Design Notebook: Feb. 1999

In 1994, a Wisconsin-based company chose to use the prairie concept and installed a distinct, ecologically sound landscape around its newest building.

Prairie Nursery, a wildflower and native grass plant and seed producer in Westfield, Wis., helped the company design, prepare and install the two-acre natural landscape by also keeping in mind its overall objectives for the prairie: year-round aesthetic interest, maintenance efficiency, local environmental preservation and improved water and air quality.

Design
    Notes

    PROJECT: ProMega Corporation

    LANDSCAPE COMPANY: Prairie Nursery, Westfield, Wis.

    DESIGNERS: Linda Sievert, landscape architect,
    Saiki Design, Madison, Wis., and
    Neil Diboll, senior ecologist,
    Prairie Nursery

    SIZE OF PROPERTY: Two acres (90,000 square feet)

    MAN-HOURS TO INSTALL: 40 hours

    PLANTS: Tall prairie seed mix for clay soil,
    short prairie seed mix for sand and loam soils

DESIGN CHALLENGES. The project was managed by Linda Sievert, landscape architect, and designers from Saiki Design, Madison, and Neil Diboll, senior ecologist, Prairie Nursery. Beyond the appeal of an environmentally responsible landscape, the company had specific and challenging requirements for its project.

The challenges were to reduce maintenance requirements in terms of man-hours and materials. The project also entailed designing a year-round landscape that would accommodate the different soils, slopes and sun exposure found on the various parts of the site.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS. Part of the client’s environmental commitment is to do all it can to sustain a habitat for wildlife around its buildings.

A properly designed, installed and maintained prairie requires far less maintenance than traditional landscapes. By using native plants adapted to the region, an ecologically sustainable, low maintenance, natural landscape can be created.

The quality of the seed mix is an important part of a prairie installation. The prairie concept was the best possible solution for the diverse areas that were to be a part of the company’s restoration because the site had different slopes, each with a different exposure to the sun and significantly varied soil conditions.

The north-facing slopes adjacent to the parking lot are primarily clay soil. Prairie Nursery utilized a group of species called Clay Busters, including yellow coneflower, bergamot, New England Aster, rattlesnake maters and roundheaded bushclover, which bloom in blues, purples and whites until late summer and fall when strong yellow accents appear. The two main grasses utilized were big bluestem and Indian grass, both adapted to clay soils.

At the same time, the seed mix contained species that will bloom at different times from late spring into autumn, with the grasses providing interest throughout the winter.

On the east side of the building, the land is sandy and sloped, creating varying moisture levels. Prairie Nursery selected wildflowers and grass species that would survive the dry, sandy soil as well as control erosion. Some of the wildflowers selected include butterfly weed, sky blue aster, white false indigo and lanceleaf coreopsis, which range in color from blue and purple to orange and yellow. The main grasses used to stabilize the slopes and compliment the flowers were little blue stem and side oats grama.

The plants that grow best in the heavier clay soils are typically taller and more robust, while the plants selected for the dryer, sandier soils were short. Each of these two prairie meadows have their own distinct composition and character creating very different landscape effects in every season. An additional benefit is that each of these meadows attracts different types of birds and butterflies.

A concern of the client was the acceptance from employees and the community of the prairie landscape, primarily due to its early appearance. The species that combined to create the prairie landscape are slow to mature and the landscape could initially be perceived as weedy.

Company officials requested that Prairie Nursery host a tour so that employees and visitors would have an opportunity to ask questions, learn about the benefits of prairie landscapes and experience the plants first hand.

The author is the senior ecologist at Prairie Nursery.

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February 1999
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