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Creating a Meadow Garden

Aug, 2012
by Andrea Nilsen Morse
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Traditional lawns are one of the most resource intensive elements of a residential landscape.  The environmental and economic costs are significant between irrigation, fertilization and mowing. 

A great way to reduce the resources required, and introduce wildlife into your landscape, is to transition part of your lawn into a wildflower garden or meadow garden.  Meadow gardens offer a much more interesting palette of plants, including ones that attract birds and butterflies.  These space require minimal maintenance, when established a once a year mowing suffices and no irrigation or fertilization is necessary.

Hand spread seed creates a meadow that is truly varied

This meadow garden in Little Compton, RI was part of a LEED Gold Certified home and landscape.  Traditional lawn is limited to around the house, and a meadow garden fills in the area between the lawn and the property edge.

There are three basic ways to establish a meadow garden.

Seed.  A seeded meadow can take a few years to fully establish, but it is the least expensive planting approach and is a great option if you want to cover a large area.

Plugs.  With this method small plants are installed in the meadow area.  This is the most expensive approach, but typically offers the fastest results.  It works well in a small area.

Seeds and plugs.  A combination approach can work well when you want fast results but the cost of planting plugs across the entire area is prohibitive.

Another view of the meadow from the front yard
A retaining wall separates the traditional lawn from the meadow

This meadow was established from American Meadow’s Native Northeast Wildflower Seed Mix.

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