The native plants we choose for your Mini Meadow are selected to thrive in a specific area of your property such as dry sun, dry part sun, moist sun, and moist part sun. All mixes will only use species native to the county in which you live. These native plants in your Mini Meadow should become quite the pollinator magnets as well!

We remove the lawn, we loosen the soil, fine grade and mulch. We then install deep plugs (2.25” x 4.5” deep) to allow roots to establish quickly. The plugs are spaced 12” apart (you may also select double the plant density for an even more mature and diverse meadow). We use double ground hardwood bark mulch to help retain moisture and help suppress weeds during the first year. Mini meadows are lower maintenance as a 12” plant spacing makes it more difficult for weeds to get a foothold and because of this re-mulching is not necessary.

Depending on the time of year your meadow is planted, it can be in the matter of months! For example, if you get a head start in the spring, your meadow will be vigorous and productive throughout the summer months. If you install your meadow in early fall, your meadow will look bright-eyed and lush before next summer has had a chance to roll in. 

Native plants are those species that have co-evolved within a region to bring balance and diversity to that ecosystem. Some experts define plants as native to North America if they were present before European settlement in the fifteenth century. Plants that were imported to North America by European and Asian immigrants are referred to as “exotic” or “introduced” species. An estimated 30,000 species have been introduced to the North American landscape, but only a small percentage of those have earned the name “invasive exotic” because of their tendency to outcompete all neighboring species and create monocultures. Virginia currently lists about 90 such species that threaten the local ecology and economy.

https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/document/nh-invasive-plant-list-2014.pdf

Whether or not an exotic species has been identified as invasive, one thing will always stand true: native plants positively contribute to ecosystem productivity (how energy is produced and transferred) and thus sustainability. Exotic invasive species actively take away from productivity by changing the soil composition, reducing the overall quality of food available, creating a monoculture that drives down biodiversity, and much more. Invasive species have no problem colonizing every available space while offering very little in return to the environment. Removing exotics species and planting more natives is just about the only way to combat this global emergency.

Lawns offer very little to insects and wildlife due to the lack of plant diversity. This shortcoming creates a monoculture which amputates an ecosystem’s ability to sustain itself by limiting diversity all the way to the top of the food chain. A compounding factor to this issue is regularly mowing– a relic of old English lawn and gardening practices. Mowing puts constant pressure on insects and wildlife populations by removing shelter, foraging sites, and nesting sites.