The Doehne Wildflower Meadow: Blaze Before Blooms

To view a video of our most recent controlled burn visit bit.ly/FMGburn.

Tucked between the spruce-topped hills and wooded outcroppings of the Sculpture Park lies the Doehne Wildflower Meadow, named in honor of Harry and Elin Doehne. This diverse planting, about three-quarters of an acre, features a mixture of native Michigan grasses and wildflowers and is home to Scarlatti, a sculpture by Mark di Suvero.

Harry and Elin Doehne were wildflower farmers, interested in preserving part of Michigan’s natural heritage by growing and distributing seeds of native wildflowers that would have been found here prior to the arrival of European settlers. The Doehnes’ shared passion for these plants started in 1987, when Elin attended a wildflower conference at Michigan State University. There she learned the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) needed a source of native Michigan wildflower seed for the many highway and freeway projects around the state. The Doehnes lived on a 100-acre strawberry farm in Portland and, in 1988, dedicated several acres to wildflower production. Their Michigan Wildflower Farm had begun.

The Doehne Wildflower Meadow was installed almost 20 years ago, in fall 2002, a primary feature of the Sculpture Park that opened this same year. The original planting included several types of coneflowers, black-eyed Susan, spiderwort, coreopsis, white wild indigo, asters, butterfly weed, little bluestem, rattlesnake master, and prairie dropseed as well as several other native grasses and forbs, or broadleaf perennials. Most plants were started from seed. Small plants called “plugs” were planted around the perimeter of the meadow and included those species that did not germinate as easily from seed. In total, over 35 unique plant varieties may now be observed in this diverse space, along with the abundance of wildlife this meadow supports—birds, caterpillars, butterflies, moths, bees, rabbits and more.

The native plants grew slowly those first few years. Eventually, as competition from nonnative weeds increased, it was determined a controlled burn would be beneficial. The first coordinated burn for this area was organized in March 2010. Fire, an essential part of the meadow landscape, has become an important ecological tool for the management of this space.

A carefully choreographed burn, happening in early spring, has several notable benefits. Fire can remove thatch—dead vegetation from previous years— exposing the soil beneath. Sunlight hitting that soil can increase microbial and root activity, making nutrients more available to plants and triggering seed germination among some species. Fire suppresses the nonnative species, while at the same time giving fire-adapted native species as much as four more weeks in the growing season. Plants that begin their seasonal growth spurt right after the fire benefit greatly, as it removes many of their competitors for light, nutrients and moisture. The soil is enriched by the burning vegetation and these nutrients are then utilized for a new season’s growth. The controlled use of fire has now been employed in this area several times, happening every three to five years. This spring, the Doehne Wildflower Meadow will be burned again.

The anticipation before a prescribed burn is palpable. There is much discussion in the weeks and days preceding it. There will be many mornings with “will we or won’t we” discussion leading up to that perfect morning to burn. The final date won’t be known until the morning we receive the thumbs up from the fire coordinator. The wind will be holding up and morning dew will subside, allowing the dead plant material—left to dry from the previous year—to catch fire. Plants near the sculpture base and other sensitive areas are carefully burned first; lights are protected. The whole process, from first flame to final wisp of smoke, will be over in a couple of hours.

The blackened soil will now warm with the sun; spring rains will bring new life to the meadow. Throughout spring and summer, the varied plantings of native wildflowers will ebb and flow. Some wildflowers are knee high, others will reach over six feet tall. Changing waves of color and texture can be enjoyed week after week—a legacy of the passion and commitment Harry and Elin Doehne had for our Michigan wildflowers.

Essay by Steve LaWarre, Vice President of Horticulture

Top to bottom: Blackeyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium L.), Prairie Dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum).