Vine & Branch, Inc.• 317.846.3778 • 4721 E. 146th Street • Carmel, IN 46033

MONDAY - FRIDAY

8:00 am to 5:00 pm
4721 E. 146th Street

Carmel, IN 46033

Phone. 317-846-3778
Fax. 317-846-3788
info@vineandbranch.net

Save time and money! Do you want to stop mowing every week?

Don’t want to replant and weed that flower bed again?

Do you want to:

Create a unique and attractive garden?

Attract birds and butterflies?

Heal and replenish your soil?

Reclaim a disturbed area?

Then Plant a Prairie!

Vine & Branch offers Prairie establishment and consulting including:

Custom seed designs that match your goals. We will choose plants that match the soil type and drainage of your site. We will make sure there is a wide variety of colors, shapes, that bloom throughout the growing season. We can even design mixes for short or tall prairie!
Site preparation. Whether the site has vegetation on it that needs to be removed, or is bare ground and just needs grading, we can prepare it for seeding. Whether it is an old field or a steep slope, we can help turn it into something impressive.
Installation. Using a variety of seeding methods in combination with strategic use of established plants the prairie will show color the first year and then grow more and more colorful every year afterwards.
Weed management. Keeping the new prairie free of invasive weeds is the biggest chore in the first few years. Once a prairie is established, it can out-compete the weeds but it is susceptible to invasion at first. We can establish a weed control program for the first few years.
Prairies need periodic burning or mowing to maintain them. If burning is not allowed, an alternative maintenance regime must be created.

Native Prairies are frequently being used on sites where people want to reduce their maintenance and/or mowing costs and enhance the aesthetics of their property. Prairies feature floral displays throughout the growing season and their deep rooted plants are tolerant of drought and flooding. They require A LOT LESS maintenance than lawns or conventional landscape plantings.

Prairies will work on a wide variety of soils from gravelly sand to clays! Wet meadows, black soil meadows, dry sand hills all have prairie communities adapted to them. How do prairies survive these often rough environments? Deep, deep roots. These deep roots allow the plants to draw moisture and nutrients from the soil even during extremely dry periods. Many plants have roots over 12 feet deep!

Have a poor quality site or soil that needs rebuilding? Prairies can do it! The deep roots of prairie plants also serve to rebuild the soil. They grow down through the soil and keep it open and porous. As the plants and the roots die back every season, their organic matter is worked into the soil enriching it. Prairie soils are some of the richest in the world!

Why waste your money and more importantly, your time mowing? Why waste your time and money replanting every year? Prairie plants live for a long time. Their deep rooted nature gives them longevity. They also re-seed themselves so well that you will enjoy them in your setting for decades.

Vine & Branch has the experience to avoid many of the common mistakes that result in poorly performing prairies.

Common mistakes when establishing prairie

	Planting too much grass so the flowers aren’t seen much.
	Planting grass too early. Wait until the flowering species have become established to sow grasses. Grasses will dominate the site if planted too early.
	Improper soil preparation before seeding.
	Planting the seed too deep.
	Poor species selection for the soils, topography, and drainage of the site.
	Poor species mix – there are not enough species planted.
	Seeding or planting at the wrong time. Each species requires a different planting time and method.
	Poor blooming selection – all species bloom during the same short period so the rest of the year is not colorful.

Vine & Branch has over 12 years of experience in managing and establishing prairies.

We have the knowledge and experience to evaluate your site and prepare a custom seed

mix that will make your yard the envy of everyone who sees it!

Contact us and let us give you a free site evaluation.