Deer Track Meadow

Embracing seasonality and supporting our local ecosystem

Native plants can increase the beauty of a landscape, but they can also serve a significant role in increasing the ecological function of a landscape as well. For this residence, seasonal flooding prohibited maintenance in parts of the backyard. Our design creates a wet meadow garden in the wettest location of the yard, turning what was once a ‘problem area’ into a garden that is both beautiful and functional. 

Marsh Marigold and Golden Ragwort are dispersed throughout the garden, signaling springtime with bright pops of yellow. As the season progresses, the delicate blue of the Camas flower and Blue Flag Iris peek through the structural green stems of the Common Rush. Looking otherworldly, Buttonbush welcomes summer with white spherical inflorescences of flowers that resemble satellites and host many native pollinators. Blue Mist Flower and Swamp Milkweed are powerhouses of the warmer months as well, attracting bees, butterflies, and birds with their blooms. This garden puts on one more show of flowers in late summer with Joe-pye Weed and Sweet Coneflower bursting open with pink and yellow hues. As the garden embraces cooler autumn weather, Bushy Bluestem’s fluffy seed heads create a soft, cloud-like texture in the garden bed. The deciduous conifer, Bald Cypress, has needles that turn brilliant orange at this time of year, creating classic fall color for the garden. While the other perennials and shrubs prepare themselves for the next year, Winterberry provides bright red berries along bare branches, a feast for both the eyes and birds searching for late-season food. The multi-seasonality of this garden creates an active ecosystem year-round which contributes function and beauty to the landscape.

Project Completion: 2024