Grass in our front and/or back gardens can play a crucial role in offering a place for all the beneficial insects and wildlife that are losing their homes due to climate change and human activity. Transforming just a small portion of your lawn into a wildflower meadow is simple but impactful. It’s beautiful AND low maintenance.

You can try your favourite garden centre or garden supplier, but if you don’t know where to go, you could try Johnson’s Nature’s Lawn with mowable wildflowers seed.  You need to prepare your soil before spreading the seed lightly over the area.  Gently rake the seeds in and water - in a few weeks you’ll have a vibrant habitat for wildflowers to thrive. When it comes to mowing, choose a height between 50mm and 150mm. By choosing a higher height and reducing how often you mow, you’ll create the perfect conditions and opportunity for wildflowers to flourish.

Look out for plants like: the pretty yellow, nectar-rich Birdsfoot Trefoil; one of honey bees’ favourites Black Medick which is similar to clover; Black Knapweed provides a vital food source for a wide range of pollinators including butterflies; Lady's Bedstraw provides another valuable food source but its root system also helps to stabilise soil and improve the health of your lawn; everyone’s favourite, Meadow Buttercup is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in spring and so provides an early source of food for wildlife; Oxeye Daisy reminds me of the back of our garden when I was a child and is thought to be one of the highest-ranked producers of food; Self-Heal produces a cluster of purple flowers through to October providing a nectar source for bees when other plants have faded; and finally Yarrow provides food for pollinators and beetles while providing food for insects which naturally control garden pests like aphids.

Why not make a rewilding pledge? Ask your garden centre or similar shop about what’s available. For more information on the Johnsons Lawn Seed range, please visit: https://www.johnsonslawnseed.com/product-range

Karisa Krcmar