Start in autumn to turn your demanding lawn into a colorful, workfree meadow of wildflowers. Turn the sod with a spade or rototiller and work the soil deeply. Scatter seeds of wildflowers and wild grasses and rake them in lightly.
Sow more seeds in spring, and keep the seedlings watered until well established.
Mail-order seed houses and garden centers sell special meadow mixtures for specific regions.
Or you can gather your own ripe seed heads from roadside plants and from vacant lots. Don’t try to transplant established wildflower plants; they’ll probably die.
To give the plants time to reseed themselves, wait until the following fall to mow your meadow.
Keep pulling out weeds and tree seedlings. Once established, your meadow should thrive without fertilizing or watering. Mow it once or twice each season.