Demonstration Garden
The Demonstration Garden is a product of the Prairie Acre Restoration Project which began in 2014. Constructed in September of 2017, the garden was planted by volunteers from the KU and Lawrence communities.
Containing a wide range of native plant species, the Demonstration Garden provides visitors with the chance to get a closer look at many of the native plants that can be found in prairie acre and other remnant tallgrass prairies. The garden’s most active bloom period is during the summer months, but contains some species that bloom during the spring and fall.
The KU Center for Sustainability, Kansas Biological Survey, and Environmental Studies Program invite you to take a moment to walk through the garden, using the informational signs to become familiar with the vegetation that once completely covered Mount Oread.
The construction of the demonstration garden was supported by donations from Douglas May and Catherine Schwoerer.
Plant Locations
Numbers in table correspond with image above.
| Number | Scientific Name | Common Name | Mature Height | Flower Color | Bloom Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silphium laciniatum | Compass Plant | 8.0 | Yellow | Late summer |
| 2 | Thalictrum dasycarpum | Purple Meadow Rue | 6.0 | Cream | Late spring |
| 3 | Echinacea pallida | Pale Purple Coneflower | 3.0 | Pink | Summer |
| 4 | Oenothera macrocarpa | Missouri Evening-Primrose | 1.0 | Yellow | Summer |
| 5 | Monarda fistulosa | Wild Bergamot | 4.9 | Purple | Summer |
| 6 | Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium | Fragrant Everlasting | 3.0 | Purple | Late summer |
| 7 | Amorpha canescens | Leadplant | 4.0 | Purple | Early spring |
| 8 | Penstemon digitalis | Smooth Beardtongue | 4.0 | White | Late spring |
| 9 | Andropogon gerardii | Big Bluestem | 7.0 | Yellow | Summer |
| 10 | Teucrium canadense | Canada Germander | 3.0 | Purple | Summer |
| 11 | Veronicastrum virginicum | Culver's Root | 5.0 | White | Summer |
| 12 | Salvia azurea | Blue Sage | 5.0 | Blue | Late summer |
| 13 | Dalea purpurea | Purple Prairie Clover | 3.0 | Purple | Summer |
| 14 | Panicum virgatum | Switchgrass | 5.0 | Yellow | Summer |
| 15 | Delphinium carolinianum | Carolina Larkspur | 4.0 | Purple | Summer |
| 16 | Rosa arkansana | Arkansas Rose | 2.0 | Pink | Summer |
| 17 | Helianthus maximiliani | Maximilian Sunflower | 6.0 | Yellow | Late summer |
| 18 | Symphyotrichum oblongifolium | Aromatic Aster | 2.0 | Purple | Fall |
| 19 | Asclepias sullivantii | Prairie Milkweed | 3.0 | Pink | Summer |
| 20 | Hesperostipa spartea | Porcupine Grass | 4.0 | Yellow | Late summer |
| 21 | Coreopsis palmata | Prairie Coreopsis | 2.0 | Yellow | Summer |
| 22 | Eryngium yuccifolium | Rattlesnake Master | 4.0 | White | Late summer |
| 23 | Linum sulcatum | Grooved Flax | 2.0 | Yellow | Summer |
| 24 | Ratibida columnifera | Upright Prairie Coneflower | 3.0 | Yellow | Mid-summer |
| 25 | Baptisia australis | Blue Wild Indigo | 4.0 | Blue | Summer |
| 26 | Schizachyrium scoparium | Little Bluestem | 3.0 | Yellow | Summer |
| 27 | Asclepias syriaca | Common Milkweed | 3.0 | Pink | Summer |
| 28 | Asclepias tuberosa | Butterfly Milkweed | 2.0 | Orange | Mid-summer |
| 29 | Vernonia baldwinii | Baldwin's Ironweed | 3.0 | Purple | Late summer |
| 30 | Liatris aspera | Button Blazing Star | 3.0 | Purple | Late summer |
| 31 | Lobelia spicata | Pale-Spike Lobelia | 2.0 | White | Summer |
| 32 | Bouteloua curtipendula | Sideoats Grama | 3.0 | Yellow | Mid-spring |
| 33 | Artemisia ludoviciana | White Sage | 3.0 | White | Early spring |
| 34 | Glandularia canadensis | Rose Vervain | 1.5 | Pink | Summer |
| 35 | Sporobolus heterolepis | Prairie Dropseed | 3.0 | Brown | Fall |