Lush Meadow

This area has the soil and some rubble from the building of the houses of Hirst Copse and is
mostly rich soil making it difficult for wildflowers to establish. Our target here is to establish the
sort of taller flowers that used to be common on roadside verges and under hedges in our
countryside.

This is very much a work in progress. We have over the last three years planted
numerous flowering plant plugs and hope some will manage to compete with the well established
grass and over enthusiastic hogweed and thistles.

There are also suckers from the trees bordering the grass and lurking blackberry roots yet to be removed. But it is already a mini jungle; moist and sheltered at its base, producing grass pollen and seeds. Beetles, grasshoppers and caterpillars of
various moths and butterflies all benefit and attract birds, bats, hedgehogs and others.