Meadow Lab, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA (2026)

01/09/2026

What does a meadow feel like?

For Liza Kiesler, it’s the feeling of a breath of fresh air - a space that gives a sense of lightness and freedom to someone stepping inside. Based in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Liza is the founder of Viburnum Gardens ( ), where her work begins with grasses, sedges, and subtle base layers that hold entire systems together.

In this Field Notes conversation, Liza reflects on:

• meadows as emotional and spatial experiences
• why there’s never “empty” ground in a real meadow
• the underestimated difficulty of sown meadows
• grasses as the true architects of resilience
• what alpine plant communities can teach us about companionship over competition 
She imagines meadows not just in fields, but in places of tension — outside courthouses, town halls, anywhere a pause with bees and seedheads might soften the day. “More nature snacks,” she says. We couldn’t agree more.
 Read the full Field Notes at the link in bio + explore Liza’s work at

12/10/2025

For projects that call for something highly specific—ecotypes from a particular region, mixes tuned to moisture or shade, or plant communities that support regulatory or biodiversity goals—we offer custom-grown meadow sod. 
These mixes start at the seed level, built for the site’s environmental conditions and long-term function. Because they’re grown to order, they require 6–12 months of lead time, depending on the season. Minimum order is 4,200 ft². 
Custom sod can be a good fit for: • Projects needing regionally specific species or genetics • Sites with distinct soil, hydrology, or light patterns • Wetland or biodiversity compliance requirements • Meadow designs that benefit from a precise plant palette • Events or installations meant to establish a lasting, living landscape 
Pictured here: A straight-species sod we grew this year featuring one of our favorite native grasses, Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple Lovegrass). Photos rarely capture the full effect—this one shimmers in person. It’s a warm-season perennial that thrives where many grasses won’t: hot, dry, nutrient-poor, and sandy sites, even roadsides with winter salt exposure. Its fine, cloud-like seedheads bring a luminous texture in late summer, and its slow-spreading, tufted habit keeps it well-behaved in designed landscapes.

11/25/2025

On the coast of Maine, where spruce woods meet long-used pastureland, Landscape Designer Gavin Boyce-Ratliff is shaping meadows that honor both history and place. Through his practice, , he works across the Northeast to create herbaceous landscapes rooted in ecology, craft, and a real understanding of how meadows come into being.

In our November edition of Field Notes, our ongoing series with designers and practitioners exploring the role of meadows in contemporary landscapes, Gavin talks about a life shaped by grasslands, from New England fields to the prairies of the Mountain West. His plantings blend warm-season grasses, forbs, and a few favorite non-native species that add contrast, texture, and movement.

We loved interviewing Gavin for this series - link in bio for the full conversation.

11/25/2025

On the coast of Maine, where spruce woods meet long-used pastureland, Landscape Designer Gavin Boyce-Ratliff is shaping meadows that honor both history and place. Through his practice, , he works across the Northeast to create herbaceous landscapes rooted in ecology, craft, and a real understanding of how meadows come into being.

In our November edition of Field Notes, our ongoing series with designers and practitioners exploring the role of meadows in contemporary landscapes, Gavin talks about a life shaped by grasslands, from New England fields to the prairies of the Mountain West. His plantings blend warm-season grasses, forbs, and a few favorite non-native species that add contrast, texture, and movement.

We loved interviewing Gavin for this series - link in bio for the full conversation.

11/14/2025

“Landscapes have the potential to be four-dimensional art, with time being the fourth dimension...There is always something new to discover.”
— Darrel Morrison

We return to this idea often in our work. Morrison pioneered ecological landscape design by weaving together science, close observation, and native plant communities. His approach creates places that don’t just survive, but evolve with intention.

Nowhere is this more evident than in meadows, where season, weather, and succession make time unmistakably visible. Paying attention to these shifts offers a clearer view of how plant communities function, adapt, and build resilience.

Designing with time means embracing change as a feature, not a problem. It means accepting that we can’t predict or control everything—that a landscape will surprise us, outlive our intentions, and become something richer than we could possibly imagine. 💚

11/12/2025

As winter settles in, our meadow species begin to show their autumnal hues — russets, golds, and deep greens that speak to the season’s quiet beauty. 
This week, our team is harvesting nearly 70 pallets of sod bound for a project in New York City. Each pallet represents months of patient growth and care — and the incredible work of our partners at . Huge thanks to Greg, Kelly, Luis, and Ube (all pictured here), and to the many others whose steady hands and good humor have made our first growing season, and harvests like this, possible. 
We’re often asked about winter installations for Wildflower Sod. In fact, winter is a great time to install Wildflower Sod. Watering needs are reduced as plants enter dormancy. We just recommend that you pay attention to unexpected warm weather or unseasonably dry spells (which increasingly arrive more often than they should!) to ensure the sod doesn’t dry out too much before it’s fully rooted in.  As always, our team’s here for questions! Link in bio above.

10/31/2025

Landscape Designer Ben O’Brien of .by.design grew up among the hayfields of rural Ontario — landscapes shaped by both intention and accident. Today, that early connection to “imperfect but full-of-life” places continues to inform work at his firm, Wild by Design, based in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

In our latest Field Notes conversation, where we interview designers and practitioners about the evolving role of meadows in contemporary landscapes, Ben reflects on the unpredictability, complexity, and quiet resilience that make meadows endlessly compelling.

Link in bio for his (wonderful!) full interview.

10/24/2025

As Doug Tallamy writes, “Plants are not optional on this planet. With few exceptions, neither we nor anything else can live without them.” Every ecosystem, every bird song, every meal - begins with a leaf that captured sunlight. When our landscapes replace native plants with lawns and ornamentals, we erase that foundation.

One of the things we like best about Tallamy’s work is his message of hope. He reminds us that we don’t need to wait for institutions or vast wildlands to make a difference — we can start small; we can start right outside our back doors. Hope lives in the small, cumulative acts we take on.

Our power to restore nature begins at home. All we have to do is plant it back.

10/09/2025

Have sod, will travel! We’re headed to and would love to see you there. Stop by booth #343 to say hi!

10/07/2025

How much grass is in your mix?
Too often, wildflower seed mixes are filled with a lot of grass seed, which can be easier and cheaper to produce. 
Our seed mixes — Upland Eastern Native and Eastern Native Enriched — share a common 40% grass backbone, developed in collaboration with the team at  
Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) is the primary visual anchor, supported by a cast of supporting grasses and sedges that build the matrix into which drifts of forbs emerge. 
Like the grasses in this photo, all of the species we use are beautiful in their own right. (Have you ever seen a sea of Little Bluestem in the frost?). But they’re also the most important structural element of a meadow: feeding insects and nesting animals, anchoring soil, holding moisture, and giving the meadow its shape and longevity. 
If you know your grasses, you might notice two Bouteloua species (Bouteloua curtipendula and Bouteloua gracilis) in the mix. These short-lived but strikingly beautiful natives can fade in our heavier Northeastern soils — and that’s okay. We include them intentionally, as a kind of nurse crop, lending early structure and tensile strength while slower, longer-lived species like Little Bluestem and Carex brevior establish. Finding the right balance between early vigor - which aids in w**d suppression - and lasting integrity is a fine line.  After some successful trials this summer, we’re also working on refining some straight native grass sods for 2026. Drop a note below with your species requests! 

09/29/2025

Founder Marissa Angell of is building a reputation for creating landscapes that feel alive, resilient, and rooted in their surroundings.

In this month’s Field Notes interview, where we share the work of designers we’re obsessed with, Marissa talks about why she’s “cruel” to her plants, and how she loves working with sites that have significant constraints… clay soil, blazing sun, deep shade or rocky ledges. “In each of these instances, the existing conditions put guardrails on the design and simplify palettes for us in really exciting ways, bringing plant communities into sharper focus.”

A licensed landscape architect with degrees from Cornell University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Marissa is the founder of Angell Landscape Architecture, a WBE-certified practice based in upstate New York. Her projects span the Northeast, from Manhattan rooftops to Cape Cod gardens. Link in bio for full interview.

Meadow Lab

01/09/2026

12/10/2025

11/25/2025

11/25/2025

11/14/2025

11/12/2025

10/31/2025

10/24/2025

10/09/2025

10/07/2025

09/29/2025

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