My friend sent me these pictures of her recent visit to InSitu, a notable garden in Redding, CT. There are many good examples there of how to accomplish a more formal and stylized meadow. I particularly like the sharp edge of the boxwood shrubs in front of the exuberant rudbeckia field. Species are planted in blocks, rather than a mix, and there are plenty of opportunities for long views of the meadows and for walking through them, up close and personal.  On a smaller scale, even just a neatly cut edge does a lot for making a meadow more pleasing to the eye.