The meadow lark (part 1)

Its not often we're ahead of the crowd. But four years ago, we started the project to re-wild our lawn, or to turn it into a meadow.

Not sure what put the idea in our heads, maybe it was Gardener's World that put the idea in my head. Our heads. But one autumn I was researching how best to do it, and I stumbled across The Meadow Maker.

The Meadow Maker is Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor), and it leaches off the roots of grasses, so weakening the grasses roots, and so giving space for other plants to thrive.

The first year I ordered a small bag of Yellow Rattle seeds and sowed one corner of the lawn. And it worked very well, so the next year I ordred a kilo of seeds to do the whole garden.

That didn't work out very well. I just scattered the seeds and left it, most of the seeds failed to make contact with the soil. Because as the years have gone on, I learned more and more, and have refined how I sow and maintain the "lawn".

Last year I ordered another kilo of Yellow Rattle and another large bag of wild flower seed. I scarified the grass before sowing, and twice after sowing.

That worked out much better.

So, here is my guide for turning your lawn into a meadow, and this requires maintenance two months a year.

1. Buy a scarifier. This will remove dead grass and moss, and pull up grass too if used incorrectly.

2. At the beginning of September, scarify the lawn in two directions, left to right, up to down.

3. Buy yellow rattle seeds in weight suitable for the area of your lawn. Same for wild flowers. Buy wild flower mix for the soil type in your garden. I live on chalk downland.

4. Sow Yellow Rattle Seeds, and wild flower seeds if needed.

5. Scarify at least once, thus ensuring sowed seeds have contact with soil. Seeds need to be sown as early in Autumn as possible, the later sowed the less effective they will be.

6. Mow as normal, giving one last short cut at the end of October.

7. No other work need to be done until the end of July next year.

8. Remember, weeds are what we want.

9. Once the Yellow Rattle (and wild flowers) have stopped flowering, mow with the mower on highest cut. Leave hay to dry.

10. Rake into piles.

11. Rake into new piles, then using hands, put into bags.

12. Scarify lawn, twice.

13. Back to (1)

Seeing a new species appear in the garden is a thrill. As is seeing a new butterfly species for the first time too.

Oh, and put in a wildlife pond in. We have had two generations of damselflies hatch in a half buried bucket, seeing their exoskeletons on the reeds is a great thrill.

Last year we had Orange Tip caterpillars on our hedge garlic.

Every year, something new.

Last year I sowed no new seeds, hoping that what grew last season would seed for the next, now (I think) I know what I'm doing.