Planting Meadow Gardens
What and how to plant a meadow garden
What is a meadow garden?
A meadow, in nature, is a diverse community of non-woody plants and grasses. Because a true meadow takes years to establish itself, a gardener who wants his own would naturally want to hurry things along. Thus, by compressing the natural succession of steps into a single season, we create a man-made meadow or meadow garden.
Why would you want one?
1. Low maintenance-Although it is a lot of work at first, once established, a meadow garden does allow the gardener to relax and enjoy it a little more. Worries about mowing, watering, weeding, trimming, edging, fertilizing and harvesting are all much less than with any other type of garden.
2. Four-Season Beauty & Interest-The ever-changing show of bloom in your meadow will go on throughout the growing season. In winter, the unmowed swirls of dried grasses and various seedpods provide interesting texture against the snow.
3. Protection of Wildlife & Native Plant Species-In an area where open space is fast diminishing, you’ll soon find all sorts of interesting birds, bees, and critters taking refuge in the haven you’ve provided. The colonies of wild species you establish act as a seed source, reappearing in neighboring vacant lots, hedgerows & woods.
When
Soil preparation and planning can begin any time of year, providing the ground isn’t frozen. Seeding or "plugging" of established plants is best done in spring or fall when temperatures are cooler and rainfall more frequent.
Where
Any sunny open area will do. Size can range from a 100 sq. ft. patch to an acre or more.
How to begin
1. Establish an outline of the area and it’s dimension.
2. Remove existing unwanted vegetation by repeated roto-tilling, hand-weeding or heavy applications of mulch.
3. Improve soil with compost, peat or rotted manure, lime and fertilizer.
4. Roto-till again to incorporate soil amendments.
5. Rake smooth. Try to wait until the 1st flush of weeds appear then cultivate shallowly & rake again.
6. Introduce desired plant species by seeding (some grasses & annuals) or "plugging" (speedier method for establishing specimen grasses & perennial wild flowers.
7. Mulch lightly, if possible, and water frequently the 1st few weeks (at least every other day).
8. Once everything is coming up, your biggest job will be watching out for aggressive unwanted weeds. You must go through & hand weed any undesirables to give your wildflowers and grasses a fair chance. This should be done as often as possible the 1st year.
Some tips
· If your area is overwhelmingly large, don’t try to do it all at once. Each year, till up only the scruffiest looking patches and let nature work on the rest.
· If your area is small, you can still create a meadow effect. Just group some small ornamental grasses and a few perennial wildflowers among them.
· Don’t try for an even distribution of flowers across the meadow. A more natural effect is created when species are scattered randomly in groups as they are in nature.
· Mowing is done only once a year-after the growing season is over or in very early spring.
· Try to create meandering paths for enjoying or working in your meadow. This can be as simple as mowing a 4 ft. wide swath around and through the tall stuff or constructed of gravel, wood chips or wood-decking.
· In my own meadow garden, which is not strictly limited to true prairie plants, I also have some of the more aggressive herbs growing. These rampant growers tend to overcome a smaller or more formal garden, but are perfect in this situation. I especially like those which produce abundant material for drying such as safflower, teasel, tansy, costmary, & various thistles, mulleins and yarrows. Annual chamomile appears everywhere, once planted, and is one of the earliest flowering herbs to be harvested.
Seed Sources
*Wildseed Farms- 425 Wildflower Hills P.O. Box 3000 Fredricksburg TX 78624
Vermont Wildflower Farm-Box W, Charlotte, Vt. 05445 Free
Plants of the Soutwest-1570 Pacheo St., Sante Fe, N.M. 87501 ?
Clyde Robin Seed Co.-P.O. Box 2366, Castro Valley, Ca. 94546 $2.00
Bibliography
"The Wildflower Meadow Book"-Laura C. Martin
"Growing and Propagating Wildflowers"-H.R. Phillips
"Landscaping with Wildflowers & Native Plants"-Ortho Books
"Native and Near Native" an introduction to L.I. Plants-Albert Hoster
"Guide to the Plant Commodities of Napeague Dunes, Long Island"-Ann Johnson
Plant Suggestions for a L.I. Meadow Garden
Grasses-Perennials
Fescues-Blue, Sheep, Meadow (Festuca), Tufted Hairgrass- (Deschampsia),*Little or Big Bluestem or Beardgrass (Andropogon), Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis),*Indian Grass (Sorghastrum) ,Fountain Grass (Pennisetum),*Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum), Moor Grass (Molinea)
*These 3 are the original native grasses of the Midwest prairies. They’re adaptable to a wide range of environments and provide a natural succession of bloom when planted together.
Remember to check the heights of the grasses you intend to use. Some get very tall and may not be suitable for a small garden.
Wildflowers - Annual
Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria),Field Poppy (Papaver rhoeas),Cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus),Wild Sunflower (Helianthus annus),Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus),Blanket Flower (Gaillarda pulchella),Larkspur (Delphinium ajacus),Scarlet Flax (Linum grandiflorum ‘Rubrum),Baby Snapdragon (Linaria maroccana),Rose Mallow (Lavatera trimestris),Black-Eye Susans (Rudbeckia hirta),Tidytips (Layia platyglossus),Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophilia menziesii)
Wildflowers - Perennial
Coneflower (Echinacea),Beard Tongue (Penstemon),*Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis),Bee Balm (Monarda),Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia gloriosa),Oxeye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum),Indian Blanket (Gaillarda aristata),*Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Meadow Sage (Salvia pratensis),Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria),New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae),*Evening Primrose (Oenothera),Yarrow (Achilla),*Turks Cap Lily (Lilium martagon),*Rose Mallow (Hibiscus palustris),*Mullein (Verbascum),*Chicory (Chicorium intybus),Soapwort (Saponaria),*Butter & Eggs (Linaria vulgaris),Blue Flax (Linum perennis),*Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia ),*Beach Wormwood (Artemesia stellerania),*Bearberry (Arctosaphylus uva-ursi),Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
*Native to Long Island
