'Lawnmowers sometimes struggle with long grass' warns the RHS website. As well as my faltering wildflower patch I have deliberately neglected what I jokingly call a lawn in recent months. It received a mow early in the Spring, and I did cut a few areas a little while ago, but whenever I went out to survey it I saw such a pleasing variety of flowers - first the primroses, then the speedwell and the dandelions - I couldn't bear to use the mower on most of it. Admittedly, the flower that most commonly emerged was ribwort plantain, which is one of my very least favourite plants, but I let that alone as well. This is not a 'meadow': it needs a bit more variety and a reduction in the grasses, and the soil is probably still a bit too fertile for meadow flowers to enjoy it much. But it could be on the way with a bit of care.
And, so I gather from those who know about meadows, they can't just be left, but need a mow every now and again. After a couple of dry days in Surrey, then, I ventured out to cut it all back. Or nearly all of it - I avoided the bits of ragwort that had cinnabar moth caterpillars on, the patches of buttercups, the first little clump of clover I've ever seen in the garden, spots of self-heal, and the wild poppies. It wasn't as tough as I anticipated, mainly because I had the mower on its highest setting, but also because the grass is already less lush than it would normally be. The toughest area was the slope at the side of the garden where the grasses were so tall I actually had to use my billhook, and I have neither the physique nor the stamina to stand in for an Edwardian farm labourer, thank you.
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