LWLA is helping Green-Wood Cemetery evaluate short native meadow mixes as a turf alternative.
Green-Wood Cemetery is committed to maintaining its historic landscape while also addressing ecological concerns over its 478 acres. This project examining native meadow as a turf alternative is evaluating three seed mixes as well as the mowing regimes needed to keep meadow vegetation below 15” (the average maximum height for avoiding obscuring shorter monuments). Unlike a conventional approach to test plots, the 12×12’ test plots are situated within larger seeded units, which reduce the influence of edge conditions on individual plots (thereby better mimicking actual performance over a larger area). Perhaps most importantly, these larger seeded units enable evaluation of mix appearance at a site scale.
Installed in the fall of 2022 the project and its findings will inform the design of native meadow seed mixes and management protocols for use across Green-Wood’s extensive landscape.
