Meadow Gardens
Large tracts of lawn can be replaced with a meadow of annual and perennial grasses and wildflowers. Meadow gardens attract pollinators, provide beautiful color throughout spring, summer, and fall, and create a great low maintenance substitute for a lawn.
Some garden centres sell wildflower seed mixtures that would help you to start a meadow garden. You will need approximately 125 g of seed mixture to cover 1000 square feet.1 Wallflowers, poppies, flax, and evening primrose are some of the wildflower varieties that grow in full sun in large drifts of color. An example of a perennial grass found in some mixes is sheep's fescue, which protects young wildflower seedlings and ultimately provides erosion control with their fine fibrous roots. To maintain the meadow, one mow in late fall is all you'll need. The mowing will redistribute the seeds to increase coverage for next season.
For more information on how to start a meadow garden, visit Go For Green
Image provided by the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, Acadia University
