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Hi Diarmuid

We have a very small suburban garden and would love to get rid of the grass for something more welcoming to our bees and butterflies. But we don’t know how to go about it.

We have some plants around the edges and a small circular rose garden in the middle, which we would like to retain. We also need access to our clothes line.

We’d be grateful for any advice.

Valerie Guihen, via email

Hi Valerie

It’s great to hear so many people getting interested in attracting pollinators to their gardens.

A thyme lawn is a good alternative to grass – bees and butterflies will be drawn to the masses of purple flowers. Thyme is drought-tolerant so requires less water than lawns to flourish and it can take light foot traffic.

However, if you need to cross the lawn a lot, maybe put some paving slabs through the thyme – this can look good as the thyme creeps over the stones and softens them.

To install, you’ll need to remove all the existing grass and any weeds before planting plugs or pots of thyme – choose creeping varieties that hug the ground. Remove weeds that pop up and eventually the thyme will form a carpet. When you step on it, it will release a fragrance, and it can be used in cooking as well.

Diarmuid