How to start incorporating native plants into Lawrence lawns and gardens this season

Everyone in Lawrence with access to some soil and seeds can participate in restoration ecology by planting native species this season.

Courtney King, Peoria and Miami, is a lab and field research assistant, as well as the manager of the Haskell Greenhouse. She advocates for restoration ecology and rematriation, encouraging the rehabilitation of environments that have been damaged by invasive species and negatively impactful human activity, while reconnecting Indigenous people to their ancestral lands.

King said that the traditional American lawn many are accustomed to is a result of European aesthetics brought to this land through colonization. Wealthy Europeans did not need their land for agriculture, and as their preference for manicured landscapes devoid of native plants migrated to America, enslaved people performed most of the maintenance.

“We need to get back to who we are and reconnect with these ecosystems — all of us,” King said.

Looking to the land’s roots

As of 2024, more than 40 million acres of land in America were taken up by turf grass.

Courtney Masterson, an ecologist and executive director of Native Lands Restoration Collaborative, said that building sustainable ecosystems starts at home.

“We don’t have expansive acreage to conserve, protect or plant anymore,” Masterson said. “If we’re going to see a return of native animals and resources to our communities, a return of  native foods and medicines to our people, then that’s going to happen in our yards and on our balconies.”

Masterson said native flora is essential to local wildlife. Bright, blooming species welcome imperative pollinators. Native plants also provide homes for creatures like skipper flies, which lay their eggs on blades of indigenous grasses.

“Most importantly, they (native plants) reduce our impact on soil quality, air quality, water quality, and they do that by growing deep roots that anchor soil and also allow for drought resistance,” Masterson said. 

Currently, grass clippings from mowing, fertilizers and other waste that filter into Lawrence’s storm drains go directly to local water sources and the Kansas River without being filtered at a treatment plant. This contributes to algae blooms that choke out wildlife and decrease water quality.

Over time, reintroducing native species will reduce the financial, ecological and labor costs associated with mowing, fertilizing, and watering.

Both Masterson and King also pointed out that native plants provide for the people on the land. 

“Foods, medicines, dyes and fibers are basically all inclusive with native plants,” King said.

Here are some suggestions to start seeding prairie plants.

Species to plant

To preserve the look of a grass lawn, Masterson recommended native varieties such as blue grama grass and sideoats grama grass. They grow naturally short with no need for chemicals.

Due to their long root systems, native grasses additionally anchor soil and protect the foundations of houses without overwatering.

Native sages are also viable options for protecting soil. Masterson said they grow short and are drought-tolerant, while providing seeds to birds and small mammals.

Masterson said a gardener can introduce more color to the landscape with flowers like rose verbena, prairie violet and poppy mallow. Shorter milkweeds support monarch butterflies, while Pussytoes play host to American painted lady butterflies.

For renters without lawns or gardens, pots are a consideration. Ground planting is preferable, but King said that native cacti or annual species, like black-eyed Susans, have shorter root systems that can handle a constrained environment.

Masterson also suggested rose verbena, prairie violets and various coreopsis plants — which serve as wonderful additions to bouquets — for pots.

King said anyone working with pots should try to get their plants on the land eventually, where they are more likely to thrive and support ecosystem turnover.

“A lot of these native plants have been literally marginalized and erased from many of these spaces,” King said.

How to get your hands in the dirt

Lawrencians can prime a section or the entirety of their lawn for native seeds by tacking down agricultural silage tarp, according to King. Over a few months, the sun will dehydrate the non-native plants, which will suffocate under the tarp.

Alternatively, people can let their lawns grow out until they brown in the dormant season before burning them, or use manual labor to weed out invasive species. With the gradual interseeding of native plants, either method will lead to slow but steady results over multiple years.

King said gardeners should avoid tilling at all costs, as disrupting the soil can awaken the seeds of invasive species, encouraging them to grow back thicker.

“Now is a great time for putting down our warm-season grasses to start,” King said. “And then usually in the fall and winter time is when you start reintroducing a lot of the wildflowers, because a lot of them need a cold dormancy period or stratification period.”

Masterson also said that wildflowers can be planted in the spring, meaning efforts toward restoration can take place during any season of the year.

According to King, some plants may need minimal watering in the first year to get established, but will be well-rooted by the second or third year.

Both Masterson and King encouraged little to no mowing of prairie plants. Native species don’t need it, and there’s also an ecological cost.

“When I get a mower out, I either had to use electricity to power the battery, or I had to pour gas into that mower,” Masterson said. “And either way, I’m impacting air quality and energy availability to my community and beyond.”

Find your seedlings

Lawrencians can obtain native plant seedlings from Cottin’s Hardware. They carry a native short grass blend created by Masterson’s organization on a seasonally appropriate basis, as well as pollinator-friendly options sourced through Vinland Valley Nursery.

Grassland Heritage Foundation, Monarch Watch and the Master Gardeners of Douglas County host native plant sales each year.

Folks can also participate in King and Haskell Greenhouse’s efforts to rematriate the wooded areas and wetlands around Haskell Indian Nations University. Follow them on Instagram @haskellgreenhouse for announcements of volunteer days.

Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

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