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A diverse native meadow designed for mesic, average-moisture soils—the kind of ground people often simply call good soil—with changing blooms from spring through fall and vegetation that generally stays around waist high.
Prairie Patchwork is for the middle ground—not especially wet and not especially dry. Think of the kind of site where, if someone wanted to, they could reasonably grow a garden or raise corn or soybeans. It is designed primarily as an attractive wildflower meadow, but its diversity also makes it excellent for pollinators, wildlife habitat, restoration and erosion control.
Soils: Mesic / average moisture
Light: Full sun; tolerates up to approximately 30% shade
Typical appearance: Generally waist high to somewhat above waist high, depending on growing conditions
Bloom season: Spring through fall
Winter interest: Native grasses provide rusty orange, reddish and silvery tones after the growing season
Diversity: 20+ wildflower species when wildflowers are included, plus 4+ grass species when grasses are included
Prairie Patchwork is designed to establish a full stand. Choose the size of your planting area under Coverage and your wildflower-to-grass ratio under Mix Balance.
If you’re purchasing for cost-share programs, visit our Cost-Share Shop.
Price range: $20.00 through $4,451.00
Choose how much emphasis you would like to place on wildflowers or grasses. The Wildflower Dominant, Balanced and Grass Dominant options are all appropriate choices. The best option depends on the appearance, habitat and budget you have in mind.
A flower-heavy planting with enough native grass to add structure, enhance wildlife and pollinator habitat, provide winter color and help reduce weed pressure.
An even combination of wildflowers and grasses for a planting with a strong mix of seasonal color, structure, habitat value and winter interest.
A grass-heavy planting with a substantial wildflower component for seasonal color, pollinator value and diversity. This option may also be a good choice when erosion control or budget is a major concern.
The full Prairie Patchwork Wildflower Component without the Companion Grass Mix for Mesic Sites. This option is especially useful when you want to overseed wildflowers into an established native grass planting or strengthen the wildflower component of an existing planting.
You can also order Only Wildflowers for an all-wildflower seeding if that is specifically what you want. However, we generally do not recommend an all-wildflower seeding for a new stand-alone planting. Including native grasses usually provides better structure, stronger competition with weeds, additional habitat value and more winter interest.
The full Companion Grass Mix for Mesic Sites without the Prairie Patchwork Wildflower Component. Choose this when you specifically want an all-grass seeding, when you want to overseed grasses into an established wildflower-only planting or when you want to strengthen the grass component of an existing native planting.
The percentages above show the estimated percentage of the stand represented by each component—in theory, the percentage of the ground covered by that component as the planting develops. They do not guarantee the exact percentage of mature ground cover. Soil, weather, management and individual species performance will influence how the planting develops over time.
Prairie Patchwork is designed for mesic or average-moisture soils—the middle ground between wet and dry. These are the kinds of sites people often casually describe as having good soil.
A simple way to think about mesic soil is this: if your neighbor owned the site and wanted to grow a garden, corn or soybeans there, the soil moisture would probably be in the range Prairie Patchwork is designed for.
The soil does not have to be exceptionally fertile farmland. The important point is that the site has reasonable moisture without being unusually droughty or consistently wet.
If the site is noticeably drier than this—especially if it is rocky, shallow or droughty—Dry ’n Rocky Meadow may be the better starting point. If it is noticeably wetter, Wet Meadow may be the better choice.
Prairie Patchwork is also not normally a forage mix. It may occasionally have a place within livestock pasture, but its primary design goal is an attractive, diverse native meadow.
Prairie Patchwork is a full-sun mix. However, it also tolerates up to approximately 30% shade, which is still a very sunny site.
As shade becomes a meaningful feature of the planting area, Shadows & Sunbeams Meadow may provide a better overall plant community.
Prairie Patchwork was designed first to make a beautiful native landscape on average-moisture ground.
Actual plant height will vary with rainfall, fertility, soil depth and other growing conditions. Because Prairie Patchwork is intended for better-moisture soils than Dry ’n Rocky, it may grow somewhat taller under favorable conditions, but it is still designed as a meadow you can easily see across rather than a wall of very tall prairie vegetation.
The appearance changes throughout the year.
Spring flowers give way to different summer blooms, followed by another palette in late summer and fall. There may be natural pauses between peak bloom periods, just as there are in native grasslands, but the goal is changing seasonal color rather than one short flush of flowers.
After flowering has finished, the grasses continue contributing to the landscape. Depending on species and growing conditions, dormant grasses can turn shades of orange, rusty red and bronze, while some carry silvery seed heads into winter.
Although Prairie Patchwork was designed around landscaping and aesthetics, its diversity also makes it useful for pollinators, wildlife, restoration and erosion control.
The same flowers that provide color can provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other insects. Seeds, insects and vegetation provide food and habitat for wildlife. Deep-rooted perennial plants occupy the soil and provide lasting vegetation, making the mix useful in many restoration and erosion-control situations.
When erosion is a major concern, we generally recommend choosing either the Balanced or Grass Dominant version. The additional grass provides more structure, root mass and ground coverage while still retaining a substantial wildflower component.
Wildlife and pollinators benefit from diverse plantings, and Prairie Patchwork is designed to provide that diversity. The mix simply adds another layer of selection by emphasizing species suited to mesic soils that generally remain at a manageable meadow height.
Prairie Patchwork is built around a full stand of perennial native plants, with annuals and biennials added for extra color and seasonal interest while the perennial community develops.
Annual and biennial species may bloom during the first or second growing season, while many of the longer-lived perennial species take more time to establish. Over time, the perennials become the long-term foundation of the meadow, allowing the planting to persist, reproduce and continue functioning for many years.
Prairie Patchwork is not simply a few species planted together.
When wildflowers are included, the Wildflower Component contains at least 20 species of native wildflowers. When grasses are included, the Companion Grass Mix for Mesic Sites contains at least four species of native grasses.
We intentionally combine plants with different sizes, rooting patterns, growing seasons, bloom periods and growth habits. A diverse community can make use of space in ways a monoculture cannot: smaller plants can occupy spaces around larger plants, cool-season species grow at different times than warm-season species, and plants use different portions of the soil profile.
We also aim to establish a full, thick stand. Blank spaces in a developing plant community leave room for weeds to become established, while a mature stand of desirable native plants can provide stronger competition.
The result is a planting designed as a plant community, not just a collection of seed.
The exact species and proportions in Prairie Patchwork may change from batch to batch depending on seed availability, seed source, crop conditions and the seed lots available when a batch is made.
Rather than defining Prairie Patchwork by one permanent recipe, we build each batch to meet the same overall design goals: a diverse collection of native species adapted to mesic soils, with seasonal interest and a strong perennial foundation.
Species commonly used in the Prairie Patchwork Wildflower Component include Smooth Blue Aster, White Beardtongue, Wild Bergamot, Common Black-Eyed Susan, Prairie Blazing Star, Showy Goldenrod, Early Obedient Plant, Ox-Eye Sunflower, Hoary Vervain, Yellow Wingstem, Frost Aster, Prairie Hyacinth, Western Ironweed, Indian Paintbrush, Wild Quinine, Prairie Parsley and Sampson’s Snakeroot.
The Companion Grass Mix for Mesic Sites commonly includes Broomsedge, Tall Dropseed, Little Bluestem and Prairie Wedge Grass.
Exact contents vary by batch. The seed tag supplied with your order lists the actual species in the mix you receive.
If the inclusion—or exclusion—of a particular species is important to your project, contact HNO before ordering and we can tell you what is in the current batch.
Prairie Patchwork is your base mix—a complete planting designed for the site conditions described above. Enhancements allow you to add extra emphasis to additional goals without having to design a custom mix from scratch.
Choose your base mix for your site conditions, then choose enhancements for the additional goals that matter to you. Enhancements are selected for those goals rather than for a particular soil type.
You may select more than one enhancement.
Adds wildflowers selected especially for their value to butterflies, native bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators. Some species may grow taller than the typical Prairie Patchwork meadow.
Adds species selected for their value to birds through seed, insects, habitat structure or other wildlife benefits. Some species may grow taller than the typical Prairie Patchwork meadow.
Adds flowering species selected especially for their attractiveness and usefulness to honey bees. Some species may grow taller than the typical Prairie Patchwork meadow.
Adds native plants with known edible uses, including species with traditional food uses and plants featured in HNO’s edible native plant resources and recipes. Some species may grow taller than the typical Prairie Patchwork meadow.
Adds desirable native species selected for strong competition in established native plantings where weed pressure is a concern. Some species may grow taller than the typical Prairie Patchwork meadow.
This enhancement is intended to strengthen desirable native plant competition. It is not a substitute for appropriate weed management.
Some enhancements consist primarily or entirely of wildflowers. If you select Only Grasses as your base mix and then add a wildflower enhancement, your finished planting will contain the grasses plus the wildflower species included in that enhancement.
A native wildflower meadow develops differently than an annual flower garden.
Year 1: Much of the activity is happening close to the ground and below it. Annuals or biennials may provide some early flowers, but many perennial native plants are still putting energy into roots and establishment. Also, during this first growing season, if annual weeds are severe competition with the young seedlings, mowing high can be a helpful weed control tool; to learn more about it, check out our First-Year Mowing Guide.
Year 2: You should be able to see the perennial plants more clearly, especially if you know what to look for. There may still be annual and biennial blooms, depending on how those species develop and the conditions during the first two growing seasons.
Year 3 and beyond: Perennial blooms often begin to appear around the third year, although this is not guaranteed. Establishment depends on weather, weed pressure, soil conditions, management and other factors. As the perennial plants mature, they increasingly form the long-term character of the meadow. After this third growing season, you can also begin to use controlled burns to manage and invigorate the native plants.
A first-year native planting can look surprisingly weedy while the slower-growing native seedlings establish. Don’t judge the long-term success of the meadow by whether it looks like a mature wildflower planting during its first summer.
Good establishment starts before the seed is planted.
The basic goals are a clean, firm seedbed and good seed-to-soil contact. Existing vegetation should be adequately controlled before the native seedlings emerge. It is also important that the seed reaches the soil rather than getting caught in dead plant material, tree leaves or other surface debris.
Native wildflower and grass seed should be planted shallowly. The goal is seed-to-soil contact—not burying the seed deeply. In most situations, seed should be no deeper than approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inch, and some seed remaining visible on the soil surface is perfectly acceptable.
Winter is generally the preferred time to plant Prairie Patchwork. Many of the wildflowers and some of the grasses require a period of cold, moist conditions to break seed dormancy. Planting during winter allows the weather to provide this cold-moist stratification naturally.
Cold-moist stratification can also be done artificially in a refrigerator. See HNO’s Cold Moist Stratification Guide for instructions. Prairie Patchwork can be planted in spring without artificial stratification, but lower germination—especially among the wildflowers—should be expected.
Prairie Patchwork may be broadcast by hand or planted with a drill or broadcast equipment capable of handling fluffy native seeds, depending on the size and condition of the site.
For detailed instructions, use HNO’s Establishment Timelines, Seedbed Preparation Guides and Seeding Method Guides to develop a plan for your particular site. Our New Dirt Work Establishment Plan also includes guidance for establishing native vegetation where topsoil has been removed or soil conditions have been substantially altered.
Prairie Patchwork is intended primarily for the tallgrass prairie region and the tallgrass savannas and woodlands of the East.
It is generally appropriate across much of the central and eastern United States, from the central Great Plains eastward and from the upper Midwest south toward the Gulf Coast, where local soil, rainfall and climate are reasonably similar to the conditions described for this mix.
It is not intended as a shortgrass-prairie mix for the dry Great Plains farther west, and it should not be treated as a Florida-specific mix. If you are outside the general region described above, contact us before ordering. We may be able to recommend Prairie Patchwork, suggest another mix or help you find a regionally appropriate option.
Mesic means neither especially wet nor especially dry.
A practical way to think about it is the kind of ground where someone could reasonably grow a garden, corn or soybeans if they wanted to. It is the middle ground between the drier conditions suited to Dry ’n Rocky Meadow and the wetter conditions suited to Wet Meadow.
The main difference is site conditions. These meadow mixes follow a similar overall design philosophy, but each is built for a different kind of site.
Dry ’n Rocky Meadow is for dry to dry-mesic soils in full sun.
Prairie Patchwork Meadow is for mesic or average-moisture soils in full sun.
Wet Meadow is for wet soils in full sun to part shade.
Shadows & Sunbeams Meadow is for sites where partial shade is a meaningful feature and the soil is not extremely wet or extremely dry.
Once you match the base mix to the site, you can use Mix Balance and optional Enhancements to tailor the planting toward the appearance and other goals you have in mind.
Yes—if the site actually behaves like a mesic site.
Many mesic clay soils have topsoil over clay or a claypan and still provide the average soil-moisture conditions Prairie Patchwork needs. Exposed clay, on the other hand, is often quite dry. If the planting area is mostly exposed clay that dries hard and droughty, Dry ’n Rocky Meadow may be a better choice.
The important question is not simply whether clay is present, but how wet or dry the site normally is.
Yes, within reason. Prairie Patchwork is a full-sun mix but tolerates up to approximately 30% shade, which is still a very sunny site.
If shade becomes a substantial part of the site, consider Shadows & Sunbeams Meadow instead.
Yes. Its diversity and long bloom season make it useful for pollinators. Customers who want to put even more emphasis on that goal can add the Pollinator Enhancement.
Yes. Native wildflowers, grasses and the insects associated with them provide food and habitat for many kinds of wildlife. Diversity is the key, and Prairie Patchwork is designed to provide a diverse planting.
Think waist high to somewhat above waist high, rather than lawn height or a wall of very tall prairie vegetation.
Actual height varies considerably with rainfall, fertility, soil depth and individual species. Because Prairie Patchwork is planted on average-moisture soils, it may grow somewhat taller than Dry ’n Rocky Meadow under favorable conditions, but you should still generally be able to see easily across the planting.
Enhancements may add species that grow taller than the typical Prairie Patchwork meadow.
The goal is changing bloom from spring through fall, but a native meadow does not produce exactly the same amount of color every week. Different species take turns flowering, creating a changing seasonal palette with occasional natural lulls between peak bloom periods.
Choose the option that best matches the planting you have in mind.
If you really want a wildflower planting, choose Wildflower Dominant. If you want a grass planting with a few wildflowers sprinkled in, choose Grass Dominant. If you want a nice mix of both, choose Balanced.
The wildflower component is more expensive than the grass component, so if budget is a concern, you may also want to choose a version with less wildflower seed, such as the Balanced or Grass Dominant option.
Grasses occupy spaces between wildflowers, add structure, enhance wildlife and pollinator habitat, provide fall and winter color, help reduce weed pressure and provide fuel if prescribed fire eventually becomes part of the management plan.
Yes. Choose Only Wildflowers under Mix Balance. This option is especially useful for overseeding wildflowers into an established native grass planting, strengthening the wildflower component of an existing planting or creating an all-wildflower seeding.
An all-wildflower seeding is generally not our recommended choice for a new stand-alone planting because grasses provide important structure, habitat, winter interest and competition with weeds. However, if you specifically want an all-wildflower seeding, you can order the Only Wildflowers option.
Yes. Choose Only Grasses. This option is useful for an all-grass seeding, overseeding grasses into an established wildflower-only planting or strengthening the grass component of an existing native planting.
Yes. You may combine multiple enhancements if several goals are important to you.
The species listed on this page are examples of plants commonly included in Prairie Patchwork. Exact contents can change between batches.
The seed tag supplied with your order identifies the actual contents of the batch you receive. If a particular species is especially important—or if there is a species you do not want—contact us before ordering to ask about the current batch.
Choose the Coverage that fits your project and use Quantity for multiples. For example, a 2,000 sq ft project can be ordered by selecting 1,000 sq ft and a quantity of 2.
If you’re not sure how many square feet or acres you have—especially with an irregularly shaped planting area—contact us and we can help estimate the area and determine how much seed you need.
Planning a larger project? Contact us before ordering. Larger quantities may qualify for additional quantity discounts.
Choosing native seed is easier when you match the plants to the site.
If you’re not sure whether Prairie Patchwork fits your soil and sunlight, whether another meadow would be a better fit, which Mix Balance to choose or which enhancements make sense for your goals, contact Hamilton Native Outpost. We are happy to help you think through the planting.
Prairie Patchwork | Native Wildflower Mix
| Weight | N/A |
|---|---|
| Light | Full Sun |
| Soils | Average |
| Height | 12"- 48" |
| Bloom Month | May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct |
| Specialty Uses | Butterfly, Wildlife, Landscaping |
| Planting Season | Dormant, Spring |
Pure Live Seed (PLS) is the portion of good viable seed per pound. It is a measure of the seed that is alive and able to sprout into plants. This product is sold by PLS ounce/pound. To provide one ounce/pound of viable seed, you will receive more than one ounce/pound of product. Read more about PLS here.
