A traditional meadow full of wild flowers is a rare sight today but it is not too late to restore them and to create new ones. Charles Flower is passionate about restoring the countryside. After the appalling destruction provoked by modern farming methods during the 1970s and 1980s he pioneered practical methods of wild flower restoration on his own farm, where he grows wild flower seed crops and runs restoration workshops. We have been through many painful years of seeing our meadows destroyed but Charles Flower has proved that it is possible to plan for diversity, harvest seed, propagate it and create new meadows, woods, hedges and ponds so that wild flowers can be successfully re-established not only in the countryside but also in our gardens, thus ensuring a supply of nectar over a long period – from the woodland primrose in March through to fleabane in the wet meadow in September – that will entice back countless butterflies and other insects. This book is full of practical advice amassed by someone who has devoted all his energy to good management of the countryside for over 20 years. It recounts the story of how he has helped restore the flowers – and thus ensure the return of wildlife – to numerous gardens, farms and estates, a story documented by glorious photographs that cannot fail to inspire.
