QI’m keen to encourage more wildlife into my outdoor space. How do I go about creating a mini wildflower meadow area to attract bees?
ARSPB’s Wildlife Gardening Expert, Adrian Thomas, shares his top tips… There are three easy ways to achieve this. Firstly, allow your lawn to grow without mowing for a month or so between May and September. Many flowers will grab their chance to shine – clovers, trefoils and more. Secondly, from March to May, or August to October, mow your lawn very short and scratch it with a rake. Then ‘oversow’ with native wildflower meadow seed and add a selection of wildflower plug plants.
Lastly, start from scratch by digging a patch of ground, thoroughly clearing it of any weeds and raking, then sowing wildflower meadow seed in March to May or August to October.
Remember, having this type of garden is very different to a bed of colourful annual flowers, such as poppies – a wildflower meadow has grasses in it and is managed by mowing.