Benefits of wildflower lawns & meadows.

Aside from the obvious benefit of having a colourful mix of native plants, grasses and flowers that will spend all summer attracting a host of pollinating insects to your garden...

..the fact that you don't need to be wasting precious time and effort mowing them every weekend which saves you money on fuel costs.

When you take into consideration the increase in biodiversity in and around your garden...

...then add to that the improvement in the soil structure and health of the microbial life in it...

Top it off with a reduction in artificial inputs from herbicides, like moss and weed killers....

Bird life, attracted by the increase in insects and seed variety.
Amphibians who enjoy the extended foraging possibilities in this food rich habitat.
Small mammals like hedgehogs, voles and shrews, excited by the expanded living quarters and food supply.

With specific plants and grasses that provide food for the caterpillar stages of a wide variety of moths and butterflies. You don't get that in a lawn!

From April to November the average formal lawn requires mowing at least once a week in order to keep it looking neat.

Add all those hours up over the year and ask yourself if you couldn't be doing something more relaxing with your time than pushing a mower back and forth.

Soil is allowed to behave naturally when it isn't beneath a lawn.

A more natural cycle of plant growth with less artificial irrigation and feeding lets the invertebrates and microbes within the soil develop to sustainable and balanced levels. Their behaviour, uninhibited by man made additions to the chemical or structural nature of the soil, contributes to healthy plant growth.

As gardeners we should be embracing nature, not throwing punches at it.

Chemical lawn treatments, in the form of 'weed and feed' or pesticides for getting rid of turf pests all alter the soils balance as well as killing plants and moss. Additional nitrogen based fertilisers contribute to imbalance.

It's difficult to think of any real benefits to having wildflowers instead of a neat and tidy stripy lawn.........Oh no! Hang on..