Pitfalls of the Pop-up Meadow: How to avoid and overcome them

It has been really encouraging to see how many people have heeded the call to let parts of their lawns grow long for nature, at least for a few weeks each year.

In the last couple of years, many have been doing it for Plantlife’s No Mow May, while some of you may be going the whole hog and treating your lawn as a mini haymeadow, adding seed such as Yellow Rattle, and mowing in March and then not doing so again until late summer. Three cheers to you!

No Mow May can allow a flush of late spring flowers such as clovers, giving food for pollinators for a while; the bolder haymeadow approach is even better is that it can offer a home for grasshoppers, various meadow butterfly species, amphibians, Hedgehogs and more.

However, most of us aren’t used to managing little meadows, so it is important that we are all prepared for some of the challenges that might arise. Don’t worry, all are overcomable, but knowing the pitfalls means you will feel prepared should it happen.

So, here are the main issues and how to deal with them.

•  Floppy grass.

Many lawns will have been treated with fertilisers in the past, increasing the fertility of the soil and hence boosting the lush growth of grasses. After a few weeks left uncut, the grass stems may start to flop on their neighbours, especially after rain.

If this happens, then it is time to ‘cut’ the meadow rather than let the fallen grasses smother everything.

In small pop-up meadows, I do this by hand, just yanking out any floppy bits as if I’m a lightly grazing cow!

If you don’t feel like emulating an ungulate, you could do it with shears.

Always remove the clippings onto the compost – this will gradually reduce the fertility of the meadow, exactly what you want.

•  Flattened grass.

In my garden, young Foxes sometimes roll in my meadows.Look at what they did overnight in June 2018, the little $"£$%£. (I love them really!)

Again, selectively ‘graze’ any flattened areas, or cut the whole thing if it has been totally mullered.

•  Yellowy lawn after cutting.

As a meadow grows in spring, the grass blades and stems at ground level become increasingly shady so when you cut the meadow, it can look a bit brown or yellowy.

Don’t worry, it will soon green up after rain.

•  Why isn’t it more colourful?

I often get this question, and it isn’t surprising because the media continues to confuse beds of colourful annual flowers (poppies etc) with a meadow. It’s not, and requires very different management (digging each year). A real meadow is mainly grasses dotted with subtle wild flowers, and is managed by mowing. Enjoy the subtle, romantic tapestry of a meadow, but don’t expect it to look like flower-fireworks.

•  And the biggie – how can a mini-meadow be cut without harming the wildlife that has colonised?

After all, your meadow is likely to be harbouring all sorts of wildlife: Frogs, Slow-worms, grasshoppers, caterpillars...

So, avoid using a mower or strimmer if at all possible. In fact, mowers just aren’t designed to cut long grass and will probably struggle anyway.

If you're really adventurous, you could get a scythe and go on a training course. It is beautiful to see someone in action scything, as when I went to see Richard Brown of Emorsgate wildflower seeds mowing his meadow. It appeared effortless.

However, what I do is to use shears. I get on my knees, sweeping the meadow ahead of me with my hand before cutting to push any wildlife onwards.

I also cut high, and then do a second cut lower. It is all about doing a slow-mow. I take my time and revel in the process – the smells of the cut stems of plants such as the bedstraws can be so delightful. But it is amazing how much mini-meadow can be cut this way.

Even better if you cut your mini-meadow over an extended period rather than all in one hit. And why not leave an area standing right through until the following year for more diversity?

If you have a larger meadow, then mechanical cutting may be your only option, but do it from the centre outwards so that wildlife can move to the edges and then escape. And, again, take your time.

I hope that advice helps. Yes, mini-meadows do require a little bit of extra thought, care and effort when it comes to cutting, but think of all the time you saved earlier in the year, and think of all the wildlife you’ve helped. It’s so worth it.