We have groves in abundance here at River Farm, and a tidal "stream"-the mighty Potomac-that rivals in its beauty any river in the East. Now we are fashioning ourselves meadows, too, to bask in Wordsworth's "celestial light," of which we enjoy a surfeit. And of course our meadows serve more pragmatic purposes as well, such as reducing the amount of time we spend mowing grass-and thus our contributions to air, water, and noise pollution. This is an important consideration given the number of visitors who flock to River Farm in the summer.

It appears the dominion of the lawn may be finally waning, here in the United States as elsewhere. We all know-and appreciate-a good lawn when we see one. But we also know by now the awful environmental price we pay for the vast monoculture of our outdoor carpets. Entire ecosystems are currently in jeopardy owing to this pleasant indulgence, but we only have to lock up the mowers for a season or two to swing the balance.

Of course, nothing is ever quite that simple: Human intervention is required even in settings where aesthetics are not critical. If woody plants are not removed, meadows gradually become woodlands.

Since the mid-1990s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been paying farmers by the acre to convert unproductive fields back to meadowland. The purpose of this program is to re-establish habitat for the wide range of distressed fauna that call meadows home, and which play an integral role in nature's complex system of checks and balances.

Our job at River Farm will be even more complex. We are a companionship of gardeners, and gardening implies a degree of control. Our aim is not to simply let the chips fall where they may-an easy but frequently untidy solution-but to achieve, instead, a sort of "designer" meadow. Many of our native plant species evolved and thrive best in meadows, and these will be receiving our particular attention and encouragement.

Just as introduced species of birds will have to be prevented from commandeering the bluebird nesting boxes we'll be featuring in our meadow, invasive non-native plants will have to be held at bay and dealt with at ground level. We know that, ideally, 70 percent of our meadow should consist of warm-season grasses, and that these should be of the clumping variety to facilitate the movement of wildlife among them. We know which birds and butterflies favor particular plants, and which plants make ideal companions. We know how to provide for the needs of the pollinators, and how they in turn can be made to serve us.

In addition to encouraging bluebirds to nest at River Farm, we intend to put up a purple martin house overlooking the meadow. A single martin will eat up to 2,000 mosquitoes a day, so an entire colony, if we can attract them, will improve our quality of life in more ways than meet the eye. Other kinds of wildlife no doubt will come unsolicited to make their own contributions to our quality of life and the diversity of our meadow.

Since this is a new venture for us, there will undoubtedly be a learning curve involved here. We will keep you updated on what we learn. And if any of you have already gone this route, we'd love to hear from you. This is "smart gardening" in its elemental form, so let's compare notes. You can reach me by e-mail at jwalker@ahs.org. 

Janet Walker is director of horticulture at the American Horticultural Society's River Farm headquarters.