Category Archives: Land management

Duncan Foss clearing down trees

Posted on September 19, 2011 by hdomke

Duncan clears a down tree This week the PGT Groundskeepers (Matt and Duncan) have been clearing some of the vistas. Over time what you see from the vistas (the “viewsheds“) becomes overgrown and cluttered. Dense walls of vegetation grows up. … Continue reading →

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Mission, Vision and Values for the PGT

Posted on August 14, 2011 by hdomke

PGT Prairie As we work on totally revising the PGT website we want include some text to explain why we are here; what our goals are. This is what we have come up with so far: Vision The PGT is … Continue reading →

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Posted in Land management | 1 Comment

Too much of a good thing

Posted on August 11, 2011 by hdomke

Swamp Loosestrife, (Decodon verticillatus) Swamp Loosestrife thrived after we planted a cutting into the mud of Beaver Lake decades ago. We were delighted to see the skewered mounds of purple flowers in mid-summer. However, like many plants that that find … Continue reading →

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Posted in Exotic invasives, Flowers, Ponds & Streams | Leave a comment

We’ve Been Invaded!

Posted on August 3, 2011 by hdomke

Sericea lespedeza I was very sorry to find hundreds of Sericea lespedeza plants growing in with the warm season grasses on the 43-acre prairie today. I thought we only had a very small number of plants. It must have come … Continue reading →

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Posted in Exotic invasives, Land management, Prairie | Leave a comment

Deer Control

Posted on July 31, 2011 by hdomke

Sammy chews on a deer leg Many gardens in North America have deer problems. The way we are managing the PGT creates a perfect habitat for deer. Deer have not been a serious problem for us. To control our the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Exotic invasives, Mammals | 1 Comment

Escaped Cows at the PGT

Posted on July 20, 2011 by hdomke

Ten cows escaped from a neighboring farm and have spent the last couple days with us. I’m sure they’ve been they have been enjoying tasting the wide range of native plants we offer. It must taste better than the fescue … Continue reading →

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Posted in Exotic invasives | 1 Comment

Removing Fencerows

Posted on July 19, 2011 by hdomke

Brush pile with old fence posts and fence wire The PGT was farmed in the past and the land was divided and subdivided with fences. Those fencerows form persistent barriers of strait lines that I find unattractive. Part of the … Continue reading →

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Kill Queen Anne’s Lace?

Posted on July 8, 2011 by hdomke

Queen Anne’s Lace, (Daucus carota) John George would bend over to weed out a Queen Anne’s Lace whenever we paused on our hike here a couple weeks ago. As a natural history biologist there was no question in his mind … Continue reading →

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Posted in Exotic invasives, Flowers | 2 Comments

Opening Vistas

Posted on July 7, 2011 by hdomke

Checking the newly opened vista under The Point After dinner last night we went down to check on the clearing work that Duncan did along Hiller’s Creek. With a chainsaw and weed whip he cut a few openings in the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Land management, Ponds & Streams | 1 Comment

Chanticleer – a Pleasure Garden

Posted on June 27, 2011 by hdomke

Hydrangeas Public Gardens often focus on education, research and conservation. Occasionally they focus purely on pleasure. One of the gardens we visited while at the APGA conference was Chanticleer. Chanticleer describes itself as a “Pleasure Garden” and it really was. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Land management, Public Gardens, Public Meetings | 1 Comment