by Dan Greenberg, ASLA
See Part 1 and Part 2: An Emerging Meadow, in case you missed the previous installments in this three-part series.
After an exciting spring establishing the meadow grasses, summer’s heat arrived in July. The plants in the upper meadow appeared to take this in stride, continuing to push their foliage taller. In several areas the crowns began to overlap and hide the ground below. It was so exciting to see my meadow taking shape!
by Dan Greenberg, ASLA
Check out Part 1 in case you missed last week’s opening installment in this three-part series.
The winter was a difficult wait. I had planted 400 square feet of meadow grasses, and an additional 600 square feet of soil lie dormant under cardboard and wood chips. I felt a lot like I did years ago watching my baby daughter sleep—desperately wanting to enjoy her company, but knowing that her rest was best for everyone. My plugs were resting.
The wait wasn’t long. Our winter was warm and wet, so signs of life appeared in late February. It was exciting to see bright green blades pushing through the stiffer stems of last year’s growth! It was also startling, as vigorous weeds took advantage of the plugs’ fertile soils. Chickweed, Bittercress, Henbit, and Deadnettle Lamium (clockwise from top left in the photos below) sprung from every planting hole.
by Dan Greenberg, ASLA
My meadow is modest by most design standards. But it’s an awesome 1,000 square foot experiment that is already welcoming birds every day.
How awesome? In one Raleigh, North Carolina, growing season, measured from April through November, and compared against the lawn industry’s standard practices for managing a healthy turf lawn, my meadow saved over 10,000 gallons of water, 6 gallons of gasoline, some engine oil, 8 pounds of lawn seeds, and 9 pounds of fertilizer / pre-emergent herbicide. It also saved me 30 hours of boredom, walking back and forth with a mower or a seed spreader.
My anticipation is already building for next year. The established grasses will grow larger, shade more weeds, and welcome more creatures. And my role will change from a farmer to a steward, a master to a friend.
This meadow is special to me for a number of reasons. I love nature and this brings a piece of it closer to my life. It lets me walk my talk as an environmentalist and landscape architect. And it eliminates a lot of wasted time and resources.