Vera - you know its gonna get better each year.

I think the third year is the time when things start to looks like a real prairie... (at least for me anyway)

Me knows and me can't wait :)
I went out this weekend and did a little cleaning up and worked on those darn annual grasses. Will be adding wintersown Liatris this year and Joe-pye Weed for intrest. Never did get seeds for Junegrass last year, but I'm working on it.

Vera

I'm on the third year, too, but I got invaded by heath or some other really invasive aster last year, I think I'll probably have to kill everything and start over again.

I'm in my fourth. Its mostly filled in. Purple lovegrass, elliott's lovegrass, wiregrass, etc. Some nutsedge starting to come up as its getting warmer, will try to battle it some more. Will continue to spot roundup it and hope the other stuff out competes it. Trying to get more showy wildflowers showing up. Mostly coreopsis, blanketflower and some asters so far.

Gary

I hope we all can share pictures as the season progresses!
So far it seems all that hard work of handing pulling the non-native invasive Epilobium has paid off...usually by this time it's popping up all over... YEAH!!! Still have some more hand pulling to do with the Downy Brome and Poa annua.

Vera

I'm still waiting for my Liatris to germinate...I winterowed them in jugs around February 12th. Are these usually a late starter?

Oh April, don't kill everything and start over!!!!

Remember we had a drought last year and it effects the dynamics of the prairie. As the planting evolves different plants will dominate and vary each season along with the weather and maturity of the planting.

Keep an eye on your predominate aggressive plant, but I would guess that you could keep it controlled without killing everything...

Hello Everyone. I started a project last summer on about 1/4 acre. I spent the summer killing everything bad and collecting seeds from species I wanted to plant. We burned it the end of January and I planted the seeds the first week of February.

This spring I sprayed roundup on fescue and thistle. Right now I have an overabundance of thistle seedlings, common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and still have fescue, and Upland Cress (Barbarea vulgaris). I also spotted a patch of crown vetch when I was walking it a while ago. I sure hope I haven't wasted all that seed.

RW

I spot treated the heath aster with Roundup. I can now see lots of other plants were under there. Glad I didn't kill everything. Thanks Joepye!