Meadow and Wildflower Resources

Hello, meadow-makers! Here are ideas, articles, sources, books and more about the communities of grasses and flowers we call meadows. Scroll down to see all content. 

5 Benefits of Native Plant Meadows 

  1. Native plants are life-critical for many birds, pollinators, and other creatures. For some, they offer unique food or habitat. For others, they offer preferred food or habitat. In some cases, they offer better nutrition for wildlife than nonnative plants. In all cases, native plants are supportive of regional wildlife ecology. 
  2. Meadow plants grow deep roots and vigorous above-ground cover. They help stabilize surface soil and underground soil structure as well. 
  3. Meadow plants capture carbon through production of biomass, both above and below ground. They do so more quickly than trees, which take longer to reach their full ecological benefits. 
  4. Meadows are open spaces that require little mowing. They require no weekly visits from gas-powered equipment, and thus help reduce carbon emissions.
  5. Meadows are quiet. See point 4, above.  

Regional Wildflower and Grass Seeds: 

Eco59 (Southern New England provenance) 

Ernst Seed (Various provenances)

Helia Native Nursery (Berkshire/Taconic provenance) 

New England Wetland Plants

Wild Seed Project (Northern New England provenance)

Downloads on Meadows and Conservation Plantings: 

Meadow, Wildflower, and Pollinator books (alphabetical)

  • Attracting Native Pollinators, Xerces Society
  • Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Douglas Tallamy
  • Garden Revolution, Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher
  • Grasses, Sedges, Rushes, An Identification Guide, Lauren Brown and Ted Elliman
  • Growing and Propagating Wildflowers, William Cullina
  • Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field, John Lewis-Stempel 
  • Nature's Best Hope, Douglas Tallamy
  • Planting in a Post Wild World, Thomas Rainer and Claudia West
  • Planting: A New Perspective, Piet Oudoulf and Noel Kingsbury
  • The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes, Rick Darke
  • The Nature of Oaks, Douglas Tallamy
  • Urban and Suburban Meadows, Catherine Zimmerman
  • Wilding, Isabella Tree