The area in question is a gentle south facing slope. It is in between three buildings and a parking lot. The parking lot is to the south so the area gets good light. Because of the buildings I assume that all of the area has been driven on and compacted and may be partly leftover material from construction. There are a few small private sidewalks running across the area.

Around 5-6 years ago the entire area was planted with store bought sod. I am told that the sod was watered in and established properly. Jump forward to today and the sod can only be detected as a thin line of topsoil at the surface. It didn't last. Dandelions, plantain, and things I only recognize as "weeds" now dominate the area. In some spots even the weeds grow thinly, with open dirt between them.

There is a line of weed maples along the north edge that I tolerate, even though I know they will steal my nutrients. I have put in some hybrid lilacs along the north edge. My goal there is that there will be a band of purple running in front of the trees in spring.

This is not a good location for a real hard core prairie. The climax vegetation around here is normally trees, not grasses. The field is small, less than an acre, and I have been going at it in sections.

There is to much social pressure for me to allow anything that looks ragged or untended. I figure I'll have bold patches of color for people driving along in the parking lot and various small plants right in the lawn for people on the sidewalks.

I think what I am aiming at is somewhere in between "lawn" and "Meadow". From a distance I want it to look neat and green, up close I'm going for as much variety and flowers as I can. I'm willing to fuss with it to get it up and running, but don't want to be a slave to my project forever. I think if I do it well it should be able to continue on without me for some time.

Last year I used shade to kill off a section, rototilled it, pulled out the largest rocks and construction debris, and made something resembling a large lasagna bed or sheet composting project. Anything that fell into my hands got composted there. Towards fall I tilled it all together and put in some daylily beds, sowed grass and white clover everywhere else.

I already have some lawn grass and white clover started here. I brought in thyme but am not sure it took. I had Scilla Sibericia but don't know if it will have survived being tilled. If not I'll bring them in again. I tilled to get things going and don't plan to make it a routine operation. Violets should do well over towards the maples so I will transplant some of them in next year. There are some daffodills along the north edge which I will encourage.

I also think the distinction between native and invader plants is probably academic in my situation. The whole area is hopelessly disturbed. 10,000 years ago glaciers stripped the biosphere clean out of here. Right now american society is busy stirring things up with global warming, acid rain, construction, various obscure chemicals, and a whole raft of new plants bugs and animals. I figure they are now a permanent part of the landscape, the "new natives" if you will. Even the old natives have only been here for 10,000 generations or so, not that long as ecosystems go.

Nature will somehow deal with it all with or without me. I'm hoping to step in and shape my one little plot to be more pleasing to human sensibilities. I don't want it to require chemicals or water or pampering. I don't even want it to require me. I expect it will reliably get mown because it is in town, unless mowing goes out of fashion. Orange Hawkweed is one of the plants I am looking at for the site.

Anyhow, that's where I am. I have a modest budget, a free hand so long as I don't upset the neighbors, time and energy to do things well.

Comments anyone?

Lawn grasses look unkempt if not mowed and will invade flower beds. Native short grasses do not grow taller than 2 to 3 feet, grow in clumps not as sod, have attractive leaves, flowerheads and seed heads and good fall/winter colour. I would think that a short grass prairie mix would serve your low maintainence, look good demands. See Prairie Moon catalogue for their inexpensive Short Grass Mix. It includes short grasses and a dozen or so flowering plants for all summer colour and attractive winter seeds.

AchenElf you say, "Just to be clear about this, I have never transplanted any other native plants from the wild to my own garden." The point is that Orange Hawkweed is not a native...You would have been better served swiping a common native from the wild instead of a non-native, invasive plant! Your first clue to a possible problem should have been "growing by the millions".

In the west they are becoming a "problem" in some locations.

Bright attractive orange daisy like flowers over low growing hairy leaves.

It's a designated noxious weed in WA, ID, MT, CO, and OR.

Ken
Unfortunately mowing also encourages vegetative spread, so consider yourself lucky to have those groudhogs to help spread it aroundfor you......

Bloomingthings, I found this info on control methods
When selective herbicides are applied in the spring and followed with nitrogen fertilizer, grass competition can keep this weed suppressed.

Apparently, in Europe it is used on those mounds they put along highways to reduce the noise - and it does very well despite the pollution.

In areas of native vegetation - tussock and shrubs - it prevents regeneration because it covers so thickly seeds cannot reach the ground.

It tolerates low rainfall areas (10-20"), dry summer heat and sharp frosts. It is an absolute menace in drylands pastures, though it barely registers in a decent sward. If I had to choose between wilding pines and Hieracium - I'd have the pines, thanks.

Is there any room in your scheme for using glacial shingle as groundcover/mulch? (I'm thinking of material such as thin pebbles of schist.) It would take the tread and perhaps improve the habitat for the establishment of local indigenous plants/grasses.

Thanks to Prairie Moon Nursery (Alan Wade)I got started on the right track. I was starting off just like you so I had to write in reply. I hope you have recosidered the European weed for a more democratic and natural beauty.

Good luck!

Wonder if you ever found a source for it? I had a plant in Connecticut and loved it. It was not invasive at all and very striking. However, when I moved I forgot to bring it with me and now am unable to find it again. Would love to have it.