The pollinator meadow at the Hive (an indoor space for gathering, seminars and workshops) was conceived as an idea to eliminate a lawn that was requiring inputs of labour, fertiliser and water while getting very little use by our family. I wondered if there was a way to make the space a haven for our family and for insects and birds and wildlife without adding too much more maintenance to the yard. I developed a plan where there was a strong connecting pathway between The Hive and an outdoor patio with a meadow planting on both sides of this main corridor.
I wanted our workshop guests and visitors to be impacted by the garden outside so The Hive has a set of French doors that look out into the garden. Since the indoor space is a step lower than the garden, the plants are brought a bit closer to eye level. At the far end of the garden is a seating space with room for a firepit or long table dinner surrounded by a raised planter. I planted a hedge of deciduous shrubs in front of this patio to create a separation between the meadow planting and the patio. It is also a place where birds can perch and scuttle away to safety.
I chose a natural clay paver for the walkway and patio for a timeless look that would gradually get a patina of moss and lichen but not fade the way concrete products do. I visualised moss and small plants growing in the crevices. I wanted it to feel as natural as possible, so irregularities and chipped corners were welcome to give the sense that the path had been there for many years.
Flanking both sides of the central path of what used to be a lawn, is a meadow planting, densely planted with grasses and colourful perennials. Along the central path there is a large corten steel water feature which I've included to provide reflection and motion. Because some parts of the meadow are very wide I ran a large flagstone pathway through the widest part. This allows different views of the garden and really helps to immerse people in the plantings. It also helps access for maintenance.
A meadow planting such as this requires only minimal maintenance in early Spring. In the beginning, I will need to be vigilant to keep down weeds but as the plants grow in the soil will be covered. Soil that is covered will prevent weed growth. I plan to leave the plants standing over winter to die down gracefully while they provide a food source to birds and insects. In the spring, I will cut down everything to a few inches tall before the new growth begins. Other maintenance requirements will involve controlling the plantings and monitoring the spread of some of the plants. For example, I have included a foxglove in the garden called Digitalis ferruginea. It forms lovely spires of gold toned flowers in summer, but it is biennial so I can expect it to move around a bit as it seeds itself among the meadow. My job is to remove some of the seedlings from undesirable places.
This fall I will be planting spring bulbs among the plants for an early display of colour. Most Meadows plantings have flowering perennials that begin in May and June and continue on into the autumn. It is important therefore to get the colour in Spring from bulbs such as Crocuses, Snowdrops, Tulips, Alliums, and Daffodils to name a few.
The plantings started with a loose planting of grasses throughout the entire area. I aimed for 60 percent of the planting to be grasses with 40 percent perennials interspersed among the grasses and another 20-30% bulbs. This obviously is adding up to a total of 130% which doesn’t work for an accountant but for gardeners it really does work! The bulbs will give an early show of colour in spring and die down, often by June before the perennials really start to show off.
The main selection of grasses that I plan to use are 3 different Molinia caerulea cultivars planted in drifts for a very naturalized effect. The variation between the cultivars is in height, fall colour and flower colour and playing with several cultivars will accentuate the differences between them. The Molinias are excellent ornamental grasses because they form tidy clumps with the flower stems remaining well into the winter.
Another key plant in the grass selection is the evergreen Autumn moor grass, Sesleria autumnalis. I love it for it’s light green foliage, and silvery seed heads. It spreads by rhizomes to form a 10-12” mound of fine textured leaves that combine well with salvias and amsonias in the foreground of my plantings.
Where taller grasses are to be used, I will incorporate some smaller quantities of Miscanthus ‘Flamingo’ with its silvery plumes in autumn and stately upright foliage that turns brilliant orange and yellow in the fall. Another taller grass I will incorporate is Panicum virgatum “Blood Brothers,” this plant is a sport of the popular “Heavy Metal” and has lovely burgundy overtones especially as the summer progresses into Fall.
Among The Matrix of grasses I planted groupings of salvia. The common name for Salvia is meadow sage and it mixes so well with grasses. To give it a natural look I used a few varieties in drifts. One of the varieties called April night blooms earlier than the others to help extend the season. Salvias are relatively easy to care for, quite drought tolerant, and the Bumblebees love them. They have rich deep colors and I contrasted that with the Brilliant Orange of a Geum called Miss Clementine. Miss Clementine's flowers are borne on loose stems and they give a dotted Monet effect when observed in the landscape. It flowers sporadically throughout the summer.
When planting a meadow mixed with flowers it is important to contrast and harmonize not just the colours of the flowers but also the texture and shape of the flowers. In fact, Piet Oudolf, one of the pioneers of this style of planting, argues that the flower shape is more important than colour because when the flowers are done and have faded the shape remains to grace the fall and winter garden. Echinacea or cone flower is a good example of a flower that remains well into the winter after the colour has long faded from the petals. The result is large round, nearly black seed heads intermixed with the lighter colored grasses that have faded.
Seasons should always be reflected in the garden. I don't like a garden that is static. One should be able to tell by looking out the window what time of year it is based on what the plants look like. In winter a meadow such as this one will have varying tones of brown and tan but the textures will be pronounced. If my plantings are well thought out there will be plenty of structural plants to provide interest in winter. I feel every season has its beauty and getting eyes to see that is part of developing as a gardener.
My plan for watering the meadow is not to have an irrigation system. Our soils is a loamy clay and fairly water retentive. Though I did not specifically select plants for their drought tolerance, I avoided plants that needed frequent waterings. My intention is to water heavily and deeply with a portable sprinkler maybe every 10 days during the heat of summer. I want to force the plants to go deep into the soil for their water and by giving infrequent but deep waterings I can avoid plants that develop shallow root systems near the surface. This is the best way environmentally to keep the garden healthy without having a huge footprint and demand for water. We used to have a 24 x 16 foot pool in this same space which we set up each summer. I foresee our water usage for the entire meadow being less than the water used to fill the pool each summer.
After just one week after I started planting the plants have started to root into their new home. There are bees and butterflies coming to taste the (still somewhat meager) offerings and I noticed birds coming to drink at the water trough. These transient visitors were a big part of the reason I changed out our poor lawn for this meadow and it is gratifying to see how quickly they arrive to take up residence. It’s like the theme park mantra “If you build it they will come.”
