When we arrived in Italy in 2005, the lawn, which the sellers had promised to cut, was several inches high. The grass was like an alpine meadow...if I'd had my way it would have remained long all summer. Scabious, Ajuga, Star of Bethlehem, Buttercup, Large clover, white clover, ragged robin, daisy, speedwell, diminutive Geranium pyrenaicum (I think), Calamintha, in a mix of different flowering grasses were just a few of the gems that I recognised. But our daughter had a wedding reception planned in the garden of our new home so cut it was and to the uneducated eye it looked neat and tidy. Only I seemed to notice the scent of crushed mint beneath our feet. A multitude of bedding plants (shudders) was purchased from the local nursery to brighten up the pathways and steps...
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| Copyright Penelope S Hellyer |
It took a few years to persuade OH to allow the Ajuga to flow...and it may well have been the fact that we were away from the garden and came back to this glorious meadow. The bees - both honey and bumble were enjoying the Ajuga: however it was the day a swallowtail butterfly came and stayed within the garden long enough for us both to take photographs that sealed the fate of the lawn forever. Now the grass is still cut but the swathes of Ajuga remain, as are the larger clumps of Star of Bethlehem and daisies...it is a delight.
This is a good enough reason for us not to worry about a lawn...
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