Gardening, like nature, is all about cycles. Each new season presents a fresh set of challenges and priorities, falling roughly under three headings – cultivation, preparation and rehabilitation.
The latter involves reinvigorating both plant life and the earth the plants grow in. Because the earth is alive it can therefore die, or at least deteriorate to the extent where it only contains a fraction of the goodness it once did, while retaining much less moisture.
Nature being what it is, there are plants that will thrive in less fertile soil – and you’ll hear more about them in a minute – but generally gardeners aspire to keeping the ground they use for cultivation in good condition.
This broad principle even applies to lawns, which occasionally require some attention to ensure optimum performance.
Spring and autumn are the two best times to rehabilitate your lawn but be aware that the recommended regime will likely leave your limbs aching and your grass looking like it’s been through the wars.
If the weather permits, begin your autumn pamper with a mow on a high blade setting. This collects and shreds any leaves that have fallen on the grass, while reducing the amount of debris you’ll need to pick-up.
Then take spring-tined rake and scrape the lawn surface to remove the thatch – the dead grass that builds up and effectively chokes new, emerging growth.
Compost the thatch you’ve removed before resting for a couple of days ahead the next labour intensive task.
Spiking is carried out with a fork and is aimed at reducing compaction, while aerating the ground beneath the lawn. It involves plunging a fork to a depth of around six inches and wiggling it, doing so many times over.
The final phase is adding a top dressing of sharp sand and soil, spreading it in evenly with a yard brush. Autumn’s also a good time to sow seed on bald patches and repair any bumps or dips.
If all this sounds like a lot of hard work for what is after all an often boring and uninspiring expanse of close cut greenery then you may wish to consider the alternatives. However, dispel any notion that growing wildflowers is an easier, low maintenance option – at least initially.
While just leaving your lawn to grow is one possibility, there won’t be much species diversity in the grass seed that was originally sown. Also, ground that has been fertilised with a nitrogen-rich feed is likely to hinder wildflower growth, so a lawn in poor condition is best suited to the transformation.
You can proceed over the coming weeks or wait to sow fresh seed in spring, in which case cover the ground with cardboard or a membrane to suppress growth beneath.
When ready, remove the top layer of turves then rake and lightly dig over the ground, removing any perennial weeds before sowing.
It is possible to collect your own seed from an existing meadow but you may need to augment this with a commercial mix.
Among the best wildflowers for wildlife are corncockle (Agrostemma githago), an annual which thrives in poor soil and flowers through most of the summer. Oxeye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) are great for populating an immature meadow, while the biennial wild carrot (Daucus carota) provides texture rather than colour.
It’s hard to go wrong with field poppies (Papaver rhoeas) which will seed in abundance, alongside the perennial field scabious (Knautia arvensis) and cornflower (Centaurea cyanus).
