REWILDING is a trend set to grow even bigger in the coming year and if you want a piece of the action, why not turn part of your lawn into a wildflower meadow?

You don’t have to make your garden into a jungle. A wildflower meadow can be as large or small as you want it to be.

Just cordon off part of the lawn with, say, a simple rustic fence, or pick an awkward corner of the lawn which has always been difficult to mow. Some people even sow their meadows in pots and tubs, harvesting the hay with scissors!

There are three basic ways of letting the grass grow under your feet. You can just let your lawn go wild by stopping mowing until late July for a spring meadow and until September for a summer meadow.

You could also over sow your meadow site with a mixture of wildflower and grass seeds. This is a bit slower than transplanting ready-grown flowers but achieves the best results in the long run.

The transplanting method from pots and plugs is more time-consuming and expensive than seeding but it will speed up the process of making a wildflower meadow. But do not take plants from the wild.

You could also create a meadow from scratch by preparing the ground for sowing seeds or laying turf already impregnated with wildflower seed.

Whichever method you choose, remember that wild flowers generally grow best in poor soil, so if you are planning to create a wildflower meadow, it’s important to stop using fertilisers to reduce the fertility of the soil.

Traditional wildflower meadows can contain up to 100 species of flowering plants and there are two basic types:

Spring meadows will bring you the small blue flowers of bugler - a favourite of bees and butterflies - cowslips, which flower in April and May, the purple and white snake’s head fritillary, which flowers in April, the spring-flowering lady’s mock and the lesser stitchwort with its white starry flowers.

Summer meadows will flower until September or later. Plant or sow a variety of species for a beautiful mosaic, but remember these plants are delicate and don’t like being walked on!

The blue-mauve flowers of the field scabious appear late in the season and provide nectar for late butterflies, moths, bees and hoverflies. Knapweed, with its purple flowers, is also an important late nectar plant. The field buttercup, flowering from May to July, attracts many butterflies and moths, and its seeds are a favourite of wood pigeons.

Every summer meadow should have sorrel, with its red flower spikes, and the blue-flowering meadow cranesbill.

Don’t forget to add some of the amazing array of wild grasses to your meadow - quaking grass, common sedge, crested dog’s tail and field woodrush, to name but a few - and we shouldn’t forget that once the original grass remains unmown, flowers will emerge which are not normally allowed to grow.

Remember that highly manicured lawns have only been part of our gardens since 1830, when the first lawnmower was adapted from a carpet cutter. Since then - according to the latest research - in 50 years of gardening we can spend at least 2,600 hours mowing the grass. If that’s not a good reason for letting the lawn go back to nature I don’t know what isâ¦

JUST THE JOB

What to do in gardens in the coming month. January is the beginning of the gardening year and there’s plenty to do even when the weather is bad - studying seed catalogues, working out the most productive planting schemes and planning for the months ahead.

In the meantime, there’s still plenty of scope for action outdoors when the weather permits - mostly about keeping things trim and tidy.

IN THE FLOWER GARDEN

Prune rose bushes, wisteria, honeysuckle and rhododendrons. Keep beds tidy and remove leaves and debris which could be sheltering tiresome pests.

Plant bare root roses and start off sweet pea seeds in a heated greenhouse. Check stakes, supports and ties which might have been damaged in bad weather.

IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

Warm up the soil with a cloche for a few weeks before planting early peas. Ensure some early rhubarb by covering a few crown with pots loosely stuffed with straw. Shoots should be ready in about six weeks.

Harvest parsnips and leeks and remove yellowing leaves from winter brassicas. Autumn-sown broad beans should be well up by now and vulnerable to frosts so protect with a scattering of straw. It could make all the difference between survival and elimination.

Sow Brussels sprouts and cabbage in boxes in the greenhouse for an early start.

IN THE FRUIT GARDEN

Trained apple trees should have all last year’s laterals reduced to a couple of buds to encourage spur formation. Check that raspberry canes are tied in securely.

Prune gooseberries in January to encourage growth next summer. Order fruit bushes like raspberries and currants and plant in a prepared bed in a sheltered position.

Philip Greenfield