Grant brings native prairie flower garden to campus

The Missouri Prairie Foundation recently awarded Northwest Missouri State University a grant to plant a native prairie flower garden near the Dean L. Hubbard Center for Innovation. 

Northwest was chosen to receive $800 in funding for native plants and seed from the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

The mission of the Missouri Prairie Foundation is to protect and restore prairie and other native grassland communities through land acquisition, management, education and research while promoting the use of native plants and supporting the control of invasive plants.

Landscaping staff at Northwest have planted a variety of native plants near the Hubbard Center to help beautify the area and attract pollinators. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

The new garden is located south of the Hubbard Center.

“It will take time for the perennials to become established so hopefully we’ll really see the benefits in future years with many diverse and colorful blossoms,” Northwest Sustainability Coordinator Tim Hill said.

Northwest’s landscaping staff planted a variety of native plants, including diverse species of milkweed, blazing star, aster and goldenrod. The plants will bloom at different times of year, extending the area’s beauty. The plants also will attract pollinators, such as butterflies and bees, making the garden an interesting place to see the natural relationships that occur.

“We hope the prairie garden becomes an educational tool for the campus community to learn about those species that were present in northwest Missouri for hundreds, if not thousands, of years,” Hill said.

The garden adds to Northwest’s long history of investing in sustainability initiatives. It joins two pollinator plots southwest of the Hubbard Center and north of the Wellness Center that are not mowed, thus reducing the use of gas and diesel to maintain those areas.

“We recycle and we compost food waste from the Union,” Hill said. “Facility Services has completed LED light retrofitting in many buildings to reduce our energy use. We try to reduce our water use whenever possible, and the campus itself is the Missouri Arboretum.

“When I saw the opportunity for the grant from the Missouri Prairie Foundation to establish plantings focused on native prairie species, I thought it made perfect sense to try to secure the grant to establish a garden.”

The garden remains in development. When finished the area will include signage with information about the plant life as well as online resources.