Making Wildflower Meadows

Sticky Wicket in Dorset has been a mecca for serious garden visitors for many years and photographs of its beautiful gardens regularly appear in the gardening press. Created by Pam and Peter Lewis over the last fifteen years, the five acres of land have always been regarded as a haven for wildlife and managed accordingly. Passionate about the preservation of England's dwindling meadows, Pam hopes to inspire others to create their own in this fascinating book, a combination of ecological sustainability and hands-on gardening. Prefaced by the champion of meadow gardening, Dame Miriam Rothschild, it explains how these "overgrown" green oases support and sustain a fast-vanishing population of essential wildlife - insects, mammals, birds and flora. Whether they are dry, wet, natural or created, Pam explains how to manage and care for your meadow in sympathy with nature. She teaches what to look for when first appraising a meadow, when to mow, when to sow, when to 'weed', when to plant. This is also a history of Sticky Wicket and its horticultural developments - the lessons learned, the experience gained along with a frightening insight into how over-cultivation by farmers and acquisition by property developers is slowly but surely destroying England's green and pleasant land. Accompanied by the photographs of acclaimed garden photographer Steven Wooster, the book shows what can be done by gardeners everywhere to halt this destruction and restore beauty to the countryside. - Lucy Watson