Charlie Nardozzi's recent visit to southern Montana illuminated the kinds of grasses and wildflowers that grow in the Plains. And since Montana's climate is colder than Vermont's, these tough ornamental grasses with strong root systems will grow well here, too.
Once you've chosen a space in your yard to create a small wildflower and grass meadow, you can select either early or late blooming wildflowers, as well as grasses with differing heights.
Neil Diboll provides this great resource at the Ecological Landscape Alliance that lists several types of meadow grasses and wildflowers that have been tested in the Northeast.
For grasses on the shorter side, try prairie dropseed, which is a small, airy grass. Sedges, like Pennsylvania sedge, also make great lawn alternatives because they only grow a foot tall.
If you want medium-height grasses, pick northern sea oats, which can grow up to 3 feet tall and self-sow. For color and movement, try the wispy, cotton candy-like purple love grass that grows 2 feet tall and does well in moist soils.
Little bluestem grows a bit taller, up to 4 feet. And if you want tall grasses up to 7 feet, go for switchgrasses or little bluestem's larger cousin, big bluestem.
Once you have chosen grasses, mix in some hardy wildflowers that will match the heights of your grasses — that way the flowers don't get hidden. Some wildflowers that do well include lupins, daisies, rudbeckias, asters, goldenrods, milkweeds and poppies.
The first year or two of your mini meadow, you'll be weeding to remove things you don't want. Then, once it fills in with the grasses and flowers that you love, it should be self-sustaining from there.
Maintain your mini grassland prairie by mowing it down once a year in late spring.
Itching to get rid of poison ivy
Q: There's poison ivy growing along a chainlink fence that abuts my property. I'm highly allergic. My outdoor cats even managed to spread it to me! Is there a way to get rid of the plant that won't cause me to break out in a rash? - Christine, in Winooski
A: Because urushiol, the oily resin in poison ivy that causes some people to itch, can last for months on materials like clothing, consider hiring someone to remove it for you.
They would need to suit up with gloves, long-sleeved shirts, pants and boots and dig out the poison ivy from the roots. The clothes, boots and gloves would then need to be thoroughly washed.
Why are these pine needles brown?
Q: I'm sending a picture of our grafted ornamental evergreen. It now only has red needles on one half of the tree. The tree is about 20 years old. Do you know what's happening? - Bev, in Calais
A: It looks like a white pine tree with a large section of brownish-red needles that probably are not going to come back. You can try to aerate the soil and add some mulch to the base, but otherwise, pruning the dead needles away is probably best.
This could be due to root rot from all the rain we've had this spring and summer. Pine trees prefer a well-drained soil. Also check for bore holes in the trunk or even damage from woodpeckers.
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