How to create your meadow

These four easy meadow options work on every scale – from small gaps in borders to entire front gardens. Why not try several and really bring the pollinators in!

Make a mini meadow in a pot

This can work well where space is limited. Many smaller meadow wildflowers are excellent in pots and a small group, such as cowslip, betony, red clover, harebell and meadow cranesbill, can be brought together to produce a pretty little display. Alternatively, a mix of cornfield annuals such as poppies, cornflowers and corn marigolds, can be sown directly into large pots in spring and will flower profusely in summer.

K When to start Spring

K Find out more gardeners world.com/meadow-pot

Sow every year

Annual or pictorial meadows need to be started fresh each spring by sowing a specially selected annual seed mix into bare soil. They are easy to sow, and grow quickly to produce a very colourful display. They tend to provide a narrower range of flower types for pollinators, begin to bloom slightly later in the season and don’t offer many food plants for insects. They do, however, provide a more impressive swathe of flowers and look glorious within just a few months. K When to start Spring

K Find out more pictorialmeadows.co.uk

Retire your mower

No-mow lawns are an easy way to make a meadow. Plantlife’s No Mow May campaign encourages you to stop mowing for a month and let the flowers bloom. Find out how many bees your lawn can feed by taking part in Plantlife’s Every Flower Counts survey. This has shown that lawns mown monthly have the most flowers and nectar, while leaving long grass uncut allows a wider range to bloom – so try both.

When to start May

Find out more plantlife.org. uk/everyflowercounts and gardenersworld.com/long-grass

Take your time

Perennial wildflower meadows require sowing only once. This is best done in autumn, using a perennial meadow seed mix. After that, cut and remove the grass in late summer, and a few more times until Christmas. The meadow will get more flowery each year, supporting many different pollinators for a long season and providing food plants for various insects. K When to start Autumn K Find out more gardenersworld.com/minimeadow; seed mix suppliers include johnchamberswild flowers.co.uk, wildseed.co.uk