My So-Called Meadow
There is a part of the back garden where grass did not grow well, or at all. So I came up with the bright idea of turning it into what I called a “pocket meadow” consisting primarily of Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pennsylvanica). My thought was that it would look like this, but it hasn’t worked out that way.
So I guess it’s time for a progress report, which I promised last year. If today weren’t Wednesday I would file it under the occasional meme Tell the Truth Tuesday, put forward by the clever Allison of Bonnie Lassie.
First item to report is that the grass in this area (I used pavers to create a clear boundary) started to absolutely thrive this year. One could have predicted this by applying the scientific principle of The General Perversity of Events. Or it could have been the spring’s cool weather or the buckets of rain we got. I’m leaving the grass uncut, and fortunately it doesn’t really grow more than a few inches even when looking lush.
There’s some Penn Sedge hiding among the grass in the photo above. I didn’t remove the grass because I thought that it would gradually be overcome by the Sedge. Really! But if I had removed the grass this area would currently look like a wasteland.
I’ve allowed most weeds to grow into the pocket meadow, with the exception of Common Plantain and a couple others that raise my hackles. I’m perfectly content to see the Violets spread, for example. But I’ve spent some hours kneeling and pulling Plantain. Truthfully, I start by kneeling and after a few minutes I’m lying on my side.
Part of the pocket meadow is mostly barren but dotted with a few unhappy Pennsylvania Sedge plants. They are unhappy probably because this area was often covered in standing water earlier in the year. Penn Sedge likes well-drained soil.
Most years we see standing water here only as the snow is melting. This year the quantity of rain made it a regular occurrence in April and May. By the end of summer this area tends to be rather dry – a pattern which is now emerging for this year.
Here is a sulking Penn Sedge. Now that we haven’t seen standing water for over a month it is recovering a bit, but can’t say I am optimistic about the future.
So at this point I’ve descended to a “throw everything at the lawn and see what sticks” approach. Which in this context means planting a small number of 3 different perennials and waiting to see which ones are doing OK same time next year.
The 3 I’ve chosen are Cupflower (Mazus reptans), Barren Strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides), and Green-and-Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum). As I said in my first post, I’m looking for stuff that is short and can take light foot traffic.
I’ll do another progress report in the fall and again in early summer next year. Who knows, maybe the Pennsylvania Sedge will make a comeback. I just want to stop feeling the need to roll my eyes when I describe my “pocket meadow”.
gardeninacity 
Gardening is a continuous experiment!
Very true!
I don’t know anything about Pocket Meadows, but I am well versed in matters of The General Perversity of Events. It may be small comfort, but after this year’s fake spring, we’re all rolling our eyes. Your meadow actually looks very cool and inviting.
Thanks. We’ll have to wait and see how it develops.
Oh….perversity indeed! Who knew the grass would grow….looking forward to seeing how all this pans out! I struggle with kneeling too!xxxxxx
Gives new meaning to the phrase “on bended knee”.
One year I decided not to mow the back yard just to see what would happen, and in no time at all it was full of flowers which I hadn’t planted. Maybe you should just leave the space alone for a year and see what happens.
Not a bad thought.
I’m just pleased to know that General Perversity of Events occurs for gardeners all over the world!
Truly, it is a universal principle.
Oh mercy, I think the strawberry will take over. I guess that is what you want. You can certainly tread on it. I wonder if the sedge will recover in a more normal year. Best of luck with all.
At this point, I’d say it’s welcome to take over.
Aaargh! How very annoying and frustrating it is when plans don’t go the way we wanted. Perhaps leave it for a year or so and see if the grass dies back after a bad year, then maybe the sedge will start to thrive? Or you can try again with more plants.
Try again with more plants – my favorite rallying cry!
Hmmm…. Meadows are sunny places and this spot looks pretty shady. If it’s going to receive any foot traffic, meadowy plants aren’t going to survive. Are you looking for a ground cover that attracts pollinators? I’d let the violets take over since some species are host plants for frittilary butterflies. You could even add some this fall or I could mail you bare roots of some of my violets since I have several million.
You can send me violets any time!
Interesting. I was looking at all kinds of fails around my yard today and thought they would make a good post. I have so many weeds, they would probably take over.
I feel I’ve got to write about the fails – keeps me humble.
This is amazing. I’ve always thought of sedges as moisture loving plants that wouldn’t do at all for a lawn. So, I was curious, and went looking for photos of your Pennsylvania sedge. What a surprise — it looks like something I saw recently at my favorite refuge.
Obviously, I wouldn’t have seen that plant — no shade and lots of water on the refuge — but I did see large patches of what seemed to be grass, bent over as though running water had flattened it. Now, after some exploration, I suspect it might have been a sedge like C. texensis, which will take the sun. I can’t wait to get back down to the refuge and get some photos. I had no idea that such a thing as grass-like sedges existed. So cool!
Most sedges do like lots of moisture, but there are exceptions.
Well, gardening is all about perversity, I think. I like the approach of “seeing what sticks” and sometimes, in those tough spots, that’s all one can accomplish. Those darn plants–not doing what we want.
They’re so thoughtless! As if they didn’t read what it says about them in the catalogs!
Maintaining grass is easy. Growing flowers and a garden is hard work. Good luck with your plan.
Thanks.
My front yard is dry, shady, and acidic, just perfect for…moss. I know moss is the bane of lawn enthusiast, but I am not a lawn enthusiast. To my silly eyes, the moss is pretty. Good luck with your meadow.
Moss is beautiful! People are crazy. I would love a moss lawn.
My thoughts exactly!
I think I commented on the wrong post ? duh ? haha .. in any case .. I actually am a fan of moss like Laurie .. our lawns have shrunk to almost nothing and I am very happy with that fact, although i have to let Garden PA have a little patch to play with .. I think it is a man thing ? LOL
I do love sedges .. have a couple here and there .. so I get your way of thinking .. but yes .. a few well placed bulbs in the Fall could really perk up that look as well .. good luck !
It seems to definitely be a thing for some men but for me, the less lawn the better.
Well, you could call it “the back 40” We used that term when we really did have a lot of space and then there was “that” area. You can call it a meadow, or “that area” or feel free to use “back 40” whether it is or isn’t. Don’t we all have one of those places?
Not so typically in the close in suburbs with small lots. Guess I just need to be patient and see how it develops.
Sedge is one of those plants that make me cringe. Those that have naturalized here are wickedly invasive weeds, and the one that I must pull from along a small stream cuts like papas grass!
Ouch. Fortunately we don’t have that situation.
My first yard project after I moved into my house was to remove the grass from the back of the lot and plant a meadow from seed. It was a meadow for about two years and then it started to change. Now it’s half purple coneflower “forest” and half sturdy asters, goldenrod, wild senna to hold the coneflowers from taking over completely. I have been removing, and continue to remove, grass here and there throughout the rest of the yard. Trees have complicated the small lot as well, but the birds love it. Anyway I just put in some Pennsylvania Sedge in one area under my half-failing redbud to see what happens. It never ends, but it’s always interesting.
Lovely!