This week on the Good Growing podcast Ken and Chris chat with Erin Garrett about native grasses and how to use them in our landscapes. Erin is a Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment educator with University of Illinois Extension who is a wealth of knowledge on native grasses and all things native plants! We dive into how these grasses function in a prairie and how that translates to your yard. Plus suggestions for what native grasses might work best to transform your landscape!

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/EaFf5zziNiQ

Skip to what you want to know:
0:31 Hey Ken! Remembering cicada pizza and growing sedges from seed.
5:01 Welcome Erin! Superman Festival in Metropolis, Illinois. Cicadas are LOUD!
8:43 The role of grasses in prairie.
12:57 Are native grasses different from the ornamental grasses we plant in our yards?
15:20  Seems like a lot of non-native lawn grasses are cool-season grass. Do we have any native cool-season grasses?
16:53 What are the benefits of growing native grasses?
19:12 Are there any drawbacks to using native plants in the landscape?
22:16 What species of native grasses are recommended for the home landscape?
28:03 When planting native grasses with flowers, does it help to plant the flowers first and then later the grasses? Plus talking seed ratios of grasses and forbs (wildflowers)
30:13 Buffalograss is a native grass that grows low and is used for lawns in some areas. Is buffalograss a good lawn alternative in Illinois?
34:21 Fun with nimblewill
36:57 What tips does Erin have for creating backyard meadows or prairies?
44:18 Where can people go to find out more information about native grasses?
46:55 Thank yous and coming up next week.

Illinois Extension Grasses Website https://extension.illinois.edu/grasses
Grasses at a Glance Video Series https://go.illinois.edu/GrassVideos
Grasses at a Glance blog https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/grasses-glance
Spotlight on Natural Resources Podcast https://extension.illinois.edu/podcasts/spotlight-natural-resources

Contact us! 
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu 
Erin Garrett emedvecz@illinois.edu

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing
Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

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