Latest design advise from Landscape Design blog is that we should embrace the buttercups in our lawns, plant flowers and let the lawn grow.    Embracing the trend for flowers in a meadow landscape is good for  ecology, and lessens toxic spraying and can be beautiful.

Nick says ,the Europeans ” are now enthusiastically creating ‘floral lawns’ and ‘park meadows’ by planting flowering perennials and bulbs into their lawns and parks and over-seeding with wildflower mixtures.”

 Photo:Landscape design blog

“These dense foliage and flower and seed rich environments are very good for invertebrates, lizards and other beneficial wildlife.”

“So, why not? Is it our anxiety about untidiness? Is it the fact that these plants are not New Zealand natives? Worry about weeds? About what the neighbours will think? Or simply a lack of understanding and the right skills? I hope it is the last of these because understanding and skills can be gained if we want them and the best way to learn is to try it!”

Dragecivich Orchard Photo Credit: Pod Gardening

Seems Dragecivich Orchard is right on trend with it’s floral beauty.  Planting daffodils is also  part of Oratia’s horticultural heritage and I’ve got mine in under the fruit trees for spring.

Well, we all know that unmown berms can be messy, as it all gets too wild.   It’s nice to mow a straight tidy path for somewhere to walk and to contrast with the beautiful  wild edges and the flowers and the blackberrys.   Landscaping trends are now encoungaring less hard work and embracing flowers again!    Full story here.