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Are you going to re-wild your garden?

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Dinahmo Sat 13-Mar-21 10:49:21

I've just read the thread about cutting the lawn and note that many of you have already done so. Monty Don recently asked for people not to cut lawns in order for the wild flowers to grow and many places are now doing this, including King's College, Cambridge and the National Trust. The various garden shows on tv often have people who have started to leave parts of their lawn uncut and they look beautiful (IMO)

After Prince Charles bought Highgrove he asked Miriam Rotshchild for assistance in planning a wildlife garden. There were many articles in the press over the next few years showing paths cut through meadows.

When house hunting in Suffolk in the mid eighties we looked at an old cottage that had a 1 acre meadow attached to the garden which had not been ploughed since the war, or sprayed. It was this that prompted us to buy the house. Throughout the year there was a wide variety of wildflowers, including pyramid orchids. There was a path mown through the middle which we kept trimmed. Otherwise the field was cut in the autumn to allow the flower seeds to fall.

When we sold that house our buyer told us that it was the field that convinced him that it was the right house for him and his wife. The new owner has continued to leave the field as a wildflower meadow.

So, I am giving a link to an article in the Guardian about this, which may be of interest.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/mar/13/lawn-growers-throw-in-trowel-meadows-replace-perfect-stripes

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Jess20 Tue 16-Mar-21 16:15:05

Yes, we're doing some 'rewilding' to the extent that we just bought a house which has more than half a large garden covered in concrete and we'll be taking it up and laying down a lawn which we iintend to sew with wild meadow seeds. We're hoping the people who bought next door may take some of the rubble to fill in an old swimming pool they want to turn into a wildlife pond.

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HillyN Tue 16-Mar-21 23:10:48

If we didn't mow our small patch of grass I wouldn't be able to hang out the washing! grin However I was given some wildflower seeds last year that I planted in pots. They came up well and were quite popular with bees. The bees prefer the ceanothus though.

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EMMF1948 Tue 16-Mar-21 23:13:08

eazybee

My garden is doing very well all on its own; just trying to clear away all the wild garlic.

Oh wild garlic is wonderful, can't wait for mine to start its short growth. As for wild gardening, mine made that decision all by itself years ago!

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Luckygirl Wed 17-Mar-21 08:30:25

I planted a scented bed here when we moved in and was amused when wild garlic appeared - not quite what I had in mind!

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Lollin Wed 17-Mar-21 08:41:49

I have always loved seeing, a host of golden dandelions, and then delight at seeing their amazing “clocks”. Never voiced that opinion before but I guess that’s not what people are thinking of

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Dinahmo Thu 18-Mar-21 16:51:50

HI954

If you have lots of lavenders and they do well, look for plants that like the same conditions. If your patch is well drained then the silver leafed plants would be good and salvias which flower for a long time.

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