Welcome to the

Wildflower Meadow

[Go straight to the photos below]

The Roemer Arboretum Wildflower Meadow is the result of a collaboration among a variety of people who love the outdoors and the beauty of nature. The Roemer Arboretum, located on the beautiful campus of SUNY College at Geneseo, is becoming a focal point in the region where a variety of people come together to celebrate the outdoors (e.g., see the Clarion issue, 18 November 2004)

The Wildflower Meadow was conceived by Peter Ott who brought the idea to the Geneseo Garden Club and Gregg Hartvigsen (Chair of the Roemer Arboretum Advisory Board). The project is now headed by the Geneseo Garden Club with a committee chaired by Julie Brocklehurst-Woods. If you are interested please contact us at the Roemer Arboretum.

Julie Brocklehurst-Woods (Chair)

Arleen Somerville (Co-President, Geneseo Garden Club)
Barb Anderson (Co-President, Geneseo Garden Club)
Nancy O'Dea
Georgene Ehmann
Diana Cannon
Barbara Balding
Barbara Young
Lorna Greenwood
Gregg Hartvigsen (Roemer Arboretum)

The wildflower meadow site was initially covered in exotic, non-native weeds underneath two black walnut trees. These tree were multiple-stemmed, "stump-sprouts" that were likely originally large trees that were cut down before the College acquired the land. Both trees were infested with carpenter ant nests which are fascinating but trouble for the trees.

The trees were cut down and are now being used to line the trails. In the photo below are members of the Arboretum Advisory Board, Geneseo Garden Club, and the local cub scouts.

Fred Bright (Arboretum Board Member) and Mark Chynoweth (2004 Roemer Arboretum Summer Horticultural Assistant) work on removing limbs from the site.

Doug Welch of the Village of Geneseo delivered three dump-truck loads of 20-year-old composted leaves on to flattened cardboard boxes.

Mark Chynoweth works his magic on the ~12 cubic yds of mulch.

A few weeks later a grass gets started. It was an unplanned event but not something we can't handle!

We defeated the grass by covering it with a shade cloth. In October 2004 we removed the shade cloth.

With the help of the cub scouts we planted the seeds, lightly raked them in and put the bed to bed for the winter.

Return to the Roemer Arboretum Home Page

Last edited July 7, 2004