Prairie Up

An Introduction to Natural Garden Design

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Pub Date 24 Jan 2023 | Archive Date 13 May 2023

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Description

Connecting to nature with native plants

Landscaping with native plants has encouraged gardeners from the Midwest and beyond to embark on a profound scientific, ecological, and emotional partnership with nature. Benjamin Vogt shares his expertise with prairie plants in a richly photographed guide aimed at gardeners and homeowners, making big ideas about design approachable and actionable. Step-by-step blueprints point readers to plant communities that not only support wildlife and please the eye but that rethink traditional planting and maintenance. Additionally, Vogt provides insider information on plant sourcing, garden tools, and working with city ordinances. This book will be an invaluable reference in sustainable garden design for those wanting both beautiful and functional landscapes.

Easy to use and illustrated with over 150 color photos, Prairie Up is a practical guide to artfully reviving diversity and wildness in our communities.


Benjamin Vogt is the owner of Monarch Gardens, a prairie-inspired design firm based in the Midwest, and author of the disruptive, call-to-action A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. Benjamin’s award-winning writing and photography have appeared in some one hundred publications including The American Gardener, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, Houzz, Midwest Living, Orion, and a variety of literary and gardening books. As a sought-after speaker, he presents widely on artful and ecologically meaningful design for both wildlife and people, helping us to rethink pretty in a time of climate disruption. A native of Oklahoma and raised in Minnesota, Benjamin has an MFA from The Ohio State University and a PhD from the University of Nebraska. He lives in Lincoln on a re-prairied suburban lot with his wife and son.


Connecting to nature with native plants

Landscaping with native plants has encouraged gardeners from the Midwest and beyond to embark on a profound scientific, ecological, and emotional partnership...


Advance Praise

"Gardeners serious about ditching tidy landscaping have a great starting point here." --Publishers Weekly

"Vogt's book is a cookbook for prairie restoration featuring unparalleled lists of which plants to use, in what combinations, and under what conditions. This how-to knowledge draws from Vogt’s own experience designing and maintaining suburban gardens. This type of experience is priceless!"--Douglas Tallamy, author of Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard

"In the heart of the Great Plains lives a Renaissance Man named Ben Vogt. His goal is no less than the replacement of the sterile, chemical-laden lawns to which we’ve all grown numb. It’s about time. Prairie Up tells us exactly how to convert our tired outdoor spaces to be pollinator friendly, full of glorious color, and good for the soul. With a lifetime of experience to back him up, Ben reveals his path through an enduring prairie landscape. With sideoats grama and purple coneflower, big bluestem and zigzag goldenrod, we see just how beautiful our lives can be, if only we try. The question is, will we act quickly enough to save the monarchs, the native bees, and ourselves in the process?"—Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photographer, author of Photo Ark: A World Worth Saving


"Gardeners serious about ditching tidy landscaping have a great starting point here." --Publishers Weekly

"Vogt's book is a cookbook for prairie restoration featuring unparalleled lists of which...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780252086779
PRICE $29.95 (USD)
PAGES 208

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Featured Reviews

This is a fantastic resource if you want to start a prairie garden or even if you don’t know you want to yet. It’s packed with information, inspiration, gorgeous photos, plant lists and more. Vogt does an excellent job selling prairies and he gives you all the information you need to make it real and successful. Highly recommended for garden lovers and anyone who cares about nature and the environment.

I read a temporary digital arc of this book for review.

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The pictures in this book are amazing and elevate it above other books. The information is solid as well. I enjoyed the information on the soil and how prairie soil can restore and heal itself. I wish their was more information on that. I also would have been interested in traditional gardening (ie vegetable) and how to incorporate that into the natural view this book taught. All in all, a beautiful, interesting read.

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Creating a colorful native garden is gaining in popularity and Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design is the ultimate guide for homeowners and gardeners. This book offers step-by-step instructions on creating a plant list, plant selection, installation, and offers four garden design lists with the pollinators who depend on each plant. Over 150 illustrations show close-ups of native plants in beautiful color, along with foundation plantings that any beginner can manage through many seasons of enjoyment. Vogt also provides practical advice on how homeowners can pass a weed inspection, dealing with HOAs, adapting to a changing climate, and offers a valuable list of resources at the end of the book. Although the book is written from a scientific point of view, new gardeners will find many designs, tips and ways to manage their natural garden. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in gardening with native plants.

Thank you to the University of Illinois Press and NetGalley for an ARC for this review.

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What an exquisite, informative, and helpful book! This comprehensive volume discusses native plants, once abundant on the vast prairies of the central United States. But besides encouraging gardening with native flowers and grasses, author Vogt also includes the impact on an area’s ecology, pollinator nurturing, and climate change. The book is a joy to read, with vivid photos to evoke both future ideas and childhood memories. I will be recommending this volume to garden and environment enthusiasts.

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