Overview

Meadow explores the intimate and complex relationship between people, place and plants which, over many centuries, has shaped the colour and character of the classic hay meadows of the British Isles. The surviving hay meadows of the British Isles are an intrinsic part of our cultural heritage, representing a natural equivalent to our great churches, castles, and ancient standing stones. Those that remain provide a tantalising glimpse into the past to a time long before chemical fertilisers and herbicides robbed our grasslands of all their treasures; they are biodiversity hotspots, offering home and sanctuary to flora and fauna. In this book, Iain Parkinson has carefully curated a fascinating collection of personal and evocative accounts shared by notable meadow experts from the world of science, conservation and the arts. The complex story of a hay meadow is told by the people whose lives are entangled within its intricate web, and in Meadow we hear over 30 first-person accounts touching on everything from wildflower and grassland restoration, basketmaking and weaving, pollinators and birdlife, water and soil, to hedgelaying, grazing, and archaeology. Beautifully illustrated with photographs specially taken by Jim Holden, Meadow is not only an insightful guide that helps to reveal the secret life of the flora and fauna of our classic hay meadows, but it also acts as a long-overdue celebration of the people behind these enigmatic grasslands.

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9781842467473

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Reviews

[Meadow] explains that with knowledge and care, people have the potential to help these biodiversity hotspots return. -- Waitrose Magazine This delightfully colorful book on meadows is not simply literary 'wallpaper'. ., Each chapter is written by an expert in their field and the book provides an array of lovely personal reflections from artists, scientists, crafts people, and land managers. . . Meadow quite simple inspires and informs. -- The Garden

"""Parkinson's contributors make a powerful case for the wise implementation of grazing strategies and wild hay-making to restore Britain's meadows to their former glory.""-- ""Natural History"" ""This delightfully colorful book on meadows is not simply literary 'wallpaper'. ., Each chapter is written by an expert in their field and the book provides an array of lovely personal reflections from artists, scientists, crafts people, and land managers. . . Meadow quite simply inspires and informs.""-- ""The Garden"" ""[Meadow] explains that with knowledge and care, people have the potential to help these biodiversity hotspots return.""-- ""Waitrose Magazine"""

This delightfully colorful book on meadows is not simply literary 'wallpaper'. ., Each chapter is written by an expert in their field and the book provides an array of lovely personal reflections from artists, scientists, crafts people, and land managers. . . Meadow quite simply inspires and informs. -- The Garden [Meadow] explains that with knowledge and care, people have the potential to help these biodiversity hotspots return. -- Waitrose Magazine

Author Information

Iain Parkinson is Living Collections and Conservation Manager at Wakehurst, Kew's wild botanic garden in the heart of the High Weald of Sussex. He began his early career in the woodlands, but with a love for the colourful and patterned beauty of nature, it was inevitable that he would fall under the spell of the classic hay meadow.

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