Our hay is produced from 15 acres of species-rich meadows. The grass and plant mix was carefully chosen to create diversity, resilience against difficult weather conditions (in both soil and sward) and a nutritious forage crop for livestock.
GRASSES
- Red Fescue – one of the most important grasses for both meadow and pasture, being an excellent ‘bottom’ grass, drought-tolerant and quick to spread; produces a good aftermath.
- Meadow Fescue – a very productive and nourishing meadow and pasture grass; has a large root system, so is resilient to drought, but can also tolerate wetter seasons.
- Timothy – densely-tufted with a high tillering capacity; preserves its softness for a long time; highly palatable.
- Smooth-stalked Meadow Grass – dubbed ‘the bread of grasses’ for its palatability, softness and nourishment; able to withstand extremes of weather very well.
- Crested Dogstail – remains green in even the driest summers and throughout the winter; a good ‘bottom’ grass; a common component of many of the best natural sheep pastures.
- Tall Fescue – produces a high ratio of leaf to stem; a high-yielding hay plant.
- Cocksfoot – chosen specifically for its deep root system, making it drought tolerant and high in trace minerals; one of the heaviest-yielding grasses and one of the best for hay.
WILDFLOWERS
In addition to the grasses, the fields were over-sown with a mixture of wildflower seed, to create a dense herbal ley. We took great care to ensure the sustainability and palatability of the species chosen.
- Bird’s Foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus
- Black Medick Medicago lupilina
- White Campion Silene alba
- Cowslip Primula veris
- Goat’s-Beard Tragopogon pratensis
- Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra
- Greater Knapweed Centaurea scabiosa
- Lady’s Bedstraw Galium vernum
- Meadow Vetchling Lathyrus pratensis
- Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare
- Pignut Conopodium majus
- Plantain, Hoary Plantago media
- Plantain, Ribwort Plantago lanceolata
- Ragged Robin Lychnis floscuculi
- Salad Burnet Sanguisorba minor
- Selfheal Prunella vulgaris
- Common Sorrel Rumex acetosa
- Wild Carrot Daucus carota
- Wild Clary Salvia verbenaca
- Yarrow Achillea millefolium
- Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor