Print pageLawn
Habitat
A lawn is a quintessential part of an English garden – in fact it can be a gardener’s obsession. Lawns vary enormously.
Those that are weed-free, regularly fertilised, neat and bright green are of little value to most wildlife, while those that are scruffy-looking, with plenty of weeds, support many species.
However, perfect or not, all lawns are feeding areas for birds such as starlings, which probe for the myriad invertebrates that live in the roots.
Make the most of your garden
- Welcome some weeds. For instance, clover feeds the lawn with nitrogen.
- Don't cut the lawn too short in summer; it will lose more water.
- Allow a patch of grass to grow and flower. It will attract birds, insects and invertebrates, and grass flowers are very pretty.
No matter how brown your lawn becomes in summer, it will recover after rain. Water is a precious resource - don't waste it on the lawn.