Native Plants

For a long time, plants have been imported to the United States from other continents. While many of these non-native species are valued for their beauty, culinary, and medicinal purposes - they can also be very aggressive. Today, less than one percent of our original native prairies remain. Morning Sky Greenery works to provide quality native plants that have a beneficial impact on our environment.

A Word About Native Plants

The term “native plant” commonly refers to those plants growing in North America prior to European settlement. Many native plants have declined in numbers. Our native prairie plants are particularly vulnerable since their habitat is useful for the development of houses, agriculture, roadways, and airfields. Also, they have taken the “backseat” to aggressive alien species.

Native Plant History in the United States

Over hundreds of years people have been bringing plants to the United States from other continents. These non-native plants have been valued for their culinary and medicinal purposes or their sheer beauty. While useful, many of these plants escape the garden and become a problem. Non-natives can be very aggressive. Because they have no naturally occurring pests to keep them in check, they may move into disturbed soils, take over the native plants in their path, and leave a landscape populated largely by one or two species of European and Asian origin. The diversity found in a delicate web of native prairie plants thriving together in a unique ecosystem is often destroyed. Today, less than one percent of our original prairies remain.

The native prairie plants grown at Morning Sky Greenery are beautiful and uniquely adapted to growing in the prairie and transitional regions of the upper Midwest. They have built-in defense mechanisms which allow them to thrive in their natural environment. These plants are vigorous and exceptionally hardy. They tolerate harsh winds, periodic drought, and severe winter weather. When planted in a natural setting, native plants are resistant to insect infestations and plant diseases. Most of them are long lived perennials that come back from the same root system year after year. Some of them are annuals which live one season and produce large amounts of seed; or biennials that have a two year life cycle and produce seeds the second year. Once established, these plants are maintained with little effort.

Shop for Native Prairie Plants

Whether you are working on a shoreline restoration project, installing a rain garden, or just want to bring a touch of the prairie to your own back yard, Morning Sky Greenery has the native flowers and grasses you need to get the job done.

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Top left: 12-pack seedling grasses.   Top right: 6-pack seedling forbs.

Bottom left: 6-pack emerging yearling forbs.  Bottom right: 12-pack emerging yearling grasses.