Walsh Park Suburban Meadow Framingham

FEATURED FILMS

GALLERY

Design & Build

SPRING

SUMMER

Fall

Site Conditions

With High winds, 12+ hours of a sun, poor soil and a 45 degree angled south facing slope, the site is a tough place to grow.

In addition to being a tough growing site It was also problematic for the Parks and Rec maintenance team as the steep incline made mowing hazardous to the operator.

Crab grass and weeds were the dominant layer.

It was a perfect spot where maintenance, aesthetic, and ecological functions could be improved with better design and native plants.

Goals

The goals for the space were:

• Use native plants that are suited for the site as it is. Plants would need to be tough enough to handle the full sun, drought, high wind conditions, and the winter stresses from snow plowing and de icing treatments.

• Increase the visual interest of the space. Have something beautiful to enjoy while waiting at the stop light.

• Create a garden that would create food and habitat for pollinators and birds.

• Solve the hazardous weekly mowing maintenance requirements.

Design

Green Abundance wanted to create something natural but also designed (intentional).

We planted 14 different species of native wildflower, each planted in blocks across the entire length of the space. We then used 3 different native grasses to provide a short medium and tall framing structure to the flower plantings.

The goal is to mimic a natural meadow in function and layering, but with a more controlled layout to signal intent.

The installation was completed over the course of 2 days in the late summer of 2019 where nearly 1300 landscape plugs were planted over the 1300 sq ft of garden space.