Making of a Meadow
Mark Pastorek of Pastorek Habitats LLC, a meadow maker from Louisiana, met with several board members of the Cypress Preserve Trust to make recommendations on creating a grassy wildflower meadow area. The Trust is now in the first stage of beginning this new project. First, we have sprayed the whole meadow area and the wildflower plots around the pavilion several times to kill invasive weeds. 2 plots have been developed- one on south side of north meadow ditch, and one on the north side of the ditch behind the outdoor classroom. Both plots were sprayed for weeds several times. Jim Bell planted broom sedge plants on the south side of the ditch. Native wildflower seeds- plains and dwarf red coreopsis, clasping coneflower, obedient plant, ironweed, and cardinal flower seeds- were planted in the second plot north of the ditch. Wildflower seeds were not planted around the pavilion this year. We do plan to plant more native grasses and wildflower seeds in the main meadow area next October.
Wildflower seed planting north of meadow ditch- Dec. 2015
Broom sedge planted south of meadow
ditch- December 2015.
In the past few years, the front area around the pavilion of the Cypress Preserve has been a showy wildflower meadow for the late spring and early summer months. Wildflowers are left to go to seed, then cut back, raked off, then weeds are sprayed through the winter months in anticipation of new wildflower seeds, planted in October, to bloom in the spring. In the last 2 years, the vetch, dock, and clover have become noxious weeds in the front plots. The Trust has made the decision to spray a whole year for weeds and not plant the wildflower plots in the front until October of 2016. Therefore the pavilion will not have wildflowers this spring and summer, but hopefully we can plant annual and perennial native plants and flowers that will come back each year and bloom in different seasons of the year. Spot spraying for weeds will be necessary, but we hope to continue the beauty around the pavilion by beginning to plant.
Pavilion after spraying for weeds in December 2015.
Meadow after being sprayed for weeds.
Wildflower plot in front of pavilion has fall bloom in 2018 consisting of boneset, goldenrod, ironweed, swamp marigold, and asters.
Broomsedge, purple love grass were planted by Jim Bell in 2017. Wildflower seeds were also planted in groupings along the trail. By fall of 2018, the meadow was filled with boneset and goldenrod. By Spring of 2019,
the meadow's grasses and wildflowers were abundant.
Greenville Cypress Preserve Highway 82 West and Cypress Lane Greenville, Mississippi