Hmm...whether or not your site is a 'prairie' is hard to tell, since I couldn't access your photo site and don't knwo what you have been planting. It is certainly large enough for you to develop some extensive prairie-type habitat. Speaking for myself (and probably for most of the other participants in this site), 'prairie gardening' is an attempt to reproduce the type of mixed grass and forb community that occurred naturally in central and east central North America.

Based on this viewpoint, I would hope you would go beyond avoiding noxious weeds and move towards actively selecting native prairie grasses and forbs. Southern Michigan was on the north-east margin of the tallgrass prairie region, so you should be able to find a good list of native prairie plants that can be used to guide you in plant selection. Some native prairie species can indeed be quite aggressive, but the size of your area should allow you to plant just about any sort of native that is adapted to your soil and climate conditions.

An alternative viewpoint that also makes up part of this forum is simply to develop a meadow type plantings that are not necessarily native. Non-native meadows can be beautiful and they can provide signficant benefits to wildlife (another common thread in this forum). I don't personally recommend this approach, but if you do I hope you will avoid the 'meadow-in-a-can' seed vendors. These generic seed mixes typically contain few 'real wildflowers" (native perennials), they are usually dominated by weedy annuals, and they often include invasive exotic species. They are unlikely to produce a desirable stable meadow community and they may introduce problem species for yourself and your neighbors.

Thank you so much! I think I am beginning to understand the different viewpoints a little better.

sure you can have a 5 acre prairie. i would much rather see someone grow 5 acres of prairie grass and flowers than see someone grow 5 acres of turf grass.

some might call a smaller planting a meadow. or just a prairie landscape. but does it really mater what the semantics are? enjoy and have fun.

Dittos on all points to John and Joepye

Hey, I have two 200-square-foot prairies, so I don't know why you can't have one on 5 acres. In that expanse you've probably got some different habitats--slightly wetter, slightly drier areas--that would lend themselves to different plant communities. As the previous posters said, research the native prairie in your area. Also research your land in all seasons and see what's already there. You might be pleasantly surprised.