Bean Family Meadow

In 2014, while driving the backroads of Central Jersey, Mark Bean was drawn to a field of beautiful flowers. He was captivated and over the next months, the vision regularly appeared in his mind.

The Beans had always had a general sense of dissatisfaction about the appearance of the detention basin behind their house and Mark’s vision inspired them to research transforming that dull, weed-filled, grassy area into something greater.

A few months later, he and his wife Samantha came across the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space booth at the Hopewell Harvest fair. There, they saw a photo of the meadow restoration  at our Thompson Preserve.

They asked an attending FoHVOS trustee about the photo, which looked similar to their online meadow research. The trustee suggested that the Beans have stewardship director Mike Van Clef do a site visit.

Van Clef visited the Bean residence who helped them proceed toward becoming better stewards of their land.

“It is crazy that homeowners spend so much time, money and energy on manicured lawns that use lots of chemicals, water, and energy and do very little for wildlife and the environment,” says Lisa Wolff, executive director of FoHVOS. At first, the Beans ordered a few native plants from FoHVOS through their native plant sale and later requested referrals to help naturalize the site.

Since the meadow was to be installed in a detention basin owned by a homeowner’s association, the Beans needed approval from the association to proceed. Fortunately, the association was receptive, especially since it meant that maintenance costs were going to be dramatically lower and they’d receive additional value since the Beans agreed to cover the cost of conversion.

Next the Beans needed further approval from Hopewell Township, who hold an easement on detention basins and must authorize changes. The township gave approval after assurance that the work was being done by a professional with biofiltration experience.

Within weeks, the meadow preparations began. The Beans were forewarned to be patient since it usually takes years before a meadow is in full bloom. They were pleasantly surprised by the relatively quick and amazing changes in the biodiversity of their backyard. The abundance of butterflies, bees and birds in the second year was well beyond their highest expectations.

Once the meadow was installed, the Bean family started to seek out options to bring the rest of their yard into balance. It was through the recommendation of FoHVOS that they contacted David Hughes of Weatherwood Design to do a site consultation and draw up a comprehensive plan. They also spent time educating themselves at Watershed Institute classes.

The original plan scheduled four stages. First, they addressed the beds around the front of the home in the spring of 2016. Then they planted a smaller meadow amongst trees that were planted earlier that year. Additionally, a rain garden was installed to help with water runoff issues that had often resulted in a damp basement.

They thought the final step of their plan would be a grove of white pine trees that would provide habitat for wildlife while also reducing home heating costs by being a screen against cold winter winds.

However once completing all four steps, the Beans continued to add small projects to realize both aesthetic and environmental benefit.  They recently added native plantings behind their home. The new plants partially shade the A/C units which aids efficiency while beautifying the area.

A phased approach ensures that no project becomes overwhelming and provides time for budgeting. The Bean family are tremendous ambassadors for FoHVOS Community Conservation initiatives.