The Great Lawn at Dyffryn Gardens on the outskirts of Cardiff is once again home to two mini meadows, which not only put on a spectacular visual display for visitors but also help to support and develop biodiversity in the garden’s already flourishing ecosystem.
Heading into their fourth year of growing the ‘mini meadows’, this year’s swirl pattern has been inspired by the spiral motifs and designs found in the architecture of Dyffryn House, the facade of which has recently been uncovered and restored.
While it can take several years to establish a more developed meadow, National Trust Cymru, who care for the lawns at the centre of the nature-friendly Edwardian Garden, have seen that even just a short period of summer growth can lead to their mini meadows quickly becoming a haven for wildlife, providing an excellent home for small animals and invertebrates, as well as increasing plant diversity.
Having taken the shape of hexagons and ovals in previous years, the mini meadows’ flowering wild spaces support a variety of wildflowers and insects as well as the birds that feed on them due to the differing grass heights.
Not only does attracting the diverse range of pollinators, insects and birds give visitors a feast for the eyes, it also encourages predators like dragonflies to mingle with damselflies over the water features in the garden. The mown paths reduce compaction in the formal lawn, which aids in increasing the number of rare waxcap fungi later in the autumn, protecting and preserving the space for all to enjoy the enchanting displays of nature for years to come.
Head to Dyffryn Gardens between now and the middle of August to enjoy all that the meadows have to offer before they’re cut at the end of summer. Find out more – HERE
