Natural landscape: Our Coastal Maine Wildflower Meadow

We have chosen to let the field beside our home grow naturally instead of keeping it closely trimmed. This simple decision has transformed the area into a beautiful wildflower meadow filled with wildlife, helpful pollinators, tall grasses, lush greenery, and colorful flowers throughout the warmer months.

During autumn, we have the field cleared with a machine known as a “bush hog,” leaving the landscape quiet and brown through the winter season.

Watching the field slowly awaken in spring and change throughout summer is one of the most rewarding parts of having this natural landscape.

Come Take a Walk Through the Meadow With Me and Cisco

Taking a peaceful walk through the meadow with Cisco is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the beauty of this special place. Every season brings new sights, sounds, and discoveries among the grasses and flowers.

Maine Wild Lupine

The lupines are beginning to disappear for the season, but they have already created a stunning display across the field. These flowers grow naturally throughout Maine and are a familiar sight in many local landscapes, including ours.

Have you ever read the children’s book Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney? The story follows a woman who decides to make the world more beautiful by spreading lupine seeds throughout nature.

The shades of purple, pink, and white from these flowers certainly bring extra beauty and charm to my surroundings.

Grasses

Our meadow is home to many different varieties of grasses, with some growing even taller than I am. I love seeing them move gently with the breeze, creating a peaceful, flowing scene.

One of my favorite views is looking across the field toward our home, with the water stretching out in the distance beyond it.

Across the Field From the House

The view from the house looking across the meadow toward the guest cottage and our neighbor’s property is just as lovely.

The combination of swaying grasses, open space, and the surrounding landscape creates a simple but memorable countryside scene.

Flowers All Summer

The meadow continues to change as the summer progresses. At the moment, we have buttercups, daisies, clover, and small white flowers that I have yet to identify growing throughout the field.

Later in the season, Queen Anne’s Lace and Loosestrife will add even more texture and color to the landscape.

This year, I also planted Cosmos and Bachelor Buttons, and I’m excited to see whether they become part of the meadow’s summer display.

A Flowering Tree

We also planted a crabapple tree in the yard because I wanted to bring back the feeling of the flowering trees I loved when we lived near Washington, D.C.

Its seasonal blooms add another beautiful feature to our natural surroundings.

Bringing Meadow Flowers Indoors

One of my favorite morning routines is walking through the field with the dogs and gathering a few flowers to create bouquets for our home.

Bringing these wild blooms indoors allows us to enjoy a little piece of the meadow throughout the day.

The Stone Wall

A few years ago, we added a stone wall to create a natural division between the wild meadow and the more carefully maintained lawn area.

We also created a pathway that leads through the field. Someday, I would love to place a bench at the top of the path where my sister Amy can sit and enjoy the view whenever she visits.

The path and the idea for the bench were both inspired by her, making this little corner of the meadow even more meaningful.