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Re: Hello

Depending upon the age of your plants, you may not see blooms for 2-3 years.
For example, it usually takes Baptisia 3-4 years to bloom.  Leadplant, too,
is slower.  So, just be patient.  Sometimes a plant may bloom but not set
viable seed.  We see this often with the various native grasses.  It sounds
like you and your wife have worked very hard.  Believe me, it will pay off.
Sweet clover, parsnip, and some of the weedy, aggressive goldenrods are a
problem for all of us.  It is best to try to pull them before they go to
seed.  Just keep at it.  At some of our sites we have started cutting and
treating the sweet clover with a 20% solution of Roundup to kill the root
systems.  Just pulling them enables the root system to get larger and
larger each year, but does not eliminate it.  You might want to try that on
the sweet clover.

>Just found the list and wanted to say hello. My wife Lauren and I have
>planted and are nursing along a 1/3 acre prairie in our front yard,
>northwest suburbs of Chicago; four years and tons of pulled weeds ago.
>Looks great (to our eyes) but we have been plagued with sweet clover,
>reed canary grass, queen anne's lace and yellow goldenrod. I think we're
>winning the war but only time will tell. Plan to do our first burn in
>spring, 98.
>
>About two weeks ago the switchgrass seed-headed (is that a word?
>bloomed?) and I think we have lots of little blue that is days away from
>seed-heading (sorry, botanists, the word must sound like fingernails on
>a chalkboard--tell me the right word and I promise I'll use it in the
>future!). Unfortunately, most of the books we have identify plants by
>their flowers or seedheads, so until something blooms we're not sure
>what it is! Many varieties we planted have yet to show and kinda
>doubting at this point if they will, such as rattlesnake master, big
>blue, prairie smoke and others. Oh well, keep working at it and let
>nature make the big decisions...
>
>Would like to hear others experiences..
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Ruth A. Green, Greenhouse Manager; Associate Support Scientist
Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity,
607 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL  61820
Office:  217-333-7091   FAX:  217-333-6294
Email:  rgreen@mail.inhs.uiuc.edu


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