THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, September 25, 1994             TAG: 9409210056
SECTION: HOME                     PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
                                             LENGTH: Short :   46 lines

TURN YOUR YARD INTO A BLOOMING MEADOW

Tired of mowing? Let the lawnmower rest next summer, and turn your yard into a wildflower meadow filled with blooms, birds and butterflies, advises horticulturist Robert Lyon.

``A transplanted meadow requires no maintenance after installation and watering,'' said Lyons, manager of the horticulture gardens at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, who has been experimenting with blooming or transplanted meadows. Proper selection of flowers guarantees an impressive garden, regardless of weather or soil conditions, he said.

``You just sit back and watch the show until frost,'' he said. The blooms also make attractive cut-flower arrangements, Lyons said.

Lyons grows mixed annuals in a greenhouse. He transplants them into a plot that has been treated with herbicide and covers the plot with 3 inches of hardwood mulch. Then he irrigates for three weeks.

``I can't emphasize enough the importance of early weed control,'' Lyons said. ``It makes the difference between a beautiful display of flowers and a midsummer weed patch.''

To convert to a grassy site to a flower meadow, apply a herbicide such as Roundup now or next April One week later, till the soil to a depth of 1 foot. When dormant seeds germinate, reapply the herbicide but do not till again. Flowers should be set out in late May and mulched. Space them 1 foot apart.

If you don't have a greenhouse, ask a local greenhouse to grow the plants you need.

After a frost, plants can be uprooted and composted or plowed under. An alternative is to let seed heads ripen on the plants and fall to the ground to grow again next year. MEMO: Lyons will be in Hampton Roads to speak to the Native Plant Society

at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Norfolk Botanical Garden auditorium. The

meeting is free and open to the public. Call 422-6470. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

VIRGINIA TECH

A wildflower meadow provides changing colors and patterns.

by CNB