I have hinted that gardening ‘a deux’ can be difficult at times. But it does have it’s delightful side too. I get extra pleasure every January when my lovely witch hazels flower because ‘him indoors’ voiced the opinion (rather vigorously) that it would never happen. Now I have another chance to – dare I say? – gloat, because my small meadow (my very small meadow) is buzzing with Yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor).

The best beloved was there when some friends offered some ripe seeds from their field a few miles away. But according to the prophet of doom it would never do at Spring Cottage – too high, too damp, too cold, too everything. Well, I am an optimist, so I kept the seeds in my pocket until the grass was mown in late August to within an inch of its life. Every shred of cut grass was removed after cutting. This is a vital part of meadow management for decaying greenery left on top will provide an unwelcome boost of nitrogen. The nutrients of any meadow must be kept to a minimum, otherwise coarse grasses will be encouraged and they out-compete wild flowers. Nitrogen run-off from fertilisers has wreaked havoc on our meadows.

Too much nitrogen is why so many verges are alive with monstrous grasses. Mown grass is left to rot down throughout the growing season. The problem is also exacerbated by nitrogen-rich car exhausts, so many verges are now home only to cow parsley and little else.

Last autumn, I raked a patch of bare earth in my ‘meadow’ and disturbed the top soil before sprinkling my largish seeds into the loose, damp soil. I trampled on it rather like the cows in the meadow would. But I have to say I didn’t expect it to work. But this spring about a hundred seedlings appeared with their jagged-edged leaves and I was as shocked as the best beloved. Although I didn’t actually mention that to him.

However neither of us was as shocked as India, our three-year old granddaughter. When asked if she’d like to come and see the yellow rattle she froze stock still and muttered “but I don’t like snakes”. All was explained, but only after a decent period of adult laughter.

Yellow rattle does rattle just like a snake when the seeds are ripe and it was the big indicator to the farmer that the hay meadow could be cut – usually in late July. The best hay is a mixture of fine grasses. Yellow rattle, an annual, is a semi-parasitic annual that feeds on grass roots. Even this year the grass close to my plants has been subdued by its arrival – a bit like the he who shall be nameless. It’s an extremely attractive plant to bumblebees and it’s also the food plant of the larvae of two rare moths. In the past farmers treated it as a nuisance because large colonies could deplete the grass completely. But in recent years 75 per cent of our meadows have disappeared – so I, like many, am trying to recreate one here.

The great thing about getting yellow rattle going in a meadow is that it creates bare gaps and other wild flowers are more likely to appear.

So this autumn I will be adding a pretty pink legume called Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) and Salad Burnett (Sanguisorba minor). Seeds can be acquired from several sources including Meadowmania (www.meadowmania.co.uk or call 01249 819013). It should not be collected in the wild.