Wisconsin Real Estate Developer Beautifies Vacant Lot with Flowers

Real estate developer Sam Meyers decided to add a splash of color to an otherwise vacant property in his corner of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Businessman and entrepreneur Sam Meyers brightened the corner of Johnson and Chestnut for the summer by planting a temporary field of wildflowers on a vacant lot he is planning to develop. “That little piece of land is a happy place,” Meyer told the FDL Reporter on Wednesday.

The momentary meadow was initially motivated by a couple of factors: First, Meyers was weary of the endless maintenance required by the empty 60 foot square lot. Second, he needed to do something with it while he works on acquiring surrounding properties for an undisclosed development project.

After pitching a vegetable garden for the space, Meyers was told by city officials the land was not zoned for agriculture. “What if I just planted wildflowers instead?” Meyers asked himself, and the idea was born. Now he would just need to find some botanical residents. “First, it was hard to find wildflowers — I visited three or four different places until I had buckets full of seeds in five gallon pails,” Meyers said.

Once the ground was tilled, he and his sons spread the seeds across its entire area. Over the following weeks, they battled encroaching weeds to give their infant blossoms a chance to thrive. Now daisies, poppies, forget-me-nots, and other blossoms are brightening the street in a chaos of natural color.

Since their planting, Meyers has acquired more surrounding properties, meaning that the flowers’ days are numbered. And while he is playing his cards pretty close to the chest at present, the neighborhood is invited to enjoy the sight while it lasts. As for the future? “We will see what happens. It’s always a surprise to see what pops up,” he said.