Tiny + Wild:  Build a Small-Scale Meadow Anywhere

The Master Gardener’s Bookshelf

Tiny + Wild: Build a Small-Scale Meadow Anywhere by Graham Laird Gardner

Review by Susan Wilhelm, Extension Master Gardener

Flowering meadows with their varied colors and textures are attractive and provide great ecological benefits. But are they practical in small urban yards or in neighborhoods with homeowner association (HOA) requirements? Graham Laird Gardner, author of Tiny + Wild: Build a Small-Scale Meadow Anywhere, says the answer is yes. His book, winner of a 2024 American Horticultural Society Book Award, tells you exactly how to do it.

Gardner explains that meadow-style gardens “are part of a greater movement toward ecological landscape management.”  Planted with a mix of grasses, or grass-like plants, interspersed with wildflowers or other plants, they simulate natural plant communities providing habitat and beauty. One well-known example is the High Line in New York City.

Why plant a meadow in a home landscape? Gardner says you can pack more diversity and resilience in a tight space with a small meadow than with a traditional perennial garden. And, once established, these gardens can require less maintenance than a traditional perennial bed. Miniature meadows are fun to grow, too, because plants move around creating different patterns over time.

Gardner says a small-scale meadow can be grown anywhere—in a large container or groups of containers on a balcony or rooftop, in an area at the base of a mailbox, or in a portion of a larger yard. Other options include raised beds or “hell strips” between sidewalks and roads. Regardless of the ultimate size of your garden, Gardner suggests beginning with a small area that will be easier to manage, less costly to plant, and will provide an opportunity to gain experience about which plants work best in your location. He also suggests starting with a goal in mind, for example, providing habitat for pollinators or butterflies.

Tiny + Wild explains each step for creating a mini meadow, from design and site preparation to planting and maintenance (watering, weeding, mowing). The level of detail is sufficient to ensure that the reader has a realistic idea of what it takes to create a meadow and to help ensure its success. For example, the watering instructions differentiate between newly planted and more established gardens, and the planting instructions describe considerations for using seeds, plugs, or full-sized plants. Sample lists at the end identify potential plants arranged by height (ground covers, medium, tall), growing conditions (dry sun, part shade), and type of plants (grasses, annuals, edibles). Gardener also includes great photographs and practical advice on issues ranging from dealing with HOAs to how to plant root bound plants.

Gardner encourages the reader to think of Tiny + Wild as a project management tool. He also says it is about hope—how gardeners can create ecological landscapes that nurture nature as well as the gardener.

Tiny + Wild: Build a Small-Scale Meadow Anywhere by Graham Laird Gardner (Cool Springs Press, 2023) is available at the Arlington Public Library, the Fairfax County Public Library, and national booksellers.

Check out these resources for inspiration for your own meadow-like garden.

• The Meadow Garden, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

• The native plant meadow located in “the dimple,” in front of the Main Gate of the Filene Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
• Glenstone, Potomac, Maryland

• The Meadow at State Arboretum of Virginia, Blandy Experimental Farm, Boyce, Virginia
• Piet Oudolf Meadow Garden, Delaware Botanic Gardens, Dagsboro, Delaware
• Regional Gardens: The Meadow Garden at Longwood Gardens, Elaine Mills, Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, October 10, 2018
• Native Herbaceous Plants Provide Shelter and Nesting Sites for Wildlife, Elaine Mills, Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, March 1, 2023