Here at HollyHedge, we have been slowing our wheels… our lawn mower wheels. We have made a point of growing our grasses longer, giving more time between mows and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
Interested in biodiversity & helping our native species along, the unmowed ranges have really started to boast a beautiful array of grasses and flowers, highlighting each one at different times of the years. The spring lawns brought forth blooms of bluets & spring beauties nestled in shaded mossy grasses while violets jumped out for the sun in our open spaces.
A little later, the heal-all bloomed in the open sun too.
Blue-eyed grasses flowered (tiny blue flowers atop their short stems),
followed by deptford pinks, scattered across the property.
Even a healthy colony of wild strawberries have cropped up, nestled in the long grasses that will become our summer meadows.
The spring rains give way to summer sun & the meadows show that they have matured. Repeated years (this is our third year) of letting the grasses grow have helped the various species become truly established.
Beard-tongues & ox eye daisies have spread, cropping up in new places.
The grasses are thicker and taller, creating the right environment for new native species to move in.
Milkweed & false sunflowers have made their first appearance on the property this year and its only June! We look forward to black-eyed susans, trefoils and tick seeds.
The benefits of our long grass & meadow project is many fold; we are contributing to our goals of sustainability by decreasing gas consumption, increasing biodiversity & wildlife habitat on the property, & reducing soil erosion & water runoff. Our grassy endevours also contribute to our constant aim of making Holly Hedge a spectacular setting for weddings. In addition to the gardens & ponds, towering trees, & historic stone buildings, the meadows now offer visitors yet another blissful setting to fondly remember a special day.
One of our green initiatives has been to convert areas of maintained lawns into meadows.
Meadows improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, provide wildlife habitat, and decrease fuel consumption from less frequent mowing... 
... not to mention, they can make for some beautiful scenery.
