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Re: Idea's welcome

Alan:

You may want to consider wetland species of grasses such as Cord
Grass, Bluejoint....etc as well as the sedges.  Also consider the basic wet
mesic flowers such as Sweet Joe Pye, Boneset, Purple Swamp Milkweed,
Blue Vervain.....etc.  These species are good colonizers and will ad some
color.

Also consider layering the planting.  From the driest upper area of the
slope
place the species mix appropriate to that area and continue down the slope
changing the species mix.....wetter and wetter  Little Bluestem, June Grass,
Side Oats Grama at the top of the slope along with the dryer flowers,
proceeding
down the slope with Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, Sweet Grass and the mesic
flowers.  Further down the slope Cord Grass, Bluejoint, Sedges, Hard Reed,
maybe even some Cattail and the Sweet Joe Pye, Boneset, Purple Swamp
Milkweed, Blue Vervain.

The species mix can of course be much more elaborate than what I have listed
above.  The more diverse the better.  The more species you add to the mix
the more likely you are to create an "eco-system".  Also you will find that
there
will be "micro" environments within the area of your site where several
species
will thrive, where they may not thrive just a few hundred feet away.  May be
as
little as 20-30 feet away.  Over time the species seeded will find the areas
they prefer.

Good Luck,

Rome Hutchings, owner
The Prairie Is My Garden, Seed Co.
13633 Ferman Ave NW
Clearwater, MN 55320
(612) 878-1694 phone
(612) 878-1720 fax


------Original Message-----
From: Alan_Rider@ILLINOVA.COM <Alan_Rider@ILLINOVA.COM>
To: prairie@mallorn.com <prairie@mallorn.com>
Date: Sunday, October 04, 1998 9:26 PM
Subject: Idea's welcome


>I have created  (hopefully) a  modest sized 'wetland'  by scraping out
>dirt and building a dyke/dam in a bottom land area that gets it's water
>from farm field run off.  I considered the area, before this effort to be
>'WET MESIC'.  It is damp/wet all winter and rarely dries out in the summer.
>This 'wetland' is 'upstream' to my pond.  So there is water close all the
>time.  An added benefit is that this area will catch sediment/field erosion
>before it gets to the pond.
>
>I am looking for any ideas on what to do , if anything, in terms
>wetland/sedge-meadow/???   seeding....Particularily in the area that is now
>dirt/mud where the dirt was moved from.   My objective on my property is to
>manage it for wildlife habitat, which includes native plants and prairie.
>
>This property is rural in central ILLinois.  Next to a river, rolling hills
>for quarter mile from the river.
>
>All thoughts, comments ideas and suggestions desired....thanks
>
>
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