Republished with permission from the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society‘s
Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks Winter 2025 publication
by Ally Brandt
Garden to Meadow Conversion
What number of hours does your upkeep staff spend mowing every year? Once I first began at a small municipality with solely a handful of public works staff who coated the whole lot from parks to roads, I couldn’t consider what number of hours they spent mowing. Then I moved to a bigger municipality with 12 parks and, once more, couldn’t fathom why we spend a lot time mowing. Why would now we have these expert people losing a lot time mowing grass? There needed to be one thing higher. There are many parks and open areas which have conventional turfgrass that’s underutilized and a time suck for upkeep to mow. Why not make higher use of
this house?
Exton Park Meadow, Pictures taken by Yvonne Sharrow
Garden to meadow conversion not solely saves upkeep a ton of time and frees them as much as deal with different tasks, but it surely additionally has great environmental impacts. Planting native flowers and grasses supplies habitat and meals for native birds, bugs and different critters. These crops develop taller and have deeper root techniques than turfgrass, which helps entice pollution and encourage infiltration of stormwater (a phrase I’m certain now we have all heard fairly a bit nowadays!). Meadows additionally beautify the parks. Whereas grass is simply … nicely, grass … native wildflowers and tall grasses add bursts of shade and curiosity to an area. In each meadow tasks that I’ve been part of, the neighborhood has been very supportive and engaged. I imply, who doesn’t love a area of wildflowers and butterflies?
I’m not saying that meadows don’t take any work. Planting a meadow generally is a beast of a challenge. You’ll want the help of your upkeep staff, volunteers, supervisors and neighborhood. Think about consulting an professional earlier than taking up this challenge. I’ve been lucky to have farmers, panorama architects and grasp gardeners on my staff all through the 2 meadow tasks I’ve labored on. Don’t really feel like you could go this alone! There are superior assets on the market. Penn State Extension, the Division of Conservation and Pure Assets (DCNR), The Upkeep Institute and your native watershed associations have a wealth of information you’ll be able to faucet into.
Exton Park Meadow, Pictures taken by Yvonne Sharrow.
Listed here are some suggestions to assist get began. Everybody’s land is totally different and can have its personal set of challenges. Generally you have to be versatile and inventive, as chances are you’ll not have entry to farming tools, or chances are you’ll get rain for 10 days in a row.
1. Determine an area for the meadow. The primary meadow I labored on was in a big, unused area. We planted about 1 acre of the sector and left the opposite half as turfgrass. The second 3.5-acre meadow was positioned very purposefully in order that the disc golf course went by means of it. Another good areas are sloped hillsides which are tough to mow, areas that always get too moist to mow or fields close to current wildlife habitat. You’ll want to mark the realm after it’s planted so nobody mows over it!
2. Make a funds. I like to recommend Ernst seed mixes for wildflowers and pollinators. Finances for pesticides which may be used, or if it’s worthwhile to hire tools, order signage, and so on.
3. Take into consideration “cues to care.” These embody a rock border, signage, a mowed strolling path and different issues that allow the general public know that that is purposeful. Meadows don’t all the time look nice, so within the winter there must be
one thing within the space to remind people that the flowers are coming.
4. Attain out to native farmers to see if any are prepared that can assist you put together the bottom. It is suggested that the bottom be tilled earlier than planting. Seeding will even go manner sooner whether it is carried out with a broadcast seeder. If you happen to can’t get a broadcast seeder—don’t fret. You too can do it with a staff of prepared volunteers. We planted the three.5-acre meadow by hand with about 60 volunteers! I feel this may be sentimental as a result of they’ll return to the meadow and watch what they planted develop.
5. Determine how you will kill off the grass and different vegetation within the space. If it’s a very small space, you’ll be able to lay down cardboard or tarps to kill the whole lot off. If it’s a massive space, you’ll need to mow it as little as potential and spray with park-safe pesticides, seemingly two occasions. Do not forget that whoever does this wants a pesticide applicator license.
Second-year meadow at East Hanover Township Neighborhood Park in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. It was planted with assitance from the Dauphin County Penn State Extension with Becky Richards as parks and recreation director. (I started this challenge with Penn State Extension and Becky took it over after I left.) Pictures take by Yvonne Sharrow.
6. Be sure it is possible for you to to maintain up with the first-year upkeep. It would want mowed to 6-8 inches as soon as the crops attain 12-16 inches. Additionally, you will want to observe for invasive crops that will take over.
7. After the primary 12 months, upkeep ought to actually decelerate. Watch areas that will should be reseeded and mow yearly in late winter.
8. Preserve good data of what pops up and when. Discover any noxious weeds and invasives that will want particular consideration.
9. Don’t get discouraged if the primary season isn’t plentiful. Meadows take time. Some areas take off faster than others—have endurance and remind the park guests to do the identical.
10. Unfold the phrase! Let your residents and park guests know why you planted the meadow and encourage them so as to add native landscaping to their yards.
Particular observe: Test together with your native ordinances to be sure you should not breaking any landscaping ordinances. If there may be an ordinance in place that requires lawns to be stored at a sure top, make sure to get approval for the meadow. When you have an excellent relationship together with your native authorities company, chances are you’ll even ask them so as to add an exception for meadows, so residents are capable of have one of their yard, too. I’ve actually loved checking on the meadow each week and seeing which new crops have grown. In idea, every year ought to get higher than the final! Meadows are a good way to begin a dialog about stormwater administration and ways in which residents
and owners can mitigate points in their very own yards.
Blissful rising!
Assets
DCNR. 2025. Request Assist Changing Your Garden to Habitat
One option to cut back your environmental footprint is by turning your yard into habitat. The Garden to Habitat Program is offered statewide and goals to help those that need to convert their yard right into a meadow or woods.
PennState Extension. 2024. Meadows and Prairies: Wildlife-Pleasant Alternate options to Garden
By changing all or a part of your garden with native vegetation that gives meals and canopy, you’ll be able to create a refuge to draw number of wildlife.
PennState Extension. 2022. Bettering Native Water High quality By means of Garden Conversion
Changing some mowed turf areas in your panorama to bushes and meadow can have an incredible affect on native water high quality, habitat wildlife and pollinators, air high quality, and property values.
Pennsylvania Affiliation of Conservation Districts, Inc. 2023. Garden Conversion Sub-Grant for Conservation Districts Tips
Funding is for use on shovel-ready tasks changing presently maintained garden to actively managed upland forest or perennial native meadow.
WeConservePA. 2017. From Garden to Meadow: Defend Water, Present Habitat, Save Cash
Changing areas coated by turf grass to meadows will be financially rewarding and comparatively easy on each private and non-private land. It will probably additionally ship substantial environmental and aesthetic advantages.
About Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society (PRPS)
PRPS is the principal statewide affiliation offering business management, skilled improvement, advocacy, and assets for these working and volunteering in parks and recreation.
The Society’s members embody managers of municipal and state recreation and park techniques, recreation therapists and wellness specialists, larger schooling professors and college students, managers and programmers of economic recreation amenities, suppliers and producers of recreation and park services and products, and citizen members of neighborhood recreation and park boards.
Based in 1935, PRPS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) skilled membership affiliation of greater than 2000 members statewide.
