Seasonal Gardening Guide

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Photo: Prairie Originals

Prairie Originals was started by Shirley Froehlich in St. Andrews, Manitoba. Shirley studied horticulture at the University of Saskatchewan and worked at nurseries in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario before starting Prairie Originals in 1990.

When she returned to the prairies after a three-year stint working at a nursery in southern Ontario, Shirley noted that there were no native plant suppliers in Manitoba. She decided that she could fill this niche and set about learning to propagate and grow these tough and beautiful, but long-ignored, indigenous plants. The home-based business gradually grew over the years until it ran out of space. In 2005 the company moved to a larger, five-acre property near Selkirk, Manitoba, approximately 25 km north of Winnipeg.

Prairie Originals specializes in growing over 120 species of native plants for landscaping. These include prairie wildflowers and grasses and native shrubs and vines. The Manitoba wildflowers and grasses are available in five-packs of seedling plugs or individually in 4.5-inch pots. The shrubs are in 4.5-inch and one-gallon pots. They started out supplying plants only but have recently branched out into supplying Prairie Seed Mixes and Woodland Seed Mixes, as well.

Prairie Originals helps people work with Mother Nature to create environmentally-friendly gardens that are beautiful, rewarding and easy to take care of. Their indigenous plants are great for butterfly gardens, prairie meadows, gardens for the birds, perennial flower beds, shade gardens, rain gardens and lakeshore buffers.

Visit their website at prairieoriginals.com for a catalogue, pictures of all the plants, growing information and an address and map. You can also call them at 204-785-9799 or Toll Free at 1-866-296-0928.

Nursery Tip

Use mulch when establishing your native plant garden. It greatly reduces the amount of weeding required during the first year or two.