A new wildflower meadow is taking root at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness.
The project has been three years in the making. Before planting, Homegrown NH host and lead horticulturist Emma Erler had to tackle a half-acre area overrun with invasive plants, including goutweed, multiflora rose and bittersweet.
“We needed to start with a blank slate,” Erler said.
After mowing the area repeatedly, the team covered the site with heavy-duty black plastic in July 2025. The tarps remained in place for about a year and a half.
“We crossed our fingers that everything underneath was giving up the ghost as it tried to sprout,” said Erler. Depriving the invasive plants of sunlight helps eliminate their persistent root systems.
Erler and a team of volunteers pulled back the black plastic to sow the meadow in October.
The timing is important: Late-fall planting helps prevent additional weeds from germinating and gives perennial seeds the cold conditions many need for better germination in spring.
Erler chose a perennial wildflower mix that includes tickseed, Joe-Pye weed, asters and goldenrods, along with warm-season bunch grasses.
“While perennials are slower to become established, and you're going to have to wait a year or two before you actually start to see any color from those flowers,” Erler said, “but they'll last for years and years.”
When it comes to sowing, tiny wildflower seeds can be mixed with fine sand or vermiculite to make them easier to distribute evenly. A rotary spreader, similar to one used for grass seed or fertilizer, is another option.
Erler also advises against amending the soil. A diverse seed mix suited to the Northeast should include plants adapted to local conditions, allowing the species best suited to the existing soil to thrive.
The team will monitor for returning invasive plants. Watering may help during extended dry periods, but the Science Center will largely rely on natural rainfall.
For Erler, the project is also an opportunity to demonstrate to visitors how they can create a pollinator habitat on their own properties.
“Hopefully this is something a lot of people are going to want to recreate in their own yards,” she said.
Homegrown NH is a collaboration between NHPR and Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.
