Meadows are a long-term project but with patience and proper management even a relatively small area can add a great deal of interest to your garden, as well as being a haven for wildlife. The photos below show how you can get a succession of flowers through the spring and summer. Not so long ago this area was a lawn. One year we noticed a few cowslip plants and decided to stop regular mowing and develop it as a meadow. After 10 years (and a pretty steep learning curve!) it’s now one of my favourite features of the whole garden.
The photo above was taken in early April when the cowslips are at their best - the original 5 or 6 have seeded themselves to now cover most of the area.
By late April, the cowslips are past their prime but the area is now awash with buttercups. A few ‘dandelion clocks’ are also visible.
The next act, in May, features these tall yellow daisies (whose name I can’t remember!) and cow parsley. Although pretty, the cow parsley can be quite invasive so we try to pull it out or just strim the flowers off before it sets seed.
By late May, the ox-eye daisies are in full flower. The pale yellow flowers of low-growing yellow rattle are barely visible in this photo, being hidden by the taller daisies and grasses, but the introduction of this native plant which parasitises grasses has been very important in weakening growth of the grasses and allowing the wild flowers to compete.
Late June/early July and we have the last of the ox-eyes, together with yellow bedstraw on the left and the purple flowers of knapweed.
By late July or early August, the flowers have all finished and the seed heads have dried out - it’s time to give the meadow its annual cut.
Our hay cutter makes short work of cutting the tall grass and other plants.
Raking up the cut grass and carrying it away to a heap takes rather longer but is a very important part of meadow management. Removing the cut material is essential in order to avoid returning nutrients to the soil.
Having removed all the long grass we then give the area a final low cut and tidy up with the ride-on mower. We will use the ride-on once or twice more before the Winter, just to keep the grass short and prevent it from growing away too strongly next Spring.