MEADOW

‘To see a meadow in bloom is a great delight – it’s alive, and teeming with life, mysterious, dynamic…’

Christopher Lloyds’ book of ‘Meadows – At Greater Dixter and Beyond’ introduced me to the concept of the meadow and its management. I have been hooked ever since. Horticurally speaking, it is rich in species, diverse, beautiful, and relatively easy to maintain. From a design perspective, the granularity of a meadow makes it a clever ingredient for creating organic shapes.

I started with growing British native wildflower turf for immediate impact and given I had less experience at that stage. As I observed and built my experience managing the meadow, I would intentionally top up the meadow with selected native wildflower seeds. Now, as the climate is getting warmer and less predictable, I have started cautiously adding wild form plants from a broader geographic range into my meadow. Aside from the excitement of seeing what works, this can help a lot with colour, variety, the changing feel through the year and can help resilience. Creating a balanced meadow that has a multi-layered, dynamic community takes time, planning, skill, effort, and often some luck. For those who persevere and are successful the rewards are complex and profoundly gratifying to the senses.

If you have a plot bordering wild land, or if you would like to introduce some wilder natural notes into your garden, meadow may just be your solution.

Reading
James Hitchmough: Sowing Beauty, Designing Flowering Meadows from Seed
Christopher Lloyd: Meadows

Suppliers:
Emorsgate Seeds: https://wildseed.co.uk/
Habitat Aid: https://www.habitataid.co.uk/
Pictorial Meadows: https://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/
Wildflower Turf: https://wildflowerturf.co.uk/