Grassland Meadow Garden

Grassland Meadows are highly rewarding due to their compelling beauty, simplicity, and ability to achieve a natural effect at relatively low cost.

Native grasses comprise of 70% to 80% of the natural meadow, with the balance being flowers and a few shrubs or small trees.  Excellent plant choices for creating a grassland meadow include Indian Grass, Broomsedge, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Greater Fringed Genetian, Wild Petunia, New England Aster, Dense Blazing Star, and Eastern Red Cedar.

Meadow variants include the ‘no-mow’ lawn that is created by replacing turf grass with natural short native sedges and rushes such as Pennsylvania Sedge, Pretty Sedge, and Path Rush.

Meadow installations are possible through lawn removal and plugging.  Large installations use ‘mow high’ and over-seeding techniques.

Recommended Plants

Herbaceous Shrubs Trees
Allium cernuum Calicarpa americana Carpinus caroliniana
Andropogon virginicus Comptonia peregrina Cercis canadensis
Asclepias tuberosa Myrica pennsylvanica Fraxinum pennsylvanica
Baptisia alba Rhus glabra Juglans nigra
Conoclinium coelestinum Rhus typhina Juniperus virginiana
Coreopsis verticillata Viburnum dentatum Prunus pennsylvanica
Doellingeria umbellata Quercus macrocarpa
Echinacea paradoxa
Echinacea purpurea
Gentianopsis crinita
Heterotheca villosa
Hypoxis hirsuta
Juncus tenuis
Liatris pilosa
Liatris spicata
Lobelia siphilitica
Monarda fistulosa
Oligoneuron rigidum
Penstemon digitalis
Pycnanthemum muticum
Rudbeckia hirta
Ruella humilis
Solidago rugosa
Solidago sphacelata
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
Vernonia noveboracensis