Humans have gravitated to grasslands the world over for settlement, and Southern Ontario is no different. Windsor, Chatham, London, Brantford, Toronto, and Peterborough were all built, at least in part, on prairie and savanna plant communities (Bakowsky 1994).

Where I live in Hamilton, these plant communities could be found 200 years ago in the downtown core and out towards the Westdale area near McMaster University. They wound around the Dundas Valley following the Norfolk Sand Plain through Ancaster and Flamborough townships, and stretched in a mosaic of prairie, savanna, and oak woodland along the lake plain towards Toronto. Early land survey records indicate an estimated 6000 hectares of tallgrass prairie and savanna existed in Hamilton Region at the time of settlement (Goodban et al. 1996). Today, barely one hectare remains. The spirit of these plant communities lies dormant in parks, schoolyards, roadsides, industrial complexes and backyards, waiting to be revived.

In the Garden

Prairie and savanna plants are well suited to urban and suburban environments. They match the light conditions of the average urban neighbourhood, from the full sun of open prairie to the dappled shade of oak woodland (deeply shaded forest conditions are rather scarce within the urban envelope). There are prairie plants suited to almost any soil condition: wet to dry, clay to sand, and varied levels of acidity and fertility. Prairie gardens require no pesticides or fertilizers and no supplemental watering once established.

Property owners can therefore avoid adding excess pressures to already ecologically stressed environments. Furthermore, prairie plants are beautiful and feed the many kinds of wildlife that depend on them for pollen, nectar, berries, seeds, nuts, nesting and shelter. In this respect, these plants are a constant source of passive learning and entertainment for kids of all ages.

Armed with a few native plant nursery catalogues it is easy to pick out a dozen plants for any garden area. While it is important to adhere to basic principles of landscape design (i.e. function, balance, rhythm and repetition) you can get away with a lot by first building a sensible garden structure. In other words, deciding first where to put the prairie or meadow (perennial borders), the bird thicket (screening and foundation plantings), and the woodland (for garden areas around any large shade trees).

For the perennial border, pick three or four flowering plants for each season - spring, summer and fall. Plant singly and in drifts, using finer-leaved grasses and sedges for contrast in garden textures. Asters (Aster or Symphyotrichum spp.) and Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are a must for any perennial border because of their high value to wildlife. For foundation plantings and screening along fences, plant a diverse bird thicket leaving a few pockets for further perennial plantings. Pick shrubs and small trees of varying heights, forms and foliage that provide wildlife with flowers and fruits for different parts of the growing season. Try our native dogwoods (Cornus spp.), viburnums (Viburnum spp.), hawthorns (Crataegus spp.), and roses (Rosa spp.). And under the shade tree, choose forbs and grasses of the savanna or woodland edge.

Maintaining the Prairie Garden

Well now that the prairie garden is planted and watered, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour. The truth is little maintenance is needed for prairie gardens; a little gentle prodding is all that is necessary. When weeds appear, get out the secateurs and snip them out. The aggressive pulling of weeds (and the inevitable chunk of soil that comes with it) usually creates more weed problems. As the plants mature they will seed into other areas leaving less room for weedy invaders.

Let the leaves fall where they may! Most prairie and meadow plants are built to push through some leaf cover to emerge again the following spring. However, leaves that pile up in windy corners of the garden should be spread to other areas.

Leave dried stems and seed heads of prairie forbs and grasses to stand through the winter. They are used by over-wintering insects and birds for food and cover. Or better yet, collect the seeds and broadcast them into developing garden areas or share them with your neighbour. In early spring, take a pair of hedge shears, and beginning at the top, chop the stems down into small pieces (less than 10cm in length). Leave the pieces in the garden to encourage soil development and nutrient recycling.

And finally, for the successful prairie garden, one must listen to the land. I say ‘listen’ because there is no greater teacher than Mother Nature herself. This point cannot be overstated for landscape professionals wishing to naturalize urban areas. To design with the spirit of the prairie, meadow, thicket, and woodland in mind, one must first visit the prairie, meadow, thicket, and woodland. This does not mean breaking out the books and engaging in serious nature study, it means getting out there and just bearing witness to the land.

In this way, we may build healthier, more fulfilling communities, and revive the spirit of prairie and savanna in the urban fabric of Southern Ontario.

References: Bakowsky, W.D. 1994. Oak Ontario. Wildflower 10(4): 28-31.

Goodban, A.G., W.D. Bakowsky, and B.D. Bricker, 1996. The historical and present extent and floristic composition of prairie and savanna vegetation in the vicinity of Hamilton, Ontario. In: Warwick, C. editor. Fifteenth North American Prairie Conference Proceedings.

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