Meadows by Design by John Greenlee (eBook)
If there's one lesson every homeowner must learn, it's this; the traditional lawn is a huge, time-consuming, water-guzzling, synthetic-chemical-sucking mistake. The time has come to look for new ways to create friendly, livable spaces around our homes. In this iconoclastic book, ornamental grass expert John Greenlee creates a new model for homeowners and gardeners. For Greenlee, a meadow isn't a random assortment of messy, anonymous grasses. Rather, it is a shimmering mini-ecosystem, in which regionally appropriate grasses combine with colorful perennials to form a rich tapestry that is friendly to all life; with minimal input of water, time, and other scarce resources. Kids and pets can play there in complete safety. Birds and butterflies flock there. A prairie-style planting is a place you want to be.
With decades of experience as a nurseryman and designer, John Greenlee is the perfect guide to creating meadow gardens. He details all the practicalities of site preparation, plant selection, and maintenance; particularly valuable are his explanations of how ornamental grasses perform in different climates and areas. And Saxon Holt's stunning photographs show how varied and breathtakingly beautiful a meadow garden can be.
We've reached a stage where we can no longer follow past practices unthinkingly, particularly when those practices are wasteful and injurious to the environment. It's time to get rid of the old-fashioned lawn and embrace a sane and healthy future: the designed meadow.
