Louise's Utopia: Flowered Fences

The above picture shows an attempt at breaking up the monotony of our front yard. Oh, the yard is fantastic and I’m not complaining but, it's as if someone dropped a house, in a pasture, in the middle of nowhere. It needs a different pitch from the surrounding fields. Something that can provide some shape and control, variety. To begin this floral challenge we planted a couple of trees that were in full bloom. We chose two different trees, which are not pictured, a Mountain Ash, with its lovely white flowers, and a Prairie Crabapple, which was also in full color with its gorgeous dark pink flowers. They both look beautiful in the yard and added some much-needed filler or stop. I do not plan to plant a forest in front of the house or behind, as the views are spectacular. I definitely do not want to burden the scenery. My real quest was that I needed to find some object, to set the scene of a real yard, so we chose a split rail cedar fence. It kept the countryside look and feel of the property. We will run the cedar rail from the driveway to the property line in front of the house and it will define the shape of the yard, which we just seeded, a little better than the current situation. I've already begun a section of this glorious task, installing about 10 feet of split cedar fence. Behind the fence, I planted three chunks of flame grass, which will reach four to five feet tall. In the fall the color of this grass will turn bright red-orange and fade with the Winter cold. Flame grass will give a gorgeous color to the yard and some fullness that the smaller plants cannot provide, but will not disrupt the views. A few rocks were added to give depth to the area and substance. In front of the fence, I planted daisies, honeysuckle, Salvia, Veronica, and Black Eyed Susan's! The flowers do not look like much now, but next summer they will all be on their way to maturity and will light up the yard, giving a section of that much needed partitioning and variety. It was fun to get outside and plant a little and add my own touch. Living out on the prairie I initially thought that I’ll never have a yard out here, no flowers, nothing of the like! It was not a thought of defeat, on the contrary. The first time I saw the fields and the views I knew nothing could compete with what God had already designed. The prairie is absolutely gorgeous. Any landscaping that is done, has to be natural and fit with the environment. We are never going to have an English garden in the middle of a prairie. The intention is to rather augment what is already beautiful, to add back the natural prairie grass and flowers that man has destroyed. I just added some flowers and a smaller area to sit inside and watch the birds and bees and butterflies enjoy it. I already saw a hummingbird feasting on the flowers, right away. Everything they get here is natural, with zero chemicals to eradicate or even nurture growth. If I lose the flowers to grasshoppers I guess they will be back next year and the hoppers won’t eat everything anyway, nature always finds its balance when left to God to tend. It’s a blessing to plant flowers. They add a touch of color and movement. They can change the day for you and for nature. What do you enjoy planting? Let me know!

Coteau des Prairies

South Dakota Hobby Farm