Naturalistic Meadow Garden

Project Overview

This section of lawn was awkward to mow and never looked good doing it. Converting it to a naturalistic planting removed the maintenance problem and gave the property a much more interesting middle distance.

The palette leans on prairie-adapted grasses and perennials that handle northern Illinois heat, cold and clay without irrigation once established. Species were repeated in drifts so the planting reads intentional rather than weedy.

A mown edge and a defined bed line do most of the work of making a meadow planting look designed - that boundary is what tells a neighbor this is a garden and not neglect.