Keep your garden creatures like hedgehogs, rabbits and butterflies safe this summer by following expert advice on how to properly care for your outdoor green spaces
With the sun blazing and the weather heating up, many of us are attempting to neaten up our outdoor areas so we can make the most of them during the summer. For some, this means attempting to trim down patches of long, free-growing grass – or meadows.
This can be a difficult task, particularly as meadows are home to many different kinds of species, including bees, butterflies, rabbits and hares. They rely on the long grass for food, shelter and protection. If you go in too quickly with your lawnmower or shears, you risk not only destroying their habitats but also harming the creatures themselves. To avoid this, you need to be vigilant.
READ MORE: DNA site that helped woman find long-lost Japanese brother is now under £30
READ MORE: Gardeners urged to check their house plants as four pests move in
Gardener’s World warns to be on the look out for certain animals before you begin cutting. They write: “Check areas of long grass carefully, for hedgehogs and other creatures that may be hidden there.”
They advise using a strimmer to cut down perennial meadows. Perennial meadows are meadows in which flowers return for multiple years.
Meanwhile, strimmers are typically used to cut in areas where lawn mowers can’t reach, such as places where there are denser weeds or where there are obstacles present like trees.
They also add that it’s best to cut “in stages”. Ideally, you should cut half of your grass now and the other half in a month’s time. This way, you avoid stressing the grass.
Gardener’s World continues: “Leave seedheads where they fall for a few days to let the seeds scatter into the soil, then gather up the clippings for compost.” Grass clippings make a great addition to your compost.
This is because they are high in nitrogen, which is a necessary nutrient for the microorganisms that break down organic matter. Now it’s time to neaten your meadow up. After you’ve used a strimmer, you can then go over the grass with a lawnmower to make it short and even.
Although, they warn that you should be careful to remove all the mowings once you’re done, as these will imbue the soil with too many nutrients – making it more difficult for many types of wildflower to grow.
Equally, you should also consider leaving your grass to grow long and at various lengths. This is particularly beneficial for butterflies, as they prefer environments with longer grass.
Another area of garden maintenance in which you should exercise caution is when it comes to trimming hedges. Many birds make their home in garden hedges, so its’s best to leave the trimming until the end of summer when they’ve flown the nest.