Ditch Your Laborious Lawn for a Magnificent Meadow or Prairie

Picture a meadow - a lively meadow of bounteous bloom and bees, butterflies, bluebirds and other charismatic life. Meadows can be natural, or we can create them in our private and public spaces to enrich our sub/urban ecosystems. They can be expansive or a tiny patch of backyard delight.

Who doesn’t love flowers? Maybe people with bad pollen allergies, but for most of us, flowers inspire happiness or at least a moment of calm in a restless, chattering world. We give them as tokens of love and care. Sometimes, we even stop to smell the roses. We could all use a little more joy in our lives.

At Leaf & Limb, we refer to meadows as "Piedmont Prairies” to highlight our location in the Carolina Piedmont. We’ve been installing them for many years now, and we’re becoming quite skilled at it.

It’s not hard to make a compelling argument for restoring native plant diversity to our ecologically impoverished sub/urban spaces. Read chapter 16 in our free book “From Wasteland to Wonder” for a shocking overview of what an ecological wasteland a lawn really is. More and more people agree that we should make these efforts. But why don’t we?

Why Don’t We Plant Flowers Galore?

Let’s explore the three main reasons why lawns and other garden spaces aren’t being transformed into abundances of native flora, according to a 2020 study from the University of Central Florida. These are costs (maintenance and time costs), knowledge and skills, and appearance.

We will also share some data from a 2021 Iowa State University study on cost comparisons between traditional lawns and meadows. We will also present a few ideas that might convince you that the barriers needn’t be all that daunting.

Reason 1: I Probably Couldn’t Afford It. Or the Time.

There is a perception that establishing and maintaining a native wildflower meadow would cost too much and take a lot of time. This needn’t be true at all. We can start small and expand the meadow in time. Or keep it small. The Florida study focused on an imaginary plot that was only 6’ by 6’. That’s enough to make a difference.

It’s cheaper to start from seed rather than from plant plugs (trays of small rooted seedlings). Quality seed blends appropriate for your region are available. For example, vendors like Roundstone, Ernst and Garret are great sources of quality native seed. Even better, these blends avoid the invasive non-natives that can dominate generic “wildflower seed” packs.

Maintenance time is also low. A well-installed meadow just needs to be mowed annually after it is established, and no irrigation, fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides need to be introduced to keep the system thriving. Some weeding 2 to 4 times a year, with extra attention around the edges, will need to be performed. But that’s still way less than the 25 to 40 mowings a year needed for lawns.

Reason 2: How Do You Even Do That?

There’s no denying that installing a lawn and plunking some foundation shrubs around the house is straightforward. Big box garden centers are full of familiar hollies and azaleas. Sod and seed can be found everywhere. Landscaping services that will do this for you are easy to find.

Discovering seed and plant sources for a meadow is a learning journey, but local and online resources are gaining popularity every year. Use search terms like “native meadow seed” and evaluate the offerings carefully to ensure that what you get is suitable for your region. Steer clear of extremely cheap mixes that may contain aggressive non-natives as fillers.

Better yet, if you want to do it yourself, there is a whole chapter in our free book “From Wasteland to Wonder” that walks you through all the steps according to a simple cost-effective and results-effective approach.

Reason 3: It Wouldn’t Look Good, Would It?

Lawns and foundation shrubbery remain the norm. They’re familiar, “tidy”, and won’t draw frowns from neighbors. But they often feel sterile and cliché. Wouldn’t you like something beautiful that also teems with life?

For example, instead of a default wall-to-wall carpet of lawn, what about thinking of a lawn as more of an area rug. Lawn doesn’t have to cover everything. Most of us do nothing with our lawns except mow them.

A strategy to avoid a “messy” look is maintaining a mowed edge. Meadows installed on front yards could include a sign with information so that curious passersby can learn about what is really going on.

Intrigued Yet?

Maintenance cost, knowledge, and appearance aren’t the only barriers to creating meadows. Gardeners must also contend with HOAs and municipal bylaws, which adds to their frustrations. Fortunately, the idea that gardeners should be allowed to express their commitment to preserving and expanding a healthy landscape is becoming increasingly socially accepted, and outdated norms are being replaced.

Besides bringing joy and peace to a frenetic world, many of us build meadows to preserve a space that invites and nurtures the small creatures essential to sustaining healthy ecosystems.

Want to install a Piedmont Prairie but don't know where to start? We’re only an email away, so feel free to send us a message to schedule a time to meet with one of our Treecologists.