The Meadow.

Whether I'm driving or walking to Hyde Hall, every morning I pass the old oak tree in the picture above. It sits a little way out from the rest of the garden, so it is the first thing I see at dawn and the last thing I see on the way home - it is certainly one of my favourite sights here in Essex.

For this reason, I'm delighted to look at the tree now at the centre of what-shall-soon-be a new meadow. With guidance from the greatly esteemed Professor James Hitchmough (famed for the London 2012 Olympic Park meadows), the designs I have seen look brilliant: waves of varying plants, each swathe native to a different country. Bring on the summer - I expect I shall be spending even more time looking over towards that tree!

The meadow method:
-Remove any existing vegetation and wait for two months. Repeat this twice.
-Get to work on the soil, breaking it up into as crumbly a texture as possible.
-Cover the soil with sand, seventy-five millimetres in depth (this is due to Hyde Hall's clay soil).
-Using measuring tape or rods, and rope or markers, assess the size of the land (consider dividing large areas     into portions) - and thus how thickly or thinly the seed should be spread.
-Mix meadow seeds with sawdust to spread them further, if necessary.
-Sow the seeds in the month suggested by suppliers.
-Give the land a gentle raking to bury seeds into the sand.
-Protect your hard work under a layer of jute with a high gauge (large gaps for seedlings to rise through).              This will biodegrade naturally. Alhough metal pegs will hold jute in place, they tend not to biodegrade so well  and do not get on cosily with lawnmowers or strimmers.
-Cup of tea.