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with Preston Montague, Landscape Architect

Date: Thursday, February 27, 2025
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Location: Hybrid – Virtual and In-person attendance options
Fee: Free; preregistration required

Amidst increasing public demand for alternatives to turf grass lawns, and a burgeoning awareness of the historic role grasslands and prairies have played in the ecological fabric of North Carolina, demand for large-scale herbaceous plantings is growing. However, information and precedents from regions north and west of the state (as well as Europe), where climate conditions are not as analogous as one might hope, appear to dominate the practice of prairie-making in North Carolina. Plant height, competitiveness, bloom time, and lifespan is different in North Carolina than it is in states as close as Maryland or Tennessee. Even in our state’s larger metropolitan areas, sustained increases in temperature, especially at night, mean that Piedmont prairies in downtown Raleigh may perform differently than in downtown Roxboro. Additionally, many plants designers commonly use come from places with lower nighttime temperatures and shorter summers, or are early successional plants with short lifespans that disappear after a few years, leaving enthusiasts (or clients) with a very different experience than they paid for. As we work to sustain restored habitat in our urban environments, we must continue to develop large-scale herbaceous plantings that perform functionally and aesthetically in the climate we have, not the climate we want.

Join Durham-based landscape architect, Preston Montague, for a presentation on his experience developing Piedmont prairies in a variety of environments in the rapidly developing Triangle. Preston will share an overview of the role herbaceous plantings play in our urban fabric, as well as successes, failures, and approaches in prairie-making in his practice moving forward.

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