GARDENING: Guess what? Grass lawns are not mandatory

We can use our gardens and other green spaces to recreate what used to be common place – wildflower meadows. These were grasslands that had many native species of grass and other herbaceous plants which were invaluable ecosystems for many creatures. However, they are very rare now due to the pressure of all land to be commercially productive. Grass was harvested from these hay meadows once or twice a year, and this regular harvesting kept the fertility lower which gave all meadow plants the conditions to grow every year.
Some time ago wildflower meadow creation was written about on these pages by my colleague Frank from the lovely Drimbawn Gardens. In that vein, I will also explore my observations and opinions on the subject.

Soil fertility
A diverse meadow develops on the foundation of moderate to low fertility soil. High-fertility rich soil tends towards grass domination, and other non grass species just cannot complete with prolific dense grass. It is why wildflowers are seen on construction sites, road sides, railways, sand banks – low fertility areas where grass cannot dominate.
Expert advice is to stop cutting your green space and observe what comes up – some areas can have a nice collection of native species just waiting not to be cut. In our garden very few wildflowers emerged. Attempts at the conventional advice of let it grow with a twice-a-year cut and remove was not successful. I suspect our soil is just too fertile, created after decades or centuries or decomposed livestock manure and in later years synthetic fertiliser applications. What did work for us was to either remove the fertile topsoil or compact the fertile topsoil with heavy machinery and then sow seed in this intentionally compromised soil.

Seeds for your meadow
The most desirable seeds to add to your species rich meadow are from local plants. This requires a sustained but highly rewarding commitment to collecting seeds for several weeks over a season. Seeds will also land on your soil from the wind or be activated from the seedbank if they are already present. Using these local seeds, the indigenous genetic heritage is preserved. This has evolved over thousands of years alongside our fauna, climate and soils.
Another less-recommended option is to purchase seeds from a supplier – I know of one Irish provenance seed grower and supplier in the country. It is not considered as ecologically beneficial as more local seed, but it has the advantage of reintroducing some locally extinct species.
Boxes of cheap meadow seeds are available from some supermarkets, but these are imported from other countries. They contain non-native species, and even if native species are present they are alien to our environment and tend not to do well in our ecosystems. They can also damage our local ecological genetics, so they are to be strongly discouraged.

Meadow prep
To maximise the success of a seeded meadow we should prepare the area by exposing the soil or subsoil and raking it to a loose consistency. In early spring or late autumn spread seed in evenly – sand can be used in the seed mix to help spread small seed quantities.
Rake the seed into the soil to hide from birds and other hungry creatures and gently compress the soil over the seed to ensure good soil/seed contact. The warmth of the sun and moisture of the rain are all that is required now.
Diverse meadow development is greatly enhanced with yellow rattle and red bartsia, which take nutrients from grass and other plant species and in this way regulate grass dominance in the meadow. Some seeds take more than one season before they germinate, so patience will be rewarded.

Maintenance
The meadow should be cut or grazed once (late autumn) or twice (again in April) a year, with the cuttings removed to keep fertility low – the plant diversity will be lost if this cut and removal is not performed. Over time, if the meadow is maintained correctly, additional species will appear spontaneously. It is wonderful to see orchids arrive from the wind (their seeds are essentially dust particles).
Meadows can be cut more regularly to produce a short meadow or cut once/twice a year to produce a tall meadow. Cutting a low level path and or border along the edge of a meadow gives the area a neat look. It is also practical for walking.
Keep in mind that species rich meadows are only in flower for about six months of the year. At the end of the season, cut back to a uniform height when the meadow does look a little less ‘tidy’ due to species variety, compared to the smooth uniformity of a monoculture grass lawn.
They have been a cultural essential of our gardens for 50 years but it turns out grass lawns are not mandatory – why not convert our high-maintenance ecologically poor grass lawns into gorgeous species rich meadow? It only needs one cut a year, giving you many more hours to do other things. A win for man and nature.

Oliver Whyte’s garden, Coill an Chúir at Sandyhill, Westport, is included on the Clew Bay Garden Trail. A chain of beautiful and unique private gardens, the trail opens to the public during summer to raise funds for charity (see www.clewbaygardentrail.ie for more). Each month, an article by a trail member appears in these pages.