What is the best way to convert most of my acre of lawn to wildflowers?
A. You might want to check your local zoning regulations to make sure you are permitted to convert your lawn to a meadow before you go to the labor and expense. Many communities have restrictions on how tall grass is permitted to grow. There are ways to make meadows more acceptable in zoned communities, such as maintaining a mowed strip along the perimeter of your property, or mowing around “beds” of native wildflowers and grasses. By mowing specific areas, you keep a maintained look that might satisfy your community’s zoning laws. You may also want to talk to your neighbors to help them understand what you are doing. Successful wildflower meadows are lower maintenance over the long term, but they are not the no-maintenance idylls promised by meadow-in-a-can advertisements. These over-simplified “meadows” may look good the first year because they contain many annuals that will not return the following year. A true wildflower meadow takes two or three years to establish, with careful at
