Historically, the Willamette Valley was a sea of native grasslands with large, open growth oak trees. Frequent, low intensity fires set by the native peoples maintained this habitat for wild food crops and game. These prairies and oak savannas have been reduced to less than 1% of their historic range. Loss of this habitat has caused severe declines in some native animal and bird populations. Sadly, Oregon's own state bird, the Western meadowlark is one such example. Very few are ever seen now, whereas only a generation ago they were common.

Native grasses and wildflower species are usually slower to establish from seed as compared to horticultural selections. Proper site preparation is imperative for a successful restoration. The factor most limiting the success of native plant persistence is competition from exotic weeds. Restoration professionals use numerous methods to reduce the amount of weeds and weed seed present on a site before native seed introduction. These methods include: tilling, burning, mowing, soil solarization and various herbicide treatments.

Soil disturbance always brings new weed seeds to the surface, so we have a written planting plan that outlines a prairie establishment strategy using perennial plugs. Use it to establish a wildflower garden at your nursery or give it to your customers so they can plant one of their own at home. Using native species to establish a wildflower garden is much better than the canned meadows typically sold; all too often they contain species that are unmatched to your ecoregion, and may contain aggressive, weedy species.