Progress Report: The Front Meadow

These bottle bugs that E and I brought from Rosario hang in the crepe myrtle that grows at the edge of the meadow.

Last year, my friend Russ of LA Farm Hands helped me install a puddle of meadow in my front yard, replacing what I had left of a lawn. (If you're curious, you can read about that installation here.) I've enjoyed the meadow for a year now, and today, I spent a few minutes looking at pictures of it just post-installation, comparing those photos to the way it looks now. Let's take a look at it this morning:

The clumps of Carex praegracilis are widening, but still haven't tangled into each other.

I didn't know to expect the pretty golden curls on the aging leaves. C. praegracilis is providing more textural interest than I anticipated.

I like the way the light plays on it.

The ipheion I tucked in a couple places to provide winter color is sending up its foliage; midwinter it will put on a show of starry blue-lavender flowers. Last winter's performance lasted well over a month.

The rainlily (Zephyranthes candida) foliage disappears into the sedge's leaves, but its surprise, crystalline flowers feel like treasures when they appear.

Overall, I love how this meadow is shaping up, even though it has not yet fully grown in. It's so much more interesting than a lawn, it takes less water to look good, and each season gives it new pleasures to enjoy.