We’ve been discussing the virtues of helping pollinators to feel at home in Britain for a long time. Clover is a big favourite of bees however, to have long grass and lots of bees in your garden isn’t appealing to everybody. Here’s another option for those who want to help, but are not sure how.
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Although the idea of daisies and longer grass sounds like it might tie in with your idea of the halcyon days of summer, if you’ve been working hard to perfect the pristine condition of your lawn, you’ll not want to give up just because you’ve heard that you should.
So if you are torn between helping the bees and feeling a strong desire to maintain the good looks of your garden, then what’s the answer?
Enter the summer meadow. These magical areas can be developed in a corner of the garden or even in an unused bed. You could even set one up in a pot. They are very easy to grow and will bring with them a nice pop of colour whilst attracting and sustaining bees and other insects such as butterflies.
It’s up to you on how much space you give up to this summer meadow. If you’re a person with a lot of land, then you might want to dedicate more space for them. By keeping your summer meadow in just one area, it won’t interfere with the mowing and tidiness of your lawn.
To get started, prepare your soil for the meadow by raking it and sowing the seeds. You can either opt for individual packets of meadow flowers or go for a premixed packet. For these seeds there is no need to add any extra food, the soil is perfect as it is. The flowers will be with you for just one summer. Mix seeds with dry sand and then sprinkle onto the soil. Don’t water them in, they will gain enough moisture from the air and rain. The seeds are very fine and can easily wash away.
If you’ve selected your seeds carefully then you can expect to enjoy meadow flowers through the entire summer. You don’t have to go with a bee lawn to solve the habitat issue of the bee and you can enjoy a great splash of colour.
Our friends over at Thompson and Morgan will help you with seeds – look for the ‘RHS Perfect for Pollinators’ symbol.