Traditionally managed hay meadows are now exceptionally rare in the UK as well as highly fragmented, with over 97% of them having vanished since the 1930’s.
While lawns can be great spaces for a range of activities, like picnics and games, perfectly manicured lawns are effectively ecological or ‘green’ deserts lacking in diversity of plant and animal species. In contrast, wildflower meadows are massively biodiverse and support many pollinators, birds and other wildlife. They capture more carbon and hold more water, too. Meadows also give a softness to the garden and make it feel alive with sounds, colours and scents. So, you might want to consider creating a mini meadow or leaving areas with cut grass paths woven amongst them. Even a small patch of meadow can give wildlife a much-needed boost.
A mini garden meadow in its early stages with yellow rattle, camassias and other wildflowers about to emerge, already teaming with life and providing a refuge for frogs from a nearby pond. Great for children to enjoy inspecting.
The charity Plant Life created the campaign No Mow May followed by Let It Bloom June as a way of encouraging us to leave the mower in the shed for a month or more. The longer you leave your meadow from spring into late summer or early autumn the more plant species and wildlife you will see.
Perennial wildflower meadows contain grasses and flowers like oxeye daisies, knapweeds, vetches and bird’s foot trefoil, and can be created from existing lawn.
How to create a perennial wildflower meadow from an existing lawn:
- Cut the grass in late summer or early autumn and remove the cuttings. Use a lawn rake or scarifying machine to scarify the lawn, removing thatch. This helps to loosen up the soil while creating areas of exposed soil, effectively seed beds.
- Sow yellow rattle and other perennial wildflower seeds. Yellow rattle, (Rhinanthus minor) is a fantastic way to start out your meadow. It works by outcompeting grasses, thereby encouraging wildflowers, earning it the nickname ‘the meadow maker’. It's also helpful to do some chemical free weeding at this point too. However, if you have heavier soils, which are usually wet and cold in winter, it may be better to wait until mid-spring to sow seeds. Bear in mind that yellow rattle can only be sown in autumn.
- Cut the grass again in late autumn to take the vigour off grasses and to allow light to get to the wildflower seedlings, then remove clippings.
- Cut it again a little in spring, but not so low as to knock out wildflower seedlings like yellow rattle or bulbs, if you’ve planted them in certain areas. Remove clippings and leave it to grow all spring and summer. During this time, you can remove any plants you don’t want, like docks.
- After flowering in late summer, or even early autumn, depending on what plants you want to encourage, do your main cut and leave the cuttings to rest on the ground for a few days to allow wildflower seeds to drop down into the soil, then remove the cuttings.
The idea is to mimic the annual routine of cuts that would have been found in traditional hay meadows. The main difference is that hay meadows were kept short from late summer or early autumn to spring by grazing animals.
Before you mow, always check your meadow for wildlife, and never mow around the edges towards the centre as this leaves no escape route for wildlife. Instead, progress gradually towards sanctuary areas like uncut grasses, borders and hedges to allow wildlife to move towards them. You could also do an initial high blade mow followed by a lower mow to allow more time for animals to escape.
After every cut, gather the cut grass and add it to the compost or garden waste. This helps to keep nutrient levels low. You will also need to stop feeding your lawn if you are doing so. Higher fertility means more grass, fewer wildflowers!
If your soil fertility is too high for perennial wildflowers you could sow an annual cornfield wildflower mix with plants like poppy and cornflower. Meadows tend to prefer sunnier areas, but meadows in wetter or shadier spots can also work for certain species, like meadowsweet or fritillaries. It’s important to choose a wildflower mix that’s suited to your site and soil type, ideally sourced locally. You can also use plug plants to ensure certain plants establish readily.
Poppies and cornflowers.
Fritillaries thriving in the damp shade of the tree canopy.
The balance of species in your meadow will change over time depending on environmental factors and ecological boom and bust cycles playing out. Perennial meadows can take a bit of time to establish but they are well worth the wait.
Established meadow with common spotted orchids and wildflowers.
For more information or to sign up to No Mow May visit Plantlife’s website: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/
