the overall height down for visibility, it's ok to scythe, mow, clip or cut to make native plants work in more places and for more applications. Just remember to leave it all in place and follow this tidy mess model. Worried about the bees? Cutting stems can actually increase nesting opportunities and produce more flowers with extended bloom times.
Interested in upgrading your turf areas while still creating a surface to play on? Here's a list of mowable plant species to try:
Full to part-sun mowable species:
GRASSES/SEDGES
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Sorghastrum nutans (golden feather grass), Carex bicknellii (copper-shoulder oval sedge), Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama), Bouteloua curtipendula (side-oats grams) Carex eburnea (ivory sedge)
WILDFLOWERS
Anemone canadensis (Canada anemone), Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry), Viola spp. (violets), Antennaria plantaginifolia (pussytoes).
Part sun to shade mowable species:
GRASSES/SEDGES
Elymus hystrix (bottlebrush grass), Elymus villosus (silky wild rye), Bouteloua curtipendula (side-oats grams), Carex woodii (Wood's sedge), Carex blanda (common wood sedge), Carex rosea (rosy sedge)
WILDFLOWERS
Symphyotrichum shortii (Short's aster), Geranium maculatum (wild geranium), Eurybia macrophylla (big-leaved aster), Viola spp. (violets)
Ready to get in on the native gardening movement but not sure how? Share a bit about your project here and we can help you out 😊