The low-lying northwest corner of Hardesty Park in Akron’s Wallhaven neighborhood was little more than a soggy patch of mown grass last year, often too wet for visitors to enjoy.

Today, it’s a thriving native meadow that attracts dragonflies, goldfinches, pollinators and other wildlife.

Rebecca Derr, 53, was among the volunteers who helped plant the meadow last fall. Now, nearly every day, she leaves her home office during a work break to walk through it.

“I walk around out there at least once a day to go look at all the different things that have bloomed and see the animals that are enjoying it,” Derr said.

A meadow planting filled with coreopsis, also known as tickseed, partridge peas, monarda, brown-eyed Susans, yarrow and other native plants, covers the side of a hill at Patterson Park in North Hill behind the tennis courts. The meadow is intended to keep the City of Akron from having to mow as much acreage, particularly on a hill that makes mowing more hazardous. The meadow is the second installed by the city as part of a partnership with the Akron Parks Collaborative — the first was put in at Hardesty Park in Wallhaven. (
A meadow planting filled with coreopsis, also known as tickseed, partridge peas, monarda, brown-eyed Susans, yarrow and other native plants, covers the side of a hill at Patterson Park in North Hill behind the tennis courts. The meadow is intended to keep the City of Akron from having to mow as much acreage, particularly on a hill that makes mowing more hazardous. The meadow is the second installed by the city as part of a partnership with the Akron Parks Collaborative — the first was put in at Hardesty Park in Wallhaven. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

The transformation within the park is serving as a model for Akron’s expanding meadow program. After launching its first native meadow there, the city established a second site at Patterson Park Community Center in North Hill and is installing meadows this year at Barc Akron Dog Park in Cascade Valley and the city’s new Glendale Park in West Hill.

The Margaret Park area on Manchester Road west of Summit Lake, which is city-owned green space, is scheduled to receive a meadow next year.

The meadow program is a partnership between the City of Akron and the Akron Parks Collaborative, growing out of an effort to rethink how Akron maintains its 166 parks. 

A bee finds a coneflower in a native meadow located in the northwest corner of Akron’s Hardesty Park. The meadow is serving as a pilot for the expansion of the meadow program.
A bee finds a coneflower in a native meadow located in the northwest corner of Akron’s Hardesty Park. The meadow is serving as a pilot for the expansion of the meadow program. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)

The city has about 500 acres of mowable parkland,  a number it hopes to reduce  by about 100 acres, allowing maintenance crews to spend more time improving the parks instead of mowing them, said Leah Heiser, a landscape technician for the City of Akron.

Unlike traditional turf grass, native meadows require less maintenance once they are established while also reducing stormwater runoff, increasing biodiversity, creating wildlife habitat and lowering fuel use and noise from mowing, Heiser said.

The first meadow at Hardesty Park helped the city and the parks collaborative evaluate their approach before they moved forward.

The low-lying northwest corner of Akron’s Hardesty Park is home to a thriving native meadow.
Tickseed and brown-eyed Susans cover the low-lying northwest corner of Akron’s Hardesty Park, which is home to a thriving native meadow. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)

“We looked at it as a pilot project to learn from and then expand from there,” said Bridget Ambrisco, executive director of the Akron Parks Collaborative. “As we expand, we’re trying to grow in a sustainable way so that we make sure they’re maintained.”

As the initiative grows, Akron Parks Collaborative is also working to educate residents about the purpose of the meadows and what to expect as they mature. The organization plans to install interpretive signs explaining the benefits of native meadows and why the city is moving away from some traditional turf areas.

Choosing where meadows in Akron parks belong

When selecting locations for new meadows, the city looks for areas that are not already being used for active recreation such as soccer fields or baseball diamonds. Those spaces will continue to be maintained as traditional grass areas, Ambrisco said.

Instead, the city evaluates larger parks to identify areas where a meadow can provide environmental benefits while also reducing maintenance needs.

Coreopsis or tickseed, highlights a bed of green in the meadow planting at Patterson Park in Akron's North Hill neighborhood. The meadow, located on the west side of the tennis courts on a steep incline, is intended to keep the City of Akron from having to mow as much acreage, particularly on a hill that makes mowing more hazardous. The meadow is the second installed by the city as part of a partnership with the Akron Parks Collaborative — the first was put in at Hardest Park in Wallhaven.
Coreopsis or tickseed, highlights a bed of green in the meadow planting at Patterson Park in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. The meadow, located on the west side of the tennis courts on a steep incline, is intended to keep the City of Akron from having to mow as much acreage, particularly on a hill that makes mowing more hazardous. The meadow is the second installed by the city as part of a partnership with the Akron Parks Collaborative — the first was put in at Hardest Park in Wallhaven. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

“Hardesty Park made a lot of sense because it’s a very visible neighborhood park,” Ambrisco said.

The steep hillside behind the tennis courts at Patterson Park Community Center is another example of how the city is identifying potential meadow sites. It made mowing difficult and potentially dangerous for maintenance crews.

“We thought, ‘Let’s reevaluate some of the sites that can be hazardous to mow,'” Heiser said.

Establishing a meadow takes time. The city will evaluate its success by monitoring whether native species are growing and thriving at each site.

Brown-eyed susan highlights a field of other native plants in the meadow at Patterson Park in Akron's North Hill neighborhood. The meadow, located on the west side of the tennis courts on a steep incline, is intended to keep the City of Akron from having to mow as much acreage, particularly on a hill that makes mowing more hazardous. The meadow is the second installed by the city as part of a partnership with the Akron Parks Collaborative — the first was put in at Hardest Park in Wallhaven.
Brown-eyed Susans highlight a field of other native plants in the meadow at Patterson Park in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. The meadow, located on the west side of the tennis courts on a steep incline, is intended to keep the City of Akron from having to mow as much acreage, particularly on a hill that makes mowing more hazardous. The meadow is the second installed by the city as part of a partnership with the Akron Parks Collaborative — the first was put in at Hardest Park in Wallhaven. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

“Plants, even perennials, the first year, they sleep; the second year, they creep; the third year, they leap,” Heiser said.

Meadow plantings typically take three to five years to become fully established, Heiser said. In the early years, shorter-lived perennials provide color while longer-lived plants continue developing their root systems underground.

“You’re gonna always see a different meadow,” Heiser said. “Every year, it’s gonna be different, and every season, it’s gonna be different.”

West Hill residents ask for more green space

In addition to the sites the city identifies for the meadow program, neighborhoods can also request a meadow in their area.

Residents interested in the program can contact Heiser, who will evaluate whether a site is a good fit. The city will consider whether a meadow would reduce maintenance, whether the site receives enough sunlight, and other conditions, including the soil.

One neighborhood hoping to bring the program to its community is West Hill.

Helping to transform a six-acre gravel parking lot at Glendale Park into a community green space is the vision behind the West Hill Neighborhood Organization’s request for a native meadow.

Karen Wilkie Edwards, president of Friends of Glendale Park and a member of the West Hill Neighborhood Organization, said the meadow would be another step in revitalizing the area.

A partridge pea plant highlights a field of other native plants in the meadow at Patterson Park in Akron's North Hill neighborhood. The meadow, located on the west side of the tennis courts on a steep incline, is intended to keep the City of Akron from having to mow as much acreage, particularly on a hill that makes mowing more hazardous. The meadow is the second installed by the city as part of a partnership with the Akron Parks Collaborative — the first was put in at Hardest Park in Wallhaven.
A partridge pea plant highlights a field of other native plants in the meadow at Patterson Park in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. The meadow, located on the west side of the tennis courts on a steep incline, is intended to keep the City of Akron from having to mow as much acreage, particularly on a hill that makes mowing more hazardous. The meadow is the second installed by the city as part of a partnership with the Akron Parks Collaborative — the first was put in at Hardest Park in Wallhaven. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

The project would provide more than habitat for pollinators. Plans include a walking pathway, educational signage and benches where residents can sit and enjoy the space.

“We’re not just trying to beautify it,” Edwards said. “We want to have a gathering space for our neighbors, a place for the kids to run in the grass, take a picnic, throw a frisbee.”

Contributor (she/her)
Shams Mustafa believes journalism can help communities navigate complex issues and access support. As a freelance journalist at the Wooster Daily Record, she worked to report with clarity and empathy to help readers navigate the systems that affect their lives, using her skills as a storyteller. Now, she brings those skills to Signal Akron as a contributor. She holds a Master of Arts degree in journalism from Kent State University and has been recognized for her work by the Ohio Associated Press Managing Editors.