A-scything we will go!

Caring for wildflower and ‘normal’ lawns, with Ruth

- Ruth Hayes

WHY should Poldark and DEATH, Terry Pratchett’s delightful take on the Grim Reaper in the Discworld books, have all the fun?

Our wildflower lawn in the back garden has gone through its early flush of colour and the oxeye daisies and kidney vetch are past their best.

They need cuttings down to make room for later varieties such as harebells, bedstraws and knapweeds.

The best way to do this partial cutting is with a scythe, which is traditional, effective and hard work, especially in a heatwave. Luckily there wasn’t a massive area to clear, so once the stems of the daisies and vetch had been levelled I had time to get on with the rest of my lawn jobs.

It has been a tough summer for lawns, and below-average rainfall plus the prolonged hot, dry spell in July has left the grass yellow and crispy.