The Sogkonate Garden Club members created a garden at Veteran’s Field in Little Compton to demonstrate how to establish a pollinator meadow of native plants in a grassy area. The garden was begun in 2017-18, after an inspiring workshop given by Douglas Tallamy. We wanted to show how native plants can be beautiful, as well as ecologically beneficial.

In the fall of 2017, the lawn was rototilled, covered with black plastic (solarized) and weighted with stones for the winter. In late spring of 2018, the area was uncovered, tilled and planted with small plugs of native flowers and grasses, water and mulched. During the summer, it was weeded and watered as needed, then left to overwinter in its natural state.

In the spring of 2019, early spring, the garden was mowed. By May, most of the plants began to re-emerge and thrived without needing water over the summer. It was weeded occasionally and left to overwinter providing food for birds. The sequence of mowing in early spring, weeding occasionally and leaving the garden to overwinter continued for the next four years.

Starting in 2024: We stopped mowing in early spring, and instead we cut plants to 12-18 inch height in order to preserve overwintered stems until the hibernating insects and other wildlife emerged. Then in early June, as plants grew rapidly, we did a “Chelsea Chop” which keeps plants from becoming too tall and allows fuller flowering. Only newly planted plugs are watered; the rest of the plantings thrive with only rainwater. Every two weeks, garden club members weed out invasive plants, and mulch with straw as needed. Flowers are visited by pollinators, and left to make seeds which feed birds over the winter. Stems remain as important refuges for overwintering insects.

We hope that community members enjoy this area and will create their own pollinator-friendly and sustainable habitats.