When Carol and Bob Niendorf purchased their home in 1987, there was minimal landscaping. Basically just two pines and three birch trees surrounded their home that was carved out of a 160-acre farm dating back to 1850.
But today, their 4-acre property just west of Oshkosh is home to more. Much more.
Carol said the couple started getting interested in natural landscaping in 1985. “We bought 15 acres in Waushara County, and as we’d drive there, I would look down at the wildflowers and Bob would look up at the birds,” she recalled. Shortly after, Carol purchased a wildflower identification book and started writing down the names of plants she liked.
About the same time as they bought their house, they saw an article about Neil Diboll, president of Prairie Nursery. They invited him out to their new home to get ideas on natural landscaping. In the meantime, they also started visiting prairie gardens and doing research on native plants.
Then, in June 1989, they seeded about one-third of an acre into prairie. That first seeding included 75 percent flowers and 25 percent grasses. “We didn’t realize that wasn’t authentic at the time,” Bob said.
But after several years of enjoying their prairie, they decided to expand and convert another 2½ acres into prairie. It wasn’t easy. Some parts of the property had been used as an alfalfa field, and “alfalfa roots went down deep,” Bob said. “It was a job to get the competition out of there.”
Their subsequent prairies included more diversity, Carol said, with about 50-60 species. And with that diversity came more birds and pollinators.
Bob says his favorite plants are the pale purple coneflowers (Echinacea pallida), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea). Carol said she couldn’t choose favorites since she likes them all.
“One year I was unable to go out and walk around because I had a knee replacement,” Carol recalled. “So Bob went out and took video so I could see what I was missing.”
They did their first controlled burn of their prairie in 1991, in part to clean out the prior year’s dried stalks and set back emerging quack grasses and other nonnative invasives.
But as the years went on, their rural property started looking a bit more urban as houses were built around them. So in 2012 they delivered a letter to their neighbors, informing them about the upcoming controlled burn, as well as the reasons for it. In 2016, after many more houses had been built around them, they wrote a letter again, even though this time, the Omro-Rushford Fire Department did the burn as part of its training.
“Most neighbors don’t see the prairie burn as a problem,” Carol said. “We mow it first, which helps to keep the flames down,” Bob said. “Plus, it gives the fire department some practice in how to control a grass fire.”
Being proactive is key, however, they agreed. Letting people know what is going on and why you are doing something is likely why they received little negative feedback.
While all their neighbors haven’t embraced natural landscaping, they at least seem to like it. “We had several neighbors put in small areas of native plants, so that’s good,” Carol said. “Others will be walking the dogs and tell me that they enjoy watching the prairie over the season.”
Their prairies do take work. “There is always maintenance to do,” Bob said. “And even native plants can be invasive,” Carol said. “We learned that from experience.”
The two native plants that have been the most aggressive in their prairies are white false indigo (Baptisialactea) and stiff goldenrod (Solidagorigida). “Both are beautiful plants … but they can move in and take out your diversity,” she said.
And once out of control, it’s difficult to get plants back in control. “Last summer we started working on stiff goldenrod,” Bob said. “We’ve reduced the population, but there are always new plants coming from all the years it was out there growing. You just have to be vigilant and keep an eye on things as they go along.”
When the plants came up last spring, Bob cut off the seed heads with a weed whacker. “If we stay here another 25 years and keep working on it, we’ll get it under control,” he said, smiling. “Maybe.”
At least that’s the goal for the future, he said. However, a second goal is finding someone who will keep their natural landscaping when they retire and move from their property.
For others thinking of adding native plants to their property, Carol advises to do research first. “Talk to Wild Ones members. Go on yard tours and ask questions. Take your time and learn about it.”
Bob also encourages people to start small. “People should be adventurous,” he said. “Start by plugging some natives into your traditional yard in a back corner or do a planting at your cottage. I think native landscaping will become their middle names like it has becomes ours. We’re dyed-in-the-wool Wild Ones…”