for Medium-Dry Soils and Full Sun

An inexpensive mix can still have diversity. July's heat will bring out the blooms and rigorous growth of species such as the Pale Purple Coneflower, Butterfly Weed, and Little Bluestem, shown in the corresponding photo. This mix will do best on soils that are a little on the dry side. Although some of the native plants in this seed mix have ranges that extend beyond zones 3-7, the majority will do best in this zone range. For more detailed information please see the RANGE MAP for each species. View the complete species list, including % by weight, under COMPONENTS.

For seed mixes of 1/8 acre or less, we include a temporary cover crop at no additional charge. ReGreen is a sterile, short-lived perennial wheat hybrid that can be planted spring or fall.

Add a Seed Mix Enhancement for that extra splash of color!

Establishing a native plant community from seed can take 3 years or more - learn more.

All mixes are subject to change without notice depending on availability of species.

Shortgrass Inexpensive Prairie Seed Mix by Prairie Moon® Nursery 11.70 lbs per acre \| 96 seeds per sq/ft (FILTER PLANTS IN THIS SEED MIX)
WILDFLOWERS
Botanical Name (Common Name)	% by wt.
Allium stellatum (Prairie Onion)	0.53
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)	0.53
Astragalus canadensis (Canada Milk Vetch)	0.40
Baptisia alba (White Wild Indigo)	1.07
Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge Pea)	8.55
Coreopsis lanceolata (Lance-leaf Coreopsis)	4.27
Dalea candida (White Prairie Clover)	3.21
Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)	4.27
Echinacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower)	2.14
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)	1.07
Heliopsis helianthoides (Early Sunflower)	2.14
Lespedeza capitata (Round-headed Bush Clover)	1.07
Oligoneuron rigidum (Stiff Goldenrod)	0.53
Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove Beardtongue)	1.07
Penstemon hirsutus (Hairy Beardtongue)	1.34
Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan)	4.27
Senna hebecarpa (Wild Senna)	2.14
Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth Blue Aster)	0.27
Verbena stricta (Hoary Vervain)	1.07
Total of WILDFLOWERS:	39.94 %

GRASSES, SEDGES & RUSHES
Botanical Name (Common Name)	% by wt.
Bouteloua curtipendula (Side-oats Grama)	25.65
Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama)	8.55
Schyzachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)	20.52
Sporobolus compositus (Rough Dropseed)	5.34
Totals of GRASSES, SEDGES & RUSHES:	60.06 %
(FILTER PLANTS IN THIS SEED MIX)
Last updated 9/25/23

1 Question asked on Shortgrass Inexpensive Prairie Seed Mix

Meg Wilkes January 23

Hi, I purchased and planted the Shortgrass inexpensive meadow seed last year. I totally enjoyed discovering the plants, grasses, etc as they bloomed. I DID NOT MOW!! I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Is this a problem? I have read about the possible 3-4 years for the meadow to flourish. The meadow was overwhelmingly dominated mid to late summer with BEAUTIFUL black eyed Susan's. I love them, but want to work on encouraging the other (diversity of color and blooms) plants that are in the seed mix. Should I mow all summer? Once or twice? And when do I start mowing? I had a rather diverse initial bloom of grasses and smaller white flowers before the BEES took over. I appreciate the help! Should I purchase more seeds to enhance the seed mix or continue to give it another year or two? Thanks for the help, looking forward to seeing some cone flowers this coming summer I hope. Thanks! Meg (MA)

Prairie Moon January 24

Thanks for writing, Meg. We recommend maintenance mowing throughout the first growing season of a diverse seed mix that was planted in the preceding fall or winter. The goals of the mowing are to retard the growth of fast-growing weeds that likely remain in the soil’s seed bank so that they don’t overwhelm the new native seedlings, and to allow light to reach the soil, promoting growth of the introduced natives. For sites with heavy weed pressure, an additional mowing at the start of season two may be needed. For sites planted in the spring, maintenance mowing throughout two growing seasons may be needed because year two will be the first year of growth for most of the flowering species whose seeds require over-wintering to germinate.

Diverse native seed mixes always take at least three to five years to fully establish. Blooms typically start to appear in the second and third growing seasons but some early species, like Brown-Eyed Susans and Early Sunflower, may show up in the first season. Many growers love these early bloomers and are tempted to skip mowing. It’s always your call, but if weed pressure is great, short-term sacrifice can mean long-term benefits for the planting as a whole. If weed pressure is light to moderate, spot mowing that spares the bloomers may work fine. Keep in mind that species that bloom early tend to be shorter-lived and will not always dominate the planting.

Native plant communities provide the inspiration for our seed-mix designs. All our mixes feature high seeding rates and a diverse balance of native species, which, when mature, will provide blossoms throughout the year. No matter what you want from a seed mix, you will need to make sure it fits the soil-moisture holding capacity and sun conditions of your site.

E stablishment of the diverse native-plant communities represented in our seed mixes can take three to five years. The most critical process before planting is preparing the site by removing unwanted species and working to deplete the soil’s weed seed bank. Find detailed site prep, planting and care instructions for our seed mixes through the following links:

ESTABLISHING A NATIVE SEED MIX - 3 YEAR PLAN

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR HAND SOWING A NATIVE SEED MIX

*PLEASE NOTE: we are a mail order nursery and have no retail facilities, but you may pick up your order if prior arrangements are made. Pick up orders are subject to **MN Sales Tax.

Shipping & Handling Charges

SEED $100.00 and under: $5.00
Retail SEED orders over $100.00 ship free!

Custom seed mixes or discounted seed sales over $100, add 5% of the total seed cost
(for orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required)

BARE ROOT and POTTED PLANTS $50.00 and under: $9.00
over $50.00: 18% of the total plant cost. (For orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required.)

TOOLS and BOOKS have the shipping fee included in the cost of the product (within the contiguous US).

**We are required to collect state sales tax in certain states. Your state's eligibility and % will be calculated at checkout. MN State Sales Tax of 7.375% is applied for orders picked up at our MN location. Shipping & handling charges are also subject to the sales tax.

Shipping Season

SEED, TOOLS and BOOKS are sent year-round. Most orders ship within 1-3 business days.

BARE ROOT PLANTS are shipped during optimal transplanting time: Spring (April-May) and Fall (Oct). Some ephemeral species are also available for summer shipping. Since our plants are field-grown, Nature sets the schedule each year as to when our season will begin and end. We fill all orders, on a first-come, first-serve basis, to the best of our ability depending on weather conditions beyond our control.

POTTED PLANTS (Trays of 32/38/50 plugs and 3-packs) typically begin shipping early May and go into June; shipping time is heavily dependent on all the species in your order being well-rooted. If winter-spring greenhouse growing conditions are favorable and all species are well-rooted at once, then we ship by order date (first come, first serve). We are a Midwest greenhouse, and due to the challenges of getting all the species in the Mix & Match and Pre-Designed Garden Kits transit-ready at the same time, we typically can't ship before early May. Earlier shipment requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

*We are unable to ship PLANTS (bare root or potted) outside the contiguous US or to CALIFORNIA due to regulations.

Delivery

We ship using USPS, UPS and Spee Dee. UPS and Spee Dee are often used for expediting plant orders; they will not deliver to Post Office Box numbers, so please also include your street address if ordering plants. We send tracking numbers to your email address so please include it when you order.

FOR MORE DETAILED SHIPPING INFORMATION, INCLUDING CANADA SHIPPING RATES (SEED ONLY), PLEASE SEE 'SHIPPING' AT THE FOOTER OF THIS WEBSITE.

Shortgrass Inexpensive Prairie Seed Mix

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