Lawns and Wildflower Meadows

Organic gardening techniques work just as well for lawns as they do for vegetable gardens. There's no need for toxic chemicals or synthetic fertilizers when following the principles of healthy gardening.

Feeding your lawn
Feed your lawn once a year in the autumn, by spreading 6-12mm (0.25-0.5in) of compost over the grass or use an organic fertilizer specifically for lawns. Don't overfeed your lawn, too much fertilizer will make the grass grow too fast and more susceptible to disease.

Mowing your lawn
Mow your lawn often leaving the grass at least 5cm (4in) high, helping it develop strong roots. Allow grass clippings to remain after mowing to provide nutrients as they decompose.

Watering your lawn
Frequent watering of a lawn will cause the grass to develop a shallow root system. Instead, water thoroughly only once a week, or twice if really necessary. Place a straight-sided glass jar near a sprinkler and when 25mm (1 in) has collected, move the sprinkler to another area.

Combating pet urine
If a dog or cat urinates on the lawn, soak the area with water straight away to prevent the grass from scorching and turning brown.

Wildflower Meadows

The so-called "perfect" lawn is uniformly verdant, weed-free, and, it could be said, somewhat bland. A wildflower meadow has little in common with a perfect lawn, it isn't uniform, it certainly isn't bland.

Making and management

The wildflower meadow is usually a side-effect of traditional livestock farming—so it isn't entirely natural, but can be, however, more attractive than a green lawn, and it is far easier to maintain. It is relatively tolerant of trampling, but if you rather not tread on the flowers you can make some paths or even picnic-places in the middle.

It should be treated like an old-fashioned hayfield. The grass should be mown no more than twice a year (early and late), not cut too short, and clippings always removed. Mowing early, before the growth is well under way, lets in light stimulating the growth of wildflowers.

Late mowing enables the wildflowers to set and scatter seed (judge the right time by looking at the state of the seeds). Don't remove clippings this time as it impoverishes the soil (the grass grows so strongly on rich soil that wildflowers are crowded out).

Freshly-cut meadow mowings make excellent mulch, particularly for heaping round tree trunks.

Fertility

The most likely problem is soil that's too fertile. High fertility carries the risk that weeds and lush grasses will flourish. If the topsoil is so deep that it is not physically possible to shift, then making a wildflower meadow may well not feasible.

A poor, chalky or sandy soil with good drainage is probably the most promising site for a wildflower meadow. With good but quite shallow topsoil, you can begin by removing most of it and stirring the last inch or so into the subsoil. There may be seeds just waiting for these conditions, and it is worth leaving the plot for a year to see what develops.

Starting from scratch

Wildflower and grass seeds are available ready-mixed, follow the instructions on the packet. Every locality has its own suitable mix of native species, so don't be tempted to go for a "foreign" selection.

Supplement the basic mix with seeds gathered from wild plants growing by the wayside (observing local conservation laws). As the variety of plants increases, so too will the visiting fauna. Insects will increase seed yield by pollination, and small mammals and birds will accidentally contribute more variety via seeds stuck to fur and feathers.