Landscape Design
Native Plants
Tour 3 Marvelous Meadow Gardens and Learn About Their Plants
From rural Netherlands acreage to a Minneapolis rooftop garden, these wild and exuberant spaces surprise and delight
Meadow gardens are a wonderful way to create a spectacular, sustainable landscape. When planned well, they create a beautiful view year round, with ever-changing colors and structures. And they will attract pollinators, birds and butterflies. Check out how avid gardeners tend to three meadow gardens that we’ve profiled on Houzz, in very different regions — the Blue Ridge Mountains, a rural village in the Netherlands and a rooftop in Minneapolis. We’ve included their plant lists to help inspire your own meadow garden.
The designer sometimes jokingly refers to the front yard as the septic garden. But with its abundance of color, texture, varying heights and surrounding mix of evergreen trees, it surely deserves a more poetic moniker.
Sifford enjoys the meadow garden view as he approaches his home and when he looks out from indoors. He also enjoys being immersed in the meadow — he placed a group of Adirondack chairs in the center, creating a favorite spot where he can enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day.
Browse Adirondack chairs in the Houzz Shop
Sifford enjoys the meadow garden view as he approaches his home and when he looks out from indoors. He also enjoys being immersed in the meadow — he placed a group of Adirondack chairs in the center, creating a favorite spot where he can enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day.
Browse Adirondack chairs in the Houzz Shop
“I looked at this garden as a big canvas for color and texture,” Sifford says. It’s also an opportunity to test out ideas for future client projects. And the butterflies that plants like this Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium dubium ‘Baby Joe’) attract are a beautiful bonus. He’s divided the plants into three groups: major players, punctuation and rhythm, and minor players.
Major players: Fountain grass (Pennisetum orientale ‘Karley Rose’), ornamental onion (Allium ‘Millenium’), tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’), sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’), blazing star (Liatris spicata), blunt mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), shore juniper (Juniperus conferta ‘Golden Pacific’), Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Denim ’n Lace’), feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’) and ‘Black Pearl’ coral bells (Heuchera hybrid)
Punctuation and rhythm: Weeping white spruce (Picea glauca ‘Pendula’), prostrate blue spruce (Picea pungens ‘Prostrata’), mugo pine (Pinus mugo ‘Valley Cushion’), barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Golden Rocket’) and Black Tower elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eiffel 1’)
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Major players: Fountain grass (Pennisetum orientale ‘Karley Rose’), ornamental onion (Allium ‘Millenium’), tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’), sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’), blazing star (Liatris spicata), blunt mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), shore juniper (Juniperus conferta ‘Golden Pacific’), Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Denim ’n Lace’), feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’) and ‘Black Pearl’ coral bells (Heuchera hybrid)
Punctuation and rhythm: Weeping white spruce (Picea glauca ‘Pendula’), prostrate blue spruce (Picea pungens ‘Prostrata’), mugo pine (Pinus mugo ‘Valley Cushion’), barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Golden Rocket’) and Black Tower elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eiffel 1’)
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Minor players: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’), cheddar pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Firewitch’), blue-green sedge (Carex flacca ‘Blue Zinger’), cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’), Japanese iris (Iris ensata ‘Variegata’) and other irises, panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Phantom’), lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Phenomenal’), meadow sage (Salvia pratensis ‘Midnight Model’), beardtongue (Penstemon ‘Midnight Masquerade’), New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’), betony (Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’), gaura (Gaura lindheimeri ‘Belleza’), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow Wild Berry’ and E. purpurea ‘Magnus’), lyme grass (Leymus arenarius ‘Blue Dune’), eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana ‘Grey Owl’), coastal sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’), blue holly (Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Princess’), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’), Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium dubium ‘Baby Joe’), Panther ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) and Ginger Wine ninebark (P. opulifolius ‘Ginger Wine’)
The confetti of colors provides beautiful contrast to the modern black dogtrot house Sifford built on the site. He constantly adds new photos of this project as the garden grows and evolves. It’s fun to check in and see how it’s evolving over time.
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The confetti of colors provides beautiful contrast to the modern black dogtrot house Sifford built on the site. He constantly adds new photos of this project as the garden grows and evolves. It’s fun to check in and see how it’s evolving over time.
Read more about this garden
2. Four Seasons of Beauty in the Netherlands
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: Maria and Jaap de Vries
Location: Jistrum, the Netherlands
Size: 2½ acres (1 hectare)
After retiring, self-taught garden designer Jaap de Vries followed his dream and created his own garden in the village of Jistrum, in the Friesland province of the Netherlands. His inspirations included Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf’s personal garden and Le Jardin Plume (The Feather Garden) near Rouen, France. He also sought advice from nursery owners on how to combine plants according to color and texture. The beautiful result is Jakobstuin (Jacob’s Garden).
De Vries defied the harsh climate of his rural property in the northern part of the country. Groupings of flowers and grasses create undulating waves on the flat landscape, and trees around the border help to protect the meadow from the region’s harsh winter winds. This remarkable garden enchants through all four seasons, as the shapes and colors of the plants transform.
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: Maria and Jaap de Vries
Location: Jistrum, the Netherlands
Size: 2½ acres (1 hectare)
After retiring, self-taught garden designer Jaap de Vries followed his dream and created his own garden in the village of Jistrum, in the Friesland province of the Netherlands. His inspirations included Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf’s personal garden and Le Jardin Plume (The Feather Garden) near Rouen, France. He also sought advice from nursery owners on how to combine plants according to color and texture. The beautiful result is Jakobstuin (Jacob’s Garden).
De Vries defied the harsh climate of his rural property in the northern part of the country. Groupings of flowers and grasses create undulating waves on the flat landscape, and trees around the border help to protect the meadow from the region’s harsh winter winds. This remarkable garden enchants through all four seasons, as the shapes and colors of the plants transform.
Grasses and perennials fill the meadow with green after the region’s long winter (shown here). They bring undulating waves to the flat landscape. Surrounding trees help to protect the meadow garden from winter’s harsh winds. “I select both classic and very rare plants. I spend a lot of time in specialized nurseries, and I listen to these professionals’ advice,” de Vries tells Houzz. “In the beginning, I started with classic plants I already knew about, and I gradually refined my choices.”
The first blooms of spring in the meadow at Jakobstuin include reticulata iris (Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’), winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis), grape hyacinth (Muscari botryoides), dogtooth violet (Erythronium ‘Pagoda’), snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) and a variety of tulips.
The meadow garden includes a variety of grasses. Many of them, such as Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima), used generously here, can be invasive in other parts of the world. It’s wise to research good choices for your own locale — local cooperative extension offices and reputable nurseries that focus on native plants can help. Armed with information, hit your local nursery with inspiration from de Vries — choose plants in a wide variety of heights, shapes, colors, and types of panicles and seed heads.
The first blooms of spring in the meadow at Jakobstuin include reticulata iris (Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’), winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis), grape hyacinth (Muscari botryoides), dogtooth violet (Erythronium ‘Pagoda’), snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) and a variety of tulips.
The meadow garden includes a variety of grasses. Many of them, such as Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima), used generously here, can be invasive in other parts of the world. It’s wise to research good choices for your own locale — local cooperative extension offices and reputable nurseries that focus on native plants can help. Armed with information, hit your local nursery with inspiration from de Vries — choose plants in a wide variety of heights, shapes, colors, and types of panicles and seed heads.
The garden reaches its colorful climax in summer. Much like Sifford, de Vries treated the garden as a canvas and the colors of the flowers and foliage as his palette.
The summer palette includes sneezeweed (Helenium spp.), globe thistle (Echinops sphaerocephalus), ornamental allium (Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’), lupine, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), beebalm (Monarda spp.), blazing star (Liatris spp.) and spiderflower (Cleome spp.).
The summer palette includes sneezeweed (Helenium spp.), globe thistle (Echinops sphaerocephalus), ornamental allium (Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’), lupine, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), beebalm (Monarda spp.), blazing star (Liatris spp.) and spiderflower (Cleome spp.).
De Vries eschews mowing in the fall so that he can enjoy the frost-covered structure the grasses give the garden during the winter. It’s as if they are holding a place for the blooms in spring and summer.
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Read more about this garden
3. Rooftop Meadow in Minneapolis
Who lives here: An active couple
Location: The Nokomis neighborhood of Minneapolis
Size: 1,096-square-foot (102-square-meter) roof, including a 115-square-foot (11-square-meter) sauna
Designers: SALA Architects (architecture), Omni Ecosystems/Rooftop Green Works (rooftop garden design)
Meadows don’t have to be vast. Or even planted in the ground. This meadow thrives on top of a garage roof in Minneapolis.
Rebuilding their dilapidated garage gave these homeowners a chance to fulfill three things on their home wish list. First, a rooftop sauna with a view of the neighborhood. Second, a rooftop meadow garden. Third, a beehive, to fulfill their love of beekeeping and to keep the garden well-pollinated. Jody McGuire of SALA Architects completed the design for the new structure, and Nick Petty of Omni Ecosystems/Rooftop Green Works managed the design and installation of the meadow garden on the roof.
McGuire connected the garage rooftop to the home by adding a staircase and a wide cedar deck off a second-story door. She floated the sauna structure and a boardwalk-style cedar walkway that leads to it above the meadow.
The beehive is on the left in the photo. Note: Depending on where you live, you may have to get approval from neighbors if you want a beehive. In this case, all the neighbors within the required 200 feet of the property were excited that the increase in the local pollinator population would help their gardens as well.
Nick Petty, who served as Omni’s project manager for this space, was happy to take on the project and loves the results. “It’s a gem,” he says. “It’s the smallness that sticks with people. It’s all about the details.” His favorite detail is the way the decking “floats” so that the sauna appears to be on an island of sorts. The walkway also helps protect the garden from being stressed or even destroyed.
Work with a green-roof specialist in your area
Who lives here: An active couple
Location: The Nokomis neighborhood of Minneapolis
Size: 1,096-square-foot (102-square-meter) roof, including a 115-square-foot (11-square-meter) sauna
Designers: SALA Architects (architecture), Omni Ecosystems/Rooftop Green Works (rooftop garden design)
Meadows don’t have to be vast. Or even planted in the ground. This meadow thrives on top of a garage roof in Minneapolis.
Rebuilding their dilapidated garage gave these homeowners a chance to fulfill three things on their home wish list. First, a rooftop sauna with a view of the neighborhood. Second, a rooftop meadow garden. Third, a beehive, to fulfill their love of beekeeping and to keep the garden well-pollinated. Jody McGuire of SALA Architects completed the design for the new structure, and Nick Petty of Omni Ecosystems/Rooftop Green Works managed the design and installation of the meadow garden on the roof.
McGuire connected the garage rooftop to the home by adding a staircase and a wide cedar deck off a second-story door. She floated the sauna structure and a boardwalk-style cedar walkway that leads to it above the meadow.
The beehive is on the left in the photo. Note: Depending on where you live, you may have to get approval from neighbors if you want a beehive. In this case, all the neighbors within the required 200 feet of the property were excited that the increase in the local pollinator population would help their gardens as well.
Nick Petty, who served as Omni’s project manager for this space, was happy to take on the project and loves the results. “It’s a gem,” he says. “It’s the smallness that sticks with people. It’s all about the details.” His favorite detail is the way the decking “floats” so that the sauna appears to be on an island of sorts. The walkway also helps protect the garden from being stressed or even destroyed.
Work with a green-roof specialist in your area
Unlike typical meadow gardens, a rooftop garden has weight limits. The infrastructure designed by Omni includes a half-inch-deep custom drainage system and a micro-irrigation system for those times when the weather doesn’t cooperate. The team added 6 inches of a lightweight and well-draining soil mix. To get the garden started, Petty planted plugs and seeded the soil with a custom meadow mix.
Petty says the owners had a clear vision for their garden: “They wanted to tap into regional and native plants and wanted to feel a connection with where they lived.” The plant palette is a combination of native plantings that have been proven to thrive in a rooftop microclimate, and plants from the homeowners’ wish list. They include the following:
Ornamental grasses: Blue joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Muskingum sedge (Carex muskingumensis) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
Hardy plants for color and structure: Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), longbract wild indigo (Baptisia bracteata), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), smooth oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides), whorled mountain mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum), nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum) and Short’s aster (Symphyotrichum shortii)
See 3 Gardens Beautifully Transformed by Native Plants
Petty says the owners had a clear vision for their garden: “They wanted to tap into regional and native plants and wanted to feel a connection with where they lived.” The plant palette is a combination of native plantings that have been proven to thrive in a rooftop microclimate, and plants from the homeowners’ wish list. They include the following:
Ornamental grasses: Blue joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Muskingum sedge (Carex muskingumensis) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
Hardy plants for color and structure: Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), longbract wild indigo (Baptisia bracteata), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), smooth oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides), whorled mountain mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum), nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum) and Short’s aster (Symphyotrichum shortii)
See 3 Gardens Beautifully Transformed by Native Plants
The plantings are a wild mix that provide a wide range of colors and shapes. And Petty notes that in the winter, this palette provides winter interest and structure. It adds to the experience of dashing across the boardwalk to the sauna on icy days.
Read more about this garden
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Read more about this garden
More on Houzz
Browse landscape photos
Read more landscape stories
Hire a landscape contractor
Shop outdoor products
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: Landscape designer Jay Sifford, who designed the landscape and installed the plants
Location: Near West Jefferson, North Carolina
Size: 1.4 acres (0.6 hectares)
Landscape designer Jay Sifford found his dream property tucked in a valley surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. When he built his home there, a large area out front had to be cleared for a septic field. For some, this would mean a spot for a front lawn. For a plant-loving designer, it meant an opportunity for an exuberant meadow garden. When choosing his plant palette, Sifford avoided plants with far-reaching roots, to protect the septic system.
Create a Wildlife-Friendly Meadow in Your Small Garden