Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Moon Nursery North American native seeds and plants for gardening and restoration 🌱 Our seeds and plants have been used for gardening, landscaping, and restoration.
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Rooted in our past and growing for the future, Prairie Moon Nursery has been dedicated to providing authentic, wild-type native plants since 1982. Every native plant helps to restore habitat and supports diminishing pollinator and bird species. Whether it's a few square feet or several acres, we can all make a difference... HOPE GROWS IN EVERY GARDEN!

Don’t know where to start with natives? Check out our Seed Packet Collections! 🫘Each themed Collection contains individu...
05/29/2026

Don’t know where to start with natives? Check out our Seed Packet Collections! 🫘

Each themed Collection contains individual packets of SIX different native species along with instructions for planting them, whether all together or separately. These Collections are designed to be easy enough for beginning gardeners to successfully grow while including some unique species that should tickle even seasoned growers. Each contains natives with a variety of texture and color for each season of your planting, spring through fall. Get started on your journey of adding critical native plants into your landscape!

05/28/2026

Today, we are in an extraordinary area where TWO native hemiparasitic plants are in full bloom!

🖌️ Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)
🪵 Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis)

Hemiparasitic plants are particularly intriguing. Unlike fully parasitic plants, hemiparasitic plants can carry out photosynthesis and produce their own food. However, they still depend on host plants—usually grasses, sedges, or rushes—for additional nutrients.

*Note: We misspoke; Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) is not hemiparasitic.

Are the neighborhood deer🦌 treating your garden like their own personal buffet?🍽️ 😢🦌White-tailed deer populations have i...
05/26/2026

Are the neighborhood deer🦌 treating your garden like their own personal buffet?🍽️ 😢

🦌White-tailed deer populations have increased in many areas and are now commonly observed near our homes.🏡 This is mostly due to the loss of their natural habitat and the disappearance of their natural predators. As a result, our favorite plants in our home landscapes and adjacent wooded areas have become tempting food targets.

Like all indigenous animals in North America, deer co-evolved with native plants, making them their preferred food source. The dwindling stands of native plants in nature are imperiled by swelling deer populations. Deer may browse on any plant if food is scarce, but there are many plants that they don't find palatable.

🚫🦌Deer typically shy away from plants that have 😵rough texture, 🥛milky sap, or 🌿mint, 🍊citrus or 🧅onion aroma.

⬇️🌱Try these native plants that deer typically shy away from:
–Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
–Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
–Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
–Stiff Goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)
–Hairy Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. pilosum)
–Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum)

Search “Deer Resistant” on our website for more!

05/22/2026

We think you should take a walk and see all the natives blooming right now 😍

What natives are blooming in your area?

Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) blooms from the bottom up early in the spring. 🪻🪻With the palest of periwinkle and l...
05/20/2026

Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) blooms from the bottom up early in the spring. 🪻

🪻With the palest of periwinkle and lightest of lilac flowers, this plant is rich in nectar and pollen and is an 🏝️oasis for bees and insects coming out of winter hibernation.🐝 As an ephemeral, it will die back completely by midsummer.

☀️Thrives in full sun to open shade, such as a🌳woodland edge. It likes rich, acidic soils, but can tolerate clay soils with adequate moisture.

📦Dormant bulbs ship in summer and fall, and seed ships year-round. Bulbs planted in summer through fall will emerge the following spring.

Do you have Wild Hyacinth?🪻

It can be really tough to talk about the harm of invasive species, especially when the plant is pretty and fragrant. Dam...
05/18/2026

It can be really tough to talk about the harm of invasive species, especially when the plant is pretty and fragrant. Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) is an invasive, non-native plant that is starting to bloom in Minnesota right now. It is the poster child of pretty garden plants that escape cultivation and wreak havoc on native plant communities. While it's only a minor problem in some areas, you should not assume that it's the same everywhere.

Dame’s Rocket looks similar to native Phlox, but there are a few key differences. Invasive Mustards like Dame's Rocket have FOUR petals, while native Phlox have FIVE petals. Dame's Rocket has ALTERNATE leaves, and Phlox has OPPOSITE leaves.

This plant has been classified as an invasive species because of the ecological harm it causes to the local biodiversity of native habitats. Invasive species are a significant threat to biodiversity and one of the leading causes of habitat loss. As responsible members of our natural world, we believe it is important to consider the effects of plant choices in our gardens on the greater ecological community, not just make decisions based on our human desires for showy blooms.

Dame’s Rocket, like most introduced invasive plants, lacks natural predators and diseases in North America. It thrives in most environments and is a prolific self-seeder and fast grower. It can enter waterways, quickly overtaking native plant communities as it successfully competes for light and moisture. Its recent spread has been accelerated by its inclusion in “wildflower” seed mixes sold commercially. Beware of nurseries that sell this so-called “Wild Phlox.” Whenever you can, please help eradicate non-native invasive species and replace them with native species. We can each do our part to protect the integrity of our local environment. ❤️🌸

05/15/2026

🫘Did you sow a native seed mix this past fall or this spring? Let’s talk about maintenance mowing!✂️🌱

Maintenance mowing refers to mowing your newly planted site during the first growing season.

➡️Maintenance mowing will do two things for your prairie:
1) It will allow light ☀️ to reach the slower-growing perennials, which will help promote 💪strong root growth.
2) It will also prevent w**ds from going to seed.✂️

Mowing may seem counterintuitive, but it will not harm your young native plants! Mowing multiple times throughout the growing season will help your planting thrive!

Right now, you probably see a lot of w**ds, some juvenile prairie grasses, and wildflower seedlings. Some native annuals from your seed mix, like Black-eyed Susan, may be about to bloom, but don’t be swayed; it’s time to mow!


📏✂️First season plantings should be mowed to 4-5 inches when w**d growth reaches 8-10 inches.

Mow as frequently as your site demands. You can usually stop mowing at the end of the first season. If w**ds are thick at the beginning of the second season, mow or spot-mow once or twice.

Happy mowing! ✂️

05/11/2026

Just know, the hike will take 2-3 times what it normally would 🫣😝

Can you guess what the last plant is? 🤬😭

05/08/2026

Hey you! 🫵 Is it the first growing season of your native planting, and it looks kinda, dare we say, sad?😢

➡️DON’T FRET! This is completely normal! Native plantings grown from seed like to take their sweet time. If you look a little closer🔎, you can spot little native seedlings everywhere!🌱

Our seed mixes consist mostly of perennials, and in the first year of growth, perennials mainly focus on developing a 💪strong root system, creating slower growth upwards. 🌱


In year 3 and beyond is really when your dream will come to life. Long-lived perennial natives will start to take up more space and slowly replace the pioneer flush (species that are quick to establish, such as Black-Eyed Susan, Partridge Pea, etc.). Around this time, you will start to see greater diversity and complexity in your planting, and with the proper maintenance, your native planting will thrive for years to come!


🎬Tune in next week, where Cavan will talk about 1st-year prairie maintenance. ✂️


Remember, establishing a successful native planting from seed is truly a labor of love and patience.❤️Most folks who have embarked upon the adventure will praise the process: the thrill of discovery and the absolute joy of transforming a space with little to no biological activity into a healthy ecosystem thrumming with life. 🌼🪻🌸🌹🌾🐦🐝🐛🦋🐞

05/06/2026

📦🪴3-Pack potted plants are starting to ship! 🪴📦

👀📨Keep an eye out for a tracking email in the coming weeks. Your 3-Pack shipping time is heavily dependent on all the species in your order being well-rooted enough for travel and your location. After those factors, plants are shipped by order date. With each order, we provide a Planting and Care of Potted Plants pamphlet that guides you through arrival, planting, and care of your potted plants. If you have any questions, we are always here to help!

Happy planting! 🌱

Address

Winona, MN
55987

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15074521362

Website

https://www.prairiemoon.com/plants/#/?resultsPerPage=24

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