Believe it or not, this wildflower meadow is slap-bang in the centre of Southampton. It seems the council have seeded it in a rather dull bed of ornamental grasses. This new municipal planting seems to be growing in popularity: last year we found a meadow blooming in Broadmead, Bristol. It is such a refreshing sight: better for wildlife, and a vast improvement on ranks of Busy Lizzies and other such dull flowers.

And these meadows are so easy to create and maintain. If you’ve got a spare patch of grass, or know of a spare bit of earth which could do with some brightening up, read our easy guide to meadows.