A Meadow for Norwood Park

Norwood Park has a new meadow, just south of the soccer field, down the hill to the Bethesda Pool. Hundreds of volunteer hours were spent cleaning the 1/4 acre site of bush honeysuckle, multi-flora rose, porcelainberry vines and other non-native invasives.  Then the land was tilled and the first native wildflowers and grasses were planted in November 2014.  Today, there are over 30 species of native plants all grown from local seeds and you can see beautiful wildflowers in bloom from early spring to late fall. Thank you to Montgomery Parks for their partnership in this effort.  

HISTORY:

Starting in 2009, The LIttle Falls Watershed Alliance targeted the area for invasive weed removal. Over the next four years, members of the community and local businesses worked with the Weed Warrior Program to clear non-native vines and shrubs from the area with the hope that native plants could be restored to this very urban local park.  Almost 1,00 hours were spent in this effort. Finally in 2013, with the help of a grant from Whole Foods, LFWA partnered with Montgomery Parks on a multi-phase project  to build the meadow.  The first  step was to clear all the remaining debris and till the area. The ground rested for several months and the planting began in November 2014. Today, a meadow is established and has bloomed all spring and summer. 

Phase One was completed November 1, 2014, with a community planting day. Over 80 volunteers come out and planted 528 pots of wildflowers and grasses in the newly cleared area.  Meghan Fellows, the architect of the project, explained that the ideal meadow is 50 to 70 percent grasses.  The grasses provide seeds for song birds and habitat for small mammals.  Plants included milkweed, mint, old man's beard, bee balm, golden rod and several varieties of grasses. 

Phase Two was in spring of 2015 and we planted 150 more wildflowers.  Thank you to the  Buddhist Light International Association DC for helping with this. 

Phase Three was in November 2015.  More than 50 people came out in the rain no less and planted some 350 grasses and wildflowers. 

Phase Four was in April 2017.  Three hundred wildflowers were planted in the top of the meadow in this planting.  

The meadow was partially funded by a grant from Whole Foods.  Thank you to Ledo Pizza and Honest Tea for providing lunch for the volunteers on our first planting day.

Plant Lists:

Click HERE for a 2014 plant list  

Click HERE  for the November 2015 plant list.

Click HERE for a plant list of the April 2017 planting.

Pictures:

Click HERE for pictures of the November 2014 planting!

Click HERE for pictures of the Spring 2015 planting!

Click HERE for pictures of the November 2015 planting!

Click HERE for pictures of the April 2017 planting!

MEADOW IN BLOOM

More Pictures of the Meadow in bloom are HERE.