There's a big move afoot among many gardeners to get rid of lawns, and here's the book that will tell you just how to do that.
In his new book, The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn
In the introduction, Greenlee explains that meadows, like lawns, can be "a calming place for the eye to rest, yet with the richness and complexity of a border." Moreover, meadows provide habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators, and they attract a diversity of life itself.
Greenlee's epiphany about using large sweeps of meadow grasses in urban and suburban landscapes came in 1984 while on a visit to Kurt Bluemel's nursery in Maryland. "That day in Kurt's nursery," he writes, "my love affair with meadows was sealed."
In the succeeding chapters, Greenlee tells you about the lure of the meadow; how and where grasses grow; design principles for meadows; and how to make, establish, and maintain a meadow garden. Throughout the book, there are terrific takeout boxes like "Grasses for fall and winter color," "Grasses for tropical effects," as well as daisies, poppies, and ferns for meadows, and many more.
Greenlee's portfolio of meadow gardens shows you exactly and in stunning detail just how lovely a meadow garden can be. And there's a very comprehensive catalogue of grasses, with a brief description of each one, including its native range, size and color, and growing conditions.
Images by well-known garden photographer Saxon Holt accompany the text, and they beautifully illustrate the appeal of a meadow garden. After you read this book, you'll wonder why you ever entertained the idea of a lawn.
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