The joy of nurturing a wildflower meadow

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/01/the-joy-of-nurturing-a-wildflower-meadow

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Barrie Dale on how he has cultivated an ‘authentic’ wildflower meadow, and Stuart Wallace on No Mow May

Re Alys Fowler’s article (Here’s why we should stop weeding. Learn to love our dandelions and brambles, 26 April), since the early 1980s I have been cultivating two-thirds of an acre of grassland as an “authentic” wildflower meadow – no bought-in seeds or plants, no chemicals, no power tools. It is now home to many wildflowers. There are also nettles, docks, brambles, thistles, goose-grass etc, but I cull these daily during the growing season so that they are ever-present but never dominant. I am also looking after two-thirds of an acre of woodland on a similar basis, and this is home to a wide range of animals, insects and birds. I compost all my cuttings, capturing several tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.Barrie DaleCharney Bassett, Oxfordshire

No Mow May, what a great idea (‘No Mow May’: UK gardeners urged to let wildflowers and grass grow, 28 April). The report quoting the charity Plantlife goes on to say that mowing less often reduces petrol consumption and produces less CO2 emissions. I go one step further and use a hand mower – no emissions and it’s good exercise.Stuart WallaceWimbledon, London

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