← Seán Ó Briain
Year-two meadow in full flower. 
Mown paths make the meadow look intentional and keep it accessible.
Native · Meadow · Wildlife
Connemara cottage meadow
Native hedgerow and wildflower meadow around a restored cottage.
- Location
- Galway
- Size
- 0.3 acre
- Year
- 2023
- Timeline
- 2 weeks design, 3 weeks build
The brief & the site
A restored cottage on a large rough site. The owners wanted to replace lawn with something low-input that welcomed wildlife and fitted the landscape.
Key decisions & why
- 1
I stripped the topsoil and sowed a native wildflower mix into the poorer subsoil, because meadow flowers need low fertility to beat the grass.
- 2
A mixed hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel hedge frames the boundary and gives birds somewhere to nest.
- 3
Mown paths through the meadow give access and make the space feel designed rather than neglected.
More from Seán Ó Briain
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