Wildflower Area – Update (3/6/22)

We mowed and weeded in early January and scattered seeds from Native American Seed Company (blackland prairie mix) and from neighbors. Now to wait and see!

Wildflower Area – Update

Posted on February 10, 2021 by denman82

In light of current pandemic conditions, Austin Parks Foundation will not be holding the Spring 2021 It's My Park Day or hosting small workdays in the park this spring. They hope to resume small workdays in early summer. As soon as they resume, we will schedule a workday to add mulch over the weed barrier in the wildflower area and to do some as-needed weeding in the seeded area.

In the meantime, please email friendsofbrentwoodpark@gmail.com if you see any particular maintenance that needs to happen in the wildflower area (e.g. toppled stakes, missing barrier string/flagging, etc.). We're keeping an eye on it, but we're not there every day.

Wildflower Area – Installed

Posted on December 11, 2020 by denman82

Seven volunteers from Brentwood and Crestview neighborhoods, Friends of Brentwood Park, and Austin Parks Foundation worked together to install the wildflower area on the morning of Wednesday, December 9. Next steps are to monitor the area and mow the rye and Bermuda grass as needed until the wildflower seeds sprout. Neighbors are invited to scatter additional seeds over the next two months to build up the number of wildflower seeds in the soil’s seed bank (please only add wildflower seeds native to Central Texas!).

We anticipate a small workday in the spring to spread mulch on trees in that part of the park, to cover the weed barrier along the wildflower area fence line, and to do some light hand-weeding in the wildflower area if needed. With luck and rain, we will have a nice crop of wildflowers this spring.

Click on individual photos to view full image. Thumbnail images are slightly cropped by the website.

Photo credits: Group photo – Chuck Foster, Austin Parks Foundation; Other photos – Denman Netherland, Friends of Brentwood Park

Wildflower Area

Posted on November 15, 2020

Austin Parks and Recreation (PARD) has approved plans for a wildflower area in the northwest corner of Brentwood Park between the Yates fence line and gravel trail. The project is intended to provide ecological diversity, visual interest, support for wildlife, a platform for discussing the region’s history, and an opportunity for park users to become more familiar with plants native to the Austin area.

The project location was determined after completion of a smaller trial wildlife area in the northeast corner of the park. The details of this project’s boundaries and installation (see diagram below) were made in consultation with PARD’s program coordinators and park maintenance team.

Initial installation will involve removing bermuda grass, rye grass, and other weeds by hand to expose bare dirt, scattering wildflower seeds, and then tamping the seeds to ensure good contact with the soil. Depending on germination rates, we may introduce native grass plugs. Although we discussed options such as solarization, tilling, and deep removal of existing plants, the experience of FOBP members and of PARD staff indicates that a program of timed mowing and seed scattering will be as or more effective in this location.

We hope to see the native wildflowers become established over a three year period. During that period, we anticipate scattering new seeds each fall and mowing the area at intervals that discourage bermuda and rye grasses while enabling the wildflowers and native grasses to flourish. We anticipate removing invasive/nuisance weeds during regular spring and fall workdays. We also anticipate monitoring the planting for any encroachment onto the trail. If the wildflowers fail to become established over that period or if the area is beyond our anticipated ability to maintain, we will allow it to revert to its current condition.

The installation is scheduled for December 9, 2020, 9am-12pm. Anyone interested in volunteering to join us can sign up here: Give Pulse Signup Link

The below diagram is general but is intended to show:

– a setback from the trail of ~12″-18″ to allow trail maintenance equipment and mowing equipment space to work and maneuver around the area;

– a groundcloth buffer of ~12″ along the ground inside the fence line to limit the extent to which wildflowers/grasses protrude through the fence;

– the boundary lines, which run from the Texas Mountain Laurel in the water boxx to the end of the grassy area at the opening in the fence.