Caragana seedlings, commonly known as Siberian pea shrub growing at the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts (NDASCD) Lincoln-Oakes Nurseries in Bismarck, ND, on March 15, 2015.
These nursery beds will provide conservation-grade seedlings for conservation tree and shrub plantings throughout the Northern Great Plains and Upper Midwest.
The caragana is a hearty plant well suited for the harsh climates of the Dakotas and southern prairie provinces. The rows of sprouts will become planting stock when lifted in the fall. They will then, be prepared for refrigerated storage. In the spring they will be transported to districts in the region and planted, as ground conditions permit.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Bismarck Plant Materials Center (NDPMC) has provided plant solutions for the diverse landscapes and for more than 50 years in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. The Center offers technical assistance for native landscaping, windbreaks, revegetating saline-alkaline soils, improving the productivity of range and pasture lands, enhancing wildlife habitat and wetlands, and enhancing native prairie ecosystems. NDPMC has released over 40 improved conservation plants. A partnership with the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts (NDASCD) has provided the 60-acre site for NDPMC operations since 1954. The NDASCD Lincoln-Oakes Nurseries provides the nursery operations. For more information see nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/plantmaterials/pmc/central/ndpmc/ USDA Photo by Lance Cheung. Original public domain image from Flickr