Tasty Natives We Love
The planting palette of The Little Prairie is inspired by the native Minnesota prairie, carefully selected to maximize seasonality and support wildlife habitats, while also highlighting the edible qualities of many native species as tea plants or herbs.
- Planting native species in the heart of the city creates a pocket of ecological diversity—small in scale, but big in impact.
- Native plants provide an immersive, living classroom for children, inviting them to observe bees, butterflies, birds, and countless other creatures up close. It’s a space for wonder, curiosity, and connection to the natural world.
- Once established, native landscapes require minimal maintenance. Adapted to local conditions, they thrive without irrigation or fertilizer—making them both resilient and resource-conscious.
Rather than selecting plants one by one, we approached the Little Prairie by designing with plant communities—groups of species that naturally coexist and support each other through shared light, soil, and moisture needs.
By mapping the site’s conditions—dry, sandy soil with full sun and shifting shade from a mature maple—we aligned our planting strategy with Minnesota’s native prairie and oak savanna ecosystems. These time-tested communities offered a blueprint for resilience and visual harmony.
Choosing plants with medicinal properties is another method to engage with the garden.
Birds: Sparrows, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and American Goldfinches often visit the garden.
Butterflies: A range of butterflies, including Monarchs and Mustard White butterflies also visit The Little Prairie.
Creating a diagram like this was helpful to visualize the blooming pairs throughout the year.
Native Planting Resources
Blue Thumb:
Blue Thumb also plant finder tool helps you find native planting options adequate to your site. Blue Thumb also shares broader learning resources, such as workshops, planting guides, and maintenance guides for resilient gardening.
Minnesota Edible Plants Book
This book, by Matthew Alfs, is an easy-to-use resource to learn how to use the Midwest’s many native plants for edible consumption and healing benefits.
Planting in a Post Wild World
Written by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West, the planting design of the Little Prairie is largely inspired by the principles of planting in communities, as outlined in this book.
Prairie Moon
Operating from Winona, MN, Prairie Moon Nursery offers copious information on native planting projects and provides high quality seeds from the local area.
Prairie Restoration
Prairie Restoration offers wholesale native plants and seeds and has several garden centers around the metro area. Prairie Restoration also offers year-round workshops and events for continued learning and engagement.
2 Understanding the Site
3 Revealing the Flow of Rain
4 Designing with Repurposed Materials
5 How It All Came Together
6 Tasty Natives We Love
7 Planting and Establishment Process
8 What It All Cost
9 Lessons Learned
Curious about Ping and what inspires our projects? Come explore more at ping-la.com
Saint Paul, MN