Our meadow has certainly taken a lot of punishment during the recent downpours and was perhaps not looking it's best when the First Choice Homes Gardening Competition Judges paid us a visit last week. We carry on regardless, knowing that the real enjoyment of our labours comes in the shape of improved health and bio-diversity and not competition. Our only real competitors are those who continue to throw litter over the fence onto our plot - Grrrr!
The meadow has been lovingly cut back now and the cut foliage has been carefully raked out in one single direction to release the seed heads ready for the next growth. The next cut back will see us raking in the opposite direction, thus spreading the newer seeds. This handy tip has been one of many we have gladly been able to take note of and implement.
Himalayan Balsom, which continues to flower each year, is still, thankfully, on the other side of our fencing and we will be bagging and removing as much of it as we can over the next couple of weeks.
So the meadow is now looking a little sparse, but as we collated our photos, prior to the judges visit, it was interesting to look back at our original vision of just how we wanted the micro-meadow to look and compare it to what we actually achieved:
The best thing is that we know that this is only the start and there is still so much more colour to come. The enthusiasm for wildflowers, trees, butterflies and bees ... oh, and squirrels continues!