My favorite prairie remnant continues to offer a look at once was Iowa before the age of farming. In this photo, you are looking at the prairie as an entire plant community. Appreciate how the beautiful grasses and flowers together bring colors and texture. Prairies really are the natural perfect garden, and it continues to surprise me just how many of best plants available for landscaping are prairie natives! As you’re reading through this post how many of these plants do you have in your garden?

The crown jewel of the prairie is blooming this week! Pale purple coneflower are in full bloom here in at this remnant and across all other of Iowa’s prairies. They are a close relation to the one sold in garden centers except the flowers on these are more pale and the petals are thinner. They stand out very well in the prairie as they are one of the largest flowers found in the prairie and the blooms are very bright. You can find these scattered throughout the northern part of the prairie.

Here is another beautiful prairie flower. This is Penstemon or beardstougue. They have beautiful bell-shaped flowers and are tall. These were only in two spots in the Cumming prairie remnant, but you can find these blooming abundantly all over Iowa especially in the native roadside plantings around our states interstates and highways. These are closely related to the Husker’s red beardstongue you can find in garden centers.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found Coreopsis in the prairie because  I had not known these plants are actually prairie natives! These are closely related to the fine leafed varieties of coreopsis you can find in garden centers but if you are looking for a native it must be the fine leafed varieties Creme Brulee is one such variety sold. You can find coreopsis blooming throughout all parts of the prairie remnant.

Yarrow is in bloom as well. I only found this in 1-2 spots in the prairie. Area garden centers have these available in many colors, but the native one is strictly white.

The Prairie Rose has been in bloom for a few weeks now and continues to bloom brightly. This is an important flower because is our states official flower. Nearly wild rose would be a wonderful native variety to plant in the landscape.