Hope for the Lappinch

What a difference six months makes!

Exactly 6 months ago, back in early December, we disc harrowed our small meadow to break up the grass thatch and then overseeded the resulting bare earth with a mix of traditional British wildflowers.

Almost immediately thereafter followed an exceptionally cold spell that froze the ground solid.

We were however quietly confident of success, knowing that many of our wildflowers actually need a cold snap to germinate. Furthermore, we knew the soil itself was lacking fertility – almost a prerequisite for long term meadow success.

Six months on, we could not be more excited about progress. New yellow rattle plants, that building block of new meadow creation, are appearing almost daily. Meanwhile, creeping up through the grass and buttercups, are a wealth of wild carrot, knapweed, ribwort plantian and oxe-eye daisy seedlings. Even more encouragingly, the cuckoo flower that we knew was already in the meadow has remained and flourished, validating our decision not to spray off the old meadow before reseeding.

It’s certainly the best possible start and, if our previous experience with meadow creation is anything to go by, this little acre will only get better and more species rich from here!