Backyard
Prairie Meadows Meadows have a mix of wildflowers, low-growing flowering perennials and ornamental or native grasses. Many extension offices have a list of the types of plant combinations that will work for your specific area, requiring the lowest maintenance and water. Most prairie meadows will appreciate as much sun as you can give them, but some plants will accept some dappled shade.
Dogwoods. Dogwood is another popular landscape tree that's best known for its spring blossoms but also puts on quite a show in fall. Two good choices are Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), with red or yellow leaves, and Cherokee Sunset flowering dogwood (C. florida 'Cherokee Sunset') with red-purple leaves. Other popular choices include Cornelian cherry (C. mas), with yellow or red leaves and berries in fall; Pacific or western dogwood (C. nuttallii), with yellow-red or pink fall foliage; and Stellar dogwoods (C. Stellar series), known for outstanding shades of purplish red. Dogwoods grow in either full sun or light shade, with moderate to regular water, in zones 3 through 9, depending on the species.
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