To mow or not to mow

Lawns are a quintessential part of the English garden and in many ways there is nothing more inviting on a hot summer’s day than a soft verdant carpet of grass.  However, is the lawn’s place at the heart of our garden being put under ever-greater scrutiny?

The perfect lawn is in reality a fairly sterile environment that is perhaps at odds with the growing emphasis on wildlife friendly gardening, and they are also relatively thirsty which raises the question of sustainability. Add to that the fact that lawns require relatively high maintenance, and that a growing number of us prefer a more relaxed style of garden, and there seems good reason to reconsider how much of our gardens are put down to lawn.

One of the reasons we stick with the lawn is that we know where we are with them, and the question of what to replace it with can be daunting, particularly with large areas. The answer, at least in part, can be to let some of your lawn turn to rough grass, and ultimately perhaps even meadow. Areas of rough grass, or meadow, have many benefits from a design perspective. They will imbue a garden with a relaxed atmosphere, add another layer of interest and provide a link, and contrast, between more formal parts of the garden near the house and the wilder areas on the fringes.

The simplest form of ‘meadow’ can be created by just leaving part of an existing lawn to grow. Lines and shapes can be chosen for ease of mowing and mown paths through the rough grass will not only look good but also allow you to enjoy the area close up. Rough grass need to be trimmed two or three times a year and can be enlivened by planting daffodils and small ornamental or fruit trees in the autumn. And that is as far as you need to go to add a new dimension to even a small garden.

For some though the ultimate prize will be to create a small (or not so small) meadow and this requires a little more perseverance. The first stage in turning part of an existing lawn into a real meadow is to create an environment suitable for wildflowers. They generally thrive on ‘poor’ soil, where they can compete with the grass species, so short of changing your soil (never advisable!) this usually means trying to reduce the vigour of the grass. To begin with, this can be done by cutting the grass several times a year, for at least a couple of years, and removing the hay.

Depending on the strength of the grass in the first place you should then be able to introduce your first wildflowers within a couple of years, starting with Yellow Rattle, an annual wildflower that is semi-parasitic on grass and so will further reduce the strength of the sward, along with a few of the tougher wildflower species such as ox-eye daisies.  It will usually take a few years for a meadow to establish but should be well worth it.  As well as looking stunning, the pollinators it will attract will help to reduce the number of pests in the garden.  Less mowing, less watering, less pests and more bees, what more could you ask for?