The Generosity of Meadows

Sustainable World Radio- Ecology and Permaculture Podcast

Episode 163: What if you could replace your monocrop grass lawn with a “solar powered regenerative system that stores carbon while creating habitats”? You can! Learn how in this informative episode with Owen Wormser.

Did you know that the average lawn is a a biological desert that needs vast amounts of resources to stay alive? By replacing your lawn with a meadow, you can sink carbon, retain water, provide habitat, attract pollinators, create beauty, and save money.

Owen fills us in on how to transition your lawn to a biodiverse meadow and what a meadow needs to thrive. He shares some of his favorite meadow plants, like Needle Grass, Echinacea, and Black Eyed Susan. These plants tend to be resilient and don’t need rich soil to grow well, so you don’t have to use a lot of amendments, a stark contrast to the average lawn. Another benefit of meadows is that you only need to mow them once a year- that alone may be enough to make many of us make the switch!

Owen also talks about a few of the challenges of meadow-making, including the time it can take to fully establish a meadow, which can be up to two to three years.

Hearing Owen Wormser talk about meadows, you can’t help but want to create one! Owen is a landscape designer with a focus on sustainability and low-maintenance design. He is the author of the book Lawns into Meadows. Owen’s work is rooted in perspective and expertise drawn from landscape architecture, horticulture, permaculture, organic agriculture, and ecology.

Owen is the owner and founder of Abound Design and the co-founder of Local Harmony, a nonprofit focused on encouraging and creating community driven regeneration.

Thanks to Owen for teaching us about meadows, nature, and the abundance of the natural world!

Other links and mentions:

Lawns into Meadows.

Prairie Moon Nursery