Celebrating Wildflower Meadows

The gardens at Great Dixter.

A groomed, grassy field can be good for certain uses, like sports or picnics. But for broader «ecosystem services»—things like plant pollination, pest control, soil quality, and climate regulation—the smart money is in meadows.

Tulips are popular around the World, often known as the soul of Spring, and historically symbolic for perfect love. Finding the perfect Tulip for your location can often be challenging, particularly as many of Tulip cultivar’s are fussy and short-lived.

Owen Wormser’s popular 2020 book “Lawns into Meadows: Growing a Regenerative Landscape” (affiliate link) is just out in a new second edition. Owen is a landscape designer at Abound Design, his firm based in Western Massachusetts, and we talked about the life of a meadow and its maintenance. Meadows are not an overnight project, nor are they something that remains static and unchanging, I am reminded.Plus: Enter to win a copy of the second edition of his book by commenting in the box near the bottom of the page.Read along as you listen to the April 17, 2023 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts her

This one's a pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyrimidalis), which according to the link likes a milder climate and chalk or limestone grasslands. It also goes on to say that it's developed a liking for the more artificial kind of environment — such as beside roads and canals — so perhaps a front lawn on a limey clay soil is just the kind of place it likes to be nowadays. I'm delighted it's chosen my front garden!I've asked NAH to refrain from mowing the lawn for a while to enable it to set seed, though he's keen to mow the 'meadow' now No Mow May has finished. Perhaps we now have the perfect compromise, leave the front lawn so there's taller herbiage there with a lower back lawn to offer the shorter

Gaze Burvill celebrates 30 Years of furniture making in Hampshire, with a new garden seat in locally sourced English Oak, craftsman made in Hampshire: ‘Amity’

June is Pride month, and our editors are sharing their favorite ways to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Before you dive into this edition of Editors' Favorite Finds, take a few minutes to learn the history of the month-long celebration—then take inspiration from a few of our ideas.

Whether it was steeply sloping meadows of Orlaya grandiflora, the brilliant blues of Salvia pratensis and Nice milkwort, or Dittany dotted grasslands there was always something to keep me interested. Lanes were lined with starbursts of Dianthus carthusianorum, the deadly poisonous Swallowwort was deceptively attractive and the flowers of wild lettuce looked much nicer than the bitter taste of the somewhat narcotic leaves. Among the plants I would happily have in my garden was the large-flowered Austrian flax, the lovely purple-flowered Jurinea and a rather fine cerise-flowered clover. Of course, the chances of them growing in a coastal garden in the south-east of England are remote, but I can dream.  

Whatever the habitat we were in, it was the diversity that was so exciting. With little human intervention, there was a balance that meant no single species dominated and every step revealed new species that gradually changed with the terrain evolving into perfect conditions for another array of plants. Close to the sea, a me

Coneflowers are known for their striking beauty and vibrant colors. Their large, showy petals and cone-shaped centers make them a stunning addition to any garden. Also called Echinacea, here are various Types of Coneflower Varieties you can grow.

While we read books on the subject, remove topsoil and sow yellow rattle to reduce fertility and generally make a meal of establishing a wildflower meadow, Nature (when not interfered with) does it sublimely well. The meadows of the Picos d’Europa  are no exception. ..

This easier-to-grow alternative to wildflower meadows (especially for gardens) really has come into its own this year.  I’ve recently seen two fine examples with very different colour themes.  At Holt Farm,