![]() ![]() “A natural garden has several plants at each layer,” he writes, “as well as plants doing their thing at different times of year.” Pros and Cons in Each Site-Preparation Style ![]() By mowing after those less-desirable species have sprouted but just before the bluestem arises, I knock them back, giving it the edge. It emerges slightly later than most of the nonnative, cool-season pasture grasses around it. My only mowing is timed for early May, because one plant I identified in the mix was little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), a grass that is a warm-season grower. Thinking they would make good meadow ingredients, I simply stopped mowing and watched what happened. ![]() Years ago, examining a grassy area uphill from my house, I was encouraged by the presence of a few key native plants I recognized. I garden in a rural area, and my home landscape sits on a remnant of an orchard and pasture that were there long before I arrived. Basic maintenance aside, once you’ve designed and planted your meadow, your primary job is to give it the space and time it needs to reveal its own character.” The Right Plants Wormser writes, “Part of establishing a meadow is also a lesson in letting go. “And even if they want to vanish completely - and that’s totally OK - we like that dynamic in the landscape. “We’re letting plants guide the way, guide the management, show us where they want to be and how they want to be,” Mr. ![]()
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