Giving plants a stronger foothold

One of our objectives in creating grassland was to give plants that were uncommon on Abbey Farm or in the local area a much stronger foothold. Several species survived on the farm in very low populations including:
- Ox-eye Daisy: restricted to 3m of one hedge bank
- Stemless Thistle: just three plants
- Wild Basil and Small Scabious: found in small numbers on two fragments of calcareous grassland covering less than 0.05ha
All these species are now much more common, most with populations measured in 1000’s or 10,000s
Some species that were locally scarce and not previously known on Abbey Farm such as Restharrow and Common Gromwell, are now widespread on Abbey Farm
Marjoram used to be common on a roadside verge in Flitcham but was killed off by verge mowing a few decades ago. It is now widespread in the farm’s calcareous grassland
Other species that were already quite widespread on Abbey Farm, such as Crested Dog’s-tail, Cowslip and Bird’s-foot Trefoil, now have much larger populations