From Lawn to Meadow: Rewilding at Garth Newel

If you’ve headed up the nature trail at Garth Newel Music Center recently, you may have noticed something new on the hillside above the parking lot: an acre of colorful blooms, buzzing pollinators, and waving grasses where a plain lawn once stretched. This transformation is the work of the Garth Newel Rewilding Committee, a group of committed volunteers and staff who are rethinking how our 114-acre property interacts within the natural world.

Why a Meadow?

The idea to rewild a portion of lawn grew from several motivations. As Facilities Manager Matt Blees explained, “That acre was just grass—high maintenance, lots of mowing, and not much value to the ecosystem. Now it’s home to pollinators and something beautiful to share with visitors.”

The project began in September 2023, thanks to a donor who believed in the vision and whose gift enabled the hiring of J.D. Townsend Landscaping, a company experienced in ecological restoration, which advised on best practices and carried out the work. The area was tilled, cleared of grass, and seeded with native wildflowers. The first year was rough: drought conditions stressed the seedlings, and the meadow looked more like a patch of weeds than a postcard. But patience is part of the process. As Blees noted, “They told us it would take a couple of years. Now in year two, it’s flourishing—black-eyed Susans and other wildflowers are everywhere.”

The Rewilding Committee’s Broader Vision

The original impetus for rewilding at Garth Newel came from the Board of Directors, who recognized the need to be responsible to the planet as well as to Garth Newel’s mission of enriching lives through chamber music and performing arts. They approached Lee Elliott, a longtime friend of Garth Newel and a former board member, to head the committee. About the same time, she and her friend Margo Clegg created a native plant garden in memory of their good friend Janice McWilliams; located between Herter Hall and the Stables, it is now well established and thriving.

For Lee, the wildflower meadow project is about more than aesthetics: “With over 114 acres here, it made sense to look at the land ecologically, not just as grass to mow. Our goal is true ecosystem restoration, and that means focusing on native plants.”

The committee and Garth Newel staff recognize that a delicate balance must be struck between safety and the natural landscape. For instance, ticks thrive in unmowed vegetation and also carry dangerous diseases. Therefore, the areas around the buildings and the walks between them are mowed regularly.

The rewilding committee has also overseen the planting of serviceberries, oaks, and sweetspires—native trees and shrubs that support birds and insects. This fall, they will plant native azaleas above the Manor House, and they continue to plan for more diverse plantings across the property. As Lee says, “there is no shortage of opportunity on the Garth Newel property, and we won’t run out of ecosystem restoration projects.”

Not all the projects they have undertaken have been successful. For instance, redbud seedlings were planted on the Knoll, a spot high on the mountainside with a beautiful view where weddings often take place. They were nibbled to the ground by deer—a species, Lee quips, that “doesn’t seem to understand rewilding projects very well.”

Non-native, invasive plant species such as Oriental bittersweet, Japanese stiltgrass, and autumn olives pose a difficult issue at Garth Newel, as they do across North America; they don’t contribute much to the wild ecosystem while outcompeting native plants that naturally support myriad other species.

“Autumn olives are a perfect example of why we need to plant natives and reduce invasive species,” Lee explains. “In the spring, they are covered by delightful, sweet-smelling flowers. Yet you will find no pollinators, which totally avoid them. The birds eat their berries in the fall and spread the seeds, increasing the problem exponentially. They are a horrible plague.”

“Everybody should plant oaks and serviceberries,” Elliott emphasizes. “Oaks do more for the ecosystem than pretty much any other plant.”

A Living, Learning Landscape

The meadow is more than a habitat—it’s a teaching tool and a place for reflection. Inspired by conservationist Douglas Tallamy’s book Nature’s Best Hope, Elliott hopes the project encourages visitors to consider their own role in ecosystem restoration. “I wish everybody who reads about this would go home and plant a serviceberry,” she says with a laugh, but it’s clear she’s serious about small steps making a big difference.

For now, the wildflower meadow will require just one annual disturbance—either a controlled burn or bush-hogging in the fall—to keep it healthy. Burning the meadow is better, as bush-hogging creates thatch that can interfere with spring growth. The team plans its first burn in April 2026, which will discourage nonnative invasive species and open the soil for next year’s natives to emerge.

A Trail Through Change

Visitors can experience the meadow firsthand on the nature trail, a mile-long trail improved by Blees and Assistant Facilities Manager Max Fisher that winds through woodlands, past spectacular old trees, and now through the heart of the wildflower field. The view is not only beautiful but also symbolic—a reminder that Garth Newel is as much about the land as it is about the music.

As Elliott puts it, “It’s surprisingly difficult to restore the ecology once an area has been disturbed. It’s easier not to disturb nature in the first place than to bring it back. But we have to stay true to the idea of ecosystem restoration.”

And the efforts have paid off. What was once a patch of lawn now hums with life and color, a small acre that represents a much larger vision: that Garth Newel’s grounds, like its music, can inspire, nurture, and connect us to something greater.

Photo credits: Katherine Taylor