ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1345: VIII International Conference on Landscape and Urban Horticulture
Sub-alpine wildflower meadows as a template for water-conserving landscape design in the western United States |
| Authors: | P.S. Allen, A.J. Brown |
| Keywords: | natural landscapes, seed ecology, sustainable urban landscapes, water-conserving landscapes |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1345.26 |
| Abstract:
Non-indigenous settlers in the Rocky Mountain region of the western United States were largely of European heritage. Landscaping practices in this area during the 19th and 20th centuries were based on the gardening practices of Europe. Lush lawns, non-native plants, and intensive flower gardens are still common. Today, most people living in the Rocky Mountains reside in cities located at the base of mountain ranges. These areas are classified as semi-arid environments, meaning that potential evapotranspiration exceeds annual precipitation. Water shortages affect millions of people in this region. Thus, traditional landscapes may not be sustainable in the future. Sub-alpine meadows in the western United States include a variety of grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs. When plants associated with these meadows are installed at lower elevations, they require just a fraction of the supplemental irrigation that is required by traditional landscapes. Furthermore, wildflower meadows could serve as an important buffer against wildfires at the urban-wildland interface. Attempts to create these beautiful landscapes have generally failed, for the following reasons: 1) compaction and loss of soil structure prior to or during installation; 2) addition of nutrient-rich topsoil favours competitive weeds; 3) failure to plant a sufficient number of different species, including perennial bunchgrasses and shrubs; 4) low availability and high cost of native seeds; 5) employing an agronomic rather than an ecological focus to establishment and management. In short, the expertise to create successful wildflower meadows is largely lacking at the individual, company, or organization level. Based on decades of research coupled with hands-on approaches to ecological restoration, we have identified methods to overcome these challenges. We briefly highlight two highly contrasting yet successful wildflower meadows: one based on sub-alpine ecosystems and the second based on Midwestern (USA) prairie ecosystems to illustrate how success can more reliably be achieved. | |
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