08/26/2024
Hey everyone! I just wanted to introduce myself and explain a little bit about who I am and why I started a nursery. I’m also planning on doing a plant spotlight here and there!
I’m Sarah Terry and honestly, I have an addiction to growing plants and I find it very hard to throw any of them away. I just kept potting them up and before I knew it, I had quite the collection so… I added a few thousand more and now they’re for sale! 😊
But really, I started Painted Prairie Nursery because I fell in love with native plants after a trip to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. That trip prompted me to start participating in prescribed burns and opened my eyes to how much farming and housing development has replaced much of the native landscape. There is less than 4% of the original tallgrass prairie remaining which makes it one of the rarest and most endangered ecosystems in the world and consequently, some of the insects, birds and other animals that depend on that habitat have dramatically decreased in numbers as well.
I am doing this full time and operating out of my back yard; I’m hoping that in the future I can get commercial property which will allow me to have business hours and expand my inventory.
Now for the good part!!
Plant spotlight is going to…. Bushy Bluestem or Andropogon glomeratus!
This is probably my favorite grass as of right now and it’s starting to bloom! These plants get up to 5 foot tall when flowering and have the prettiest blooms starting in August. They aren’t picky about the type of soil, but they do like it medium to moist and full sun. They would do great in a landscaped setting and could pass for an ornamental. It’s an upright grass that doesn’t flop like other grasses. It turns a beautiful orange / copper color in the fall and is sometimes used as nesting material for birds in the spring. This grass is a host plant for several species of skippers and satyrs.
I have 50+ of these available in 1 gallon pots at $10 each tax included (20% discount for wholesale.)