Lianne's Siergrassen
Jan Gosseswijk 31
9367TE De Wilp (Gn)
tel: +31 (0)594-644263
www.siergras.nl
www.prairietuin.nl
www.prairiegarden.info
© Lianne's Siergrassen

Prairiegarden in the Netherlands!

Who am I?

My name is Lianne Pot. I am owner of ‘Lianne’s Siergrassen’: a nursery with show garden and prairie garden.  As a designer I have a passion for ornamental grasses and, more recently,  Prairiegardens.
Twelve years ago I started a nursery where now there are 300 different species of grass for sale. Since 2005 we are holder of the Dutch collection of  Poaceae  (ornamental grasses). I may add that as a designer I have always been interested in how to use grasses in my own garden and in garden designs in general.

Showgarden

As from the year 2000 I aim to use our ‘show garden’ to inspire our visitors in the use of grass, for example:  as solitaire, or as groundcover, or in borders and pots. Grasses are symmetric and of course, look very natural and have a magnificent winter silhouette. You can use them in very different places in the shadow or in the sun. Grasses have many different highs, colors and structures.

The true prairie

If you are a designer with a passion for grasses you will visit the North American prairie some day…... I visited the true prairie in 2008. There I saw many grasses and numerous strong perennials.  It especially struck me how beautiful the prairie can be and how little maintenance it requires. Many North American plants and grasses have very deep roots and keep out weeds.  It’s a balanced community of plants which you don’t have to water, they keep the  moisture and you don’t have to split them into pieces. The plants are balanced and very well adapted to the circumstances (wet, mesic or dry, dry summers and cold winters in America).

From the prairie to the prairie garden in the Netherlands

The prairie is a strong, healthy and long lasting community of grasses and perennials; good for humans and animals: a great promise for the future! And most of all: it’s a striking view a whole year long with color and structure.
Compared with ‘normal’ borders or planting,  prairie plants in a good designed prairie border balance each other after several years and therefore less maintenance is required. Prairie plants keep the moisture and you don’t have to split a balanced prairie garden once every 4 of 5 years.
But, is it possible to make such a prairie or ‘prairiegarden’ in Europe? …..the answer is yes!  The climate in het area of the tall and mixed grass prairie is comparable with the mid European conditions.
In America there are sharper differences in temperature (cold winters and warm summers) but the plants have adapted to these difficult circumstances as well as to a wide range of waterfall.
There are possibilities of prairie planting on wet, mesic to dry soil in Europe. Whereas weeds are the main problem in rich European soils,  North American plants are strong and can adapt to these circumstances and compete with the weeds. That’s why we started our own prairie garden in 2008…..but most of all because I think a prairiegarden is dynamic and beautiful!  
Next to our nursery, we have now a 3.500 m2 large prairiegarden, a show garden and a collection of grasses (in total 7.500 m2 ).

Our prairiegarden in De Wilp

I designed our prairiegarden using round forms where visitors can walk through large prairie plant examples. Different large groups of grasses and perennials form a frame around the garden (border-like prairie planting).
In the middle of the garden we have more than 15 mix planting-schemes. Themes are: color, hight, structure, North American grasses and perennials. Different combination of colors through the season or one color combination through a whole season.
In the 3.500 m 2 prairiegarden the visitors will find examples of smaller and bigger gardens and also some of the striking ‘perennial meadows’ of Michael King.


Lianne Pot

Specialist in ornamental grasses and prairiegardens

Direct contact: info@siergras.nl

 

How to find our prairiegarden in De Wilp?

Our nursery, show garden and prairiegarden are open from the 21st of March till the 1st of November on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9.00 – 17.00 Hour.
You will find it via the highway A7 Heerenveen – Groningen, exit Marum direction De Wilp. Through the build up area follow the road. Immediately after the blue bridge on the Wilpstervaart turn left towards the Jan Gosseswijk. Number 31 is after ca. 2 km on the right side of the road.


Lianne’s Siergrassen
Jan Gosseswijk 31
9367 TE  De Wilp (Gn)
Tel.: + 31 (0)594 – 644263