I’ve always thought that the more consideration we put into something then the better the end result will be, and I apply this rule of thumb to my garden with fingers crossed and in hope rather than any certainty. Years of experience and a fair amount of knowledge have taught me that there are an awful lot of variables affecting the life of our gardens and the weather with all its many permutations is one of the biggest.
This year I haven’t joined in with the summer grumblers about lack of warmth and sunshine, because much as I appreciate both and know how much my garden’s wildlife need them too, the variable, unpredictable weather is allowing me to begin to repair the remains of my sad and sorry former meadow lawn.
More reminiscent of April than June and July, odd days of sun followed by showers have been just perfect for seed germination so rather than wait for autumn, as would almost always be most sensible, I’ve made a start.
Like a very small herd of herbivores being moved on quickly by the scent or sight of a carnivore, I’m cutting, scraping and raking small patches at a time, seeding a wild flower mix, then stopping for a while before moving on to the next area. Progress might be slow but as I watch for and see signs of germination, it feels sure and I can choose the species mix for each small space as looks most appropriate.
In the shade of trees is a woodland mix, moving away from them as their influence lessens, I’ve scattered seeds of hedgerow and semi shade species and out in the open, sunny areas I’ve tried a ‘restoration’ mix together with seeds I’m gathering from local verges and from my own remaining wild flowers.
Adapting the way I interact with my garden as a human version of an ecosystem engineer I remind myself that change is our only constant where the natural world is concerned and going with the flow at the moment seems the only way to go.
