Part of lawn left to grow long in early summer 2004. This was done experimentally - although it was fairly successful, we then decided to strip the turf, cover the subsoil with coarse sand and re-sow this area with wild grasses, and insert some wild flower plugs, which we did in Autumn 2004. This was more successful, and in time developed into a convincing mini-meadow.

In the picture above, a short mown path, strip or boundary beside long grass gives a good contrast and makes it look 'neat' in a garden situation. Our main problem with the long grass was that urban fox cubs (which are found everywhere in London gardens by the way) would play in it, rushing through it being their favourite game. Good for them, but they beat the grass down and it then did not look like those romantic country wildflower meadows of photographs. But at least they were real wildlife. We cut down the grass by early July, before it turns brown, so that Nitrogen in the green growth was removed and the soil was kept starved.

"Starved lawns grow better flowers" is the mantra of anyone attempting a mini meadow in a garden situation.

© Marc Carlton 2010