INTEREST AND AWARENESS around native plants has been trending in recent years, and it makes them feel almost new. But of course natives are the original plants of an area, and even in certain specialty corners of the nursery industry, they’ve been around far longer than they’ve been making headlines.
Just ask today’s guest, Neil Diboll, who has operated Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin for 42 years, since long before phrases like “pollinator garden” were fashionable. He’ll share some of his favorite species you may not know, and also some advice for how to prepare a site for meadow- and prairie-style plantings in case you’re among those gardeners considering transitioning part of your lawn, for instance.
Neil has been president and consulting ecologist for Prairie Nursery in Westfield, Wisc., since 1982. Last year, in collaboration with garden designer and horticulturist Hilary Cox, he published “The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants” (affiliate link), a comprehensive guide to using prairie plants in gardens and larger restorations. (Above, Culver’s root, Veronicastrum virginicum.)
Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page to enter to win a copy of the book.
Read along as you listen to the June 3, 2024 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
talking prairie plants, with neil diboll
Margaret Roach: I love the book, Neil; it’s so serious, but also accessible. I don’t know if you can be both things at the same time, but somehow it is. So congratulations on that.
Neil Diboll: Thank you.
Margaret: So we did a recent “New York Times” garden column together, but that wasn’t
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