Product Description

Meadow-making helps preserve our fragile environment from further decline but it requires knowledge and skill to create a successful meadow. In this timely book, Pam Lewis's passion for traditional pasture management and the preservation of our native species of plants and her extensive meadow-making experience, are translated into an easy-to-read, informative and highly practical text on creating and preserving wildflower meadows – from the smallest garden meadow to large-scale field projects.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #167259 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Review
Sticky Wicket in Dorset has been a mecca for serious garden visitors for many years and photographs of its beautiful gardens regularly appear in the gardening press. Created by Pam and Peter Lewis over the last fifteen years, the five acres of land have always been regarded as a haven for wildlife and managed accordingly. Passionate about the preservation of England's dwindling meadows, Pam hopes to inspire others to create their own in this fascinating book, a combination of ecological sustainability and hands-on gardening. Prefaced by the champion of meadow gardening, Dame Miriam Rothschild, it explains how these "overgrown" green oases support and sustain a fast-vanishing population of essential wildlife - insects, mammals, birds and flora. Whether they are dry, wet, natural or created, Pam explains how to manage and care for your meadow in sympathy with nature. She teaches what to look for when first appraising a meadow, when to mow, when to sow, when to 'weed', when to plant. This is also a history of Sticky Wicket and its horticultural developments - the lessons learned, the experience gained along with a frightening insight into how over-cultivation by farmers and acquisition by property developers is slowly but surely destroying England's green and pleasant land. Accompanied by the photographs of acclaimed garden photographer Steven Wooster, the book shows what can be done by gardeners everywhere to halt this destruction and restore beauty to the countryside. - Lucy Watson

About the Author
Pam Lewis is a noted gardener and a conservationist who designs and creates wildlife gardens, specializing in making and managing wildflower meadows.

Customer Reviews

A first class comprehensive guide and a great read
Creating a wild flower meadow is not a straight forward task. Many who try, fail. I would not have begun to attempt turning my quartre acre plot of rough pasture into a wild flower meadow without this book. The book is holding my hand all the way and continues to answer all my questions and allay any fears of failure. It is a book full of intelligent and experienced knowledge and makes a delightful read. Pam and Peter Lewis's work is an inspiration. I just hope that more people follow in their footsteps to help create and re-create areas of natural beauty and conservation. Be bold, be brave, be creative. Enthusiasm, passion and this book is all you need.

Excellent practical guide to making meadows
I recently went on a course at Sticky Wicket Garden where Pam Lewis lectures about how to make wildlfower meadows. Although we have two acres to play with I also wanted to develope part of the garden into a wildlfower meadow. This book is invaluable. It is so easy and readable - just what we needed to give us the confidence to start. I'd recommend it to anyone whether they have a small space in the garden or seventy acres! Our two acres is really coming along now.

Wildflower Meadows - Natures Barometer.
This is a good honest book! Where it is possibly short on technical content it nevertheless makes up for it in Pam Lewis's obvious enthusiasm for wildflower meadows, given her own management requirements. It is refreshing to view meadows, both active and potential ones, as seen through a 'new' pair of eyes. Often in the field of countryside management we get bogged down (pardon the pun) within our own sphere. As with so many of these books I find myself 'cherry picking' the information which suits me best with regards to end use location etc.

In short an good book which should be read by both the countryside practitioner and lay person if for no other reason than to see an aspect of the countryside which we have carelessly almost lost if it was not for such enthusiasts.