Pocket Meadow & Edible Dogscape
Give the land the right start, and it responds quickly. In as little as three months, barren ground can transform into a vibrant meadow alive with color, pollinators, and movement. But speed alone doesn’t guarantee long-term success. Overplanting or selecting inappropriate species can create challenges down the road—plants may collapse, spread aggressively, or overwhelm the space.
After completing hundreds of projects, we’ve learned which species thrive together, remain resilient, and create balanced, lasting landscapes. Even better, these carefully selected plants are available directly through our garden center.
This project also included the creation of an edible, dog-friendly landscape designed for both beauty and everyday living. Within a custom-designed fence and series of gates, we integrated hardy, non-toxic plants alongside productive edible varieties, creating a space that welcomes play, exploration, and daily use without compromising ecological health or durability. The result is a landscape that supports both the people and animals who share it.
All of this was built in the heart of a small city, on a highly visible corner that acts as both neighborhood landmark and living demonstration garden. The site offers sweeping views toward Mount Beacon and the Hudson Highlands, connecting the everyday rhythms of urban life with the larger regional landscape beyond. The garden stands as a reminder that meaningful ecological restoration can happen not only in remote or rural places, but right where people live.
Planting in this way is about more than beauty. It is a meaningful alternative to conventional lawns, which currently cover more than 40 million acres in the United States—more than any single food crop. Replacing even a small portion with diverse plantings helps reduce reliance on gas-powered maintenance and chemical inputs, while providing habitat, nourishment for pollinators, healthier soil, and increased ecological resilience.
Every replanted square foot moves us away from extraction and toward restoration. A small meadow is not simply ornamental; it is a quiet, powerful act of renewal and care. As Audre Lorde reminds us, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.” Tending the land in this way carries that same spirit—sustaining both our environments and our communities through thoughtful stewardship.