Crab Orchard Paddock

The small meadow at Crab Orchard Road is a long-term project aiming to improve the biodiversity of what was once a grazed and then mown paddock. The first step was to stop the mowing, and see what existing plants were lying in wait for their chance to grow. Along with the usual suspects amongst the lush and dominating grasses, a lone Orchid emerged, a hopeful sight. In order to develop a richer flowering habitat we began by roughly scarifying the close-mown turf that Autumn, raking away all the cuttings and sowing Yellow Rattle directly onto the bare patches of earth. We also added a simple native wildflower mix to give it a head start.

Each Summer this little meadow literally sings with life, and the ride-on mower has less work to do.