Q How can I turn half my lawn into a meadow?
Belinda Kent, by email
AMATT SAYS Wildflowers need poor soil, so if your lawn has been fed in the past it will initially be too fertile. In that case, remove any perennial weeds like dandelions, then take off the top few inches of turf and stack it upside down until it decomposes to form loam-based compost. Next, rotavate the soil, rake it level to create a fine seed bed, then sow your wildflower mix.
Quicker options include cutting out ‘islands’ and sowing them with wildflowers, which should spread naturally over time, but keep the surrounding grass low until the wildflowers have established. Or cut the grass as low as you can, scarify it hard to create patches of bare soil, then sow first one way, then at right angles, according to the seed producer’s instructions.
Make sure there is yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) in the seed mix, as this semi-parasite will reduce the vigour of the grass. Still, the meadow may take several years to establish.