Sue Barton is an accomplished and experienced gardener. In her professional life, she’s the Cooperative Extension specialist for ornamental horticulture at the University of Delaware. In her free time, she’s constantly planting, pruning and planning new projects on her 11-acre property in Landenberg, PA.
Queen Anne’s lace and black-eyed Susans add wonderful color to a sea of native grasses.
Photo Credit: Longwood Gardens L. Albee
The meadow at Longwood Gardens shines with autumn splendor.
Photo Credit: Longwood Gardens L. Albee
A backyard meadow makes a wonderful transition border between forest and turf.
Photo Credit: Longwood Gardens L. Albee
It’s important to create pathways through your meadow so you can enjoy it from different angles.
Photo Credit: Longwood Gardens L. Albee
But even with all her gardening acumen, Sue’s husband, Doug, was leery when she decided to establish a wildflower meadow a few years ago. “He was afraid it wasn’t going to look very good,” she acknowledges. “And I have to admit, the first season or two, it did look pretty rough.”
But now, Sue and Doug are so pleased with their meadow, they’ve added a second one. In fact, they’ve transformed 3 acres of their property into lovely fields. While these “gardens” are mainly a mix of native grasses, they also feature a variety of native wildflowers like butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), asters (Aster sp.), Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium) and goldenrod (Solidago).
But why a meadow? There are lots of reasons, Sue says. Not only does she like that her meadows attract wildlife and reduce the need to mow, she appreciates the element of surprise the areas bring to her landscape as they continue to evolve every year.
“Meadows are part of the natural succession from field to forest, and as such, they are dynamic components of the landscape,” Sue explains. “When I created my first meadow, I had a lot of Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota), which I loved. As other vegetation got thicker, the Queen Anne’s disappeared. Now, common milkweed (Asclepias) is prevalent. The milkweed is great for attracting monarch butterflies, so I guess that’s a fair trade-off.”
What first inspired Sue to create a backyard meadow? It was a trip to beautiful Longwood Gardens, in Kennett Square, PA, (just minutes from her home). Longwood has a 35-acre managed meadow that looks especially attractive in late summer and early fall. The profusion of asters, goldenrod, little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium), blue verbena, New York ironweed (Vernonia) and great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) really shine that time of year.
While some of the garden’s native wildflowers were planted by Longwood staffers, it’s not the only way to start a meadow. In fact, Sue started hers when she stopped cutting her grass to let nature take over – through wind-blown seed and animals.
If you’re interested in establishing a meadow in your yard, too, here are some tips from Sue to keep in mind:
- Don’t assume that meadows are maintenance-free. You’ll need to mow on a periodic basis. Sue mows her meadow down in early spring and again on Father’s Day weekend. If you don’t do this, woody plants will move in and take over.
- Provide access and order with pathways. In addition to her large-scale mowings, Sue regularly mows paths that meander through her meadows so she can enjoy them from all sides and make sure invasive plants aren’t invading the space.
- If you plant your meadow, choose natives. You may decide, like Longwood Gardens did, to give your meadow a boost with supplemental planting. If that’s the case, be sure to select only wildflowers that are native to your region.
- Control invasive weeds. Sue keeps mile-a-minute weeds in check with spot applications of herbicide, and she does some hand-weeding when needed.
- Evaluate your site. One of Sue’s colleagues placed her meadow in the center of her front yard. But if your neighbors would squawk over that, consider establishing your meadow in a less conspicuous spot out back. Choose a sunny area with good drainage for maximum wildflower growth.
Meadows are easy to start – and even easier to enjoy. All that’s left is to pick the right area, let Mother Nature do her work and then help her out along the way.
