Establishing a meadow is usually a three-year process, and just like with a bad haircut adherents say you have to accept the growing-out stages before you achieve the ultimate meadow. (This might require letting your neighbors know what you’re doing, so they don’t think you’ve just let everything go.) To provide texture and a sense of movement during winter when nothing is flowering, At least half of meadow plantings should be grasses. Ask a local nursery for advice about what plants would work well in your yard.
Starting with seeds is recommended, with an estimated ten to 20 pounds of wildflower and grass seed necessary per acre. It costs more initially to start a meadow lawn, but will pay for itself over time in decreased costs for maintenance and mowing, not to mention the value of all those hours freed up that were once reserved for lawn mowing. Once established, a meadow needs minimal maintenance.
Heirloom seeds for vegetables and flowers
An heirloom vegetable or flower is an old variety that is open-pollinated, meaning the plants are pollinated by the wind or insects. It also means you can save the seeds, and they’ll produce true-to-seed the next year, unlike the hybrids.
The definition of what constitutes an “old” variety varies. Some say an heirloom variety can refer to any that is at least 50 years old, while others apply the term only to any variety grown before World War II. Many heirloom varieties available are far older than that.
