Ecotone Design Across The Core Micro-Habitats: Grasses, Meadow, Scrub, Hedge and Pond

Part 2 - The LettsSafari Guide to Ecotone Design in 3 Parts.

How to turn “hard edges” in gardens and micro-parks into species-rich transition zones.

At LettsSafari, we have found that ecotone design in nature rich gardens can truly transform your approach - optimising space and biodiversity with layers of wildlife friendly micro-habitaits. As a result, we are producing a comprehensive and actionable guide to applying ectone design in your garden or small green space. It comes in 3 parts (serialised over the next 3 weeks):

1. The Ecotone Mindset: 8 rules that make “edge magic” happen

2. Ecotone design across the core micro-habitats

3. Practical ecotone “recipes” (plug-and-play for small spaces)

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At the core of its definition, ecotone is a transition area between two plant communities (think: grassland → scrub, pond → meadow, hedge → open lawn). It often contains species from both neighbouring habitats plus species that prefer the “in-between”.

Today we examine ecotone design across the core micro-habitats focusing on Britain first; with temperate Europe and North America swaps included later.

Large Blue Butterfly in the wild grasses

1) Lawn → Long grass → Wildflower mini-meadow

This is the most common “hidden ecotone” in domestic gardens.

How to build it

• Keep a mown path (people need permission to love “wild”)

• Let the path edge feather into:

  • a short flower-rich lawn zone

  • then taller grass + flowers

  • then tussocks and seed heads toward shrubs/hedge

Practical mowing approach (RHS-style)

• For a flower-rich lawn/mini-meadow: mow short mainly outside spring to summer flowering, and if you only cut once in summer, do it late summer after most flowers set seed.

• For newly sown perennial/mixed meadows: the first year often needs regular cuts to help perennials establish strong roots.

Plant palette (UK-friendly, small space)

Choose a mix that matches your soil (don’t worry about perfection — start with 6–10 species):

• Bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) – bee magnet; butterfly associations

• Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) – late-season nectar powerhouse

• Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

• Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)

• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

• Red/white clover (Trifolium pratense / repens)

• Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) for structure

• Grasses: sweet vernal grass, fescues, crested dog’s-tail (meadow feel)

Who you’ll attract

• Bumblebees & solitary bees (longer flowering season = more colonies supported)

• Hoverflies (pollination + aphid control)

• Butterflies in sunny gardens (e.g., meadow species, small skippers depending on plants)

• Seed-eating birds later in the year (finches)

• Overwintering insects in tussocks and thatch

Ecotone upgrade: add a few 30–60cm “no-cut islands” near hedge bases. Those tussocks are mini wildlife apartment blocks.

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Chelsea Flower Show 2025 - Wild Garden

2) Meadow / tall herbs → Scrub (the “wild pantry” edge)

Scrub is where gardens get serious about biodiversity: providing cover + flowers + berries + nesting.

How to build it (small gardens)

Create a scrub ribbon (1–2m deep) along a fence or back boundary:

• front edge: tall herbs + grasses

• middle: bramble/rose/honeysuckle patches (yes, really — in moderation)

• back: mixed shrubs and small trees

Key scrub species (UK)

• Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.) – exceptional nectar + autumn berries

• Dog rose (Rosa canina) – flowers + hips

• Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) – flowers + berries

• Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) – structure + berries

• Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) – shelter + stems

• Broom (Cytisus scoparius) on lighter/acid soils

Wildlife you’ll notice

• Songbirds using dense cover (dunnock, wrens; other species depending on context)

• Hedgehogs using scrubby margins as safe commuting cover

• Beetles, spiders, lacewings (predators that keep pests in check)

• A “spillover” effect: meadow insects feeding in flowers then sheltering in scrub

Ecotone upgrade: make the scrub edge scalloped, not straight. Curves create more edge length (more niches) without needing more land.

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Vibrant garden path: A symphony of flowers and plants

3) Shrub / scrub → Mixed native hedge (the corridor edge)

A hedge is both habitat and highway — especially in fragmented urban areas. The Woodland Trust notes hedgerows are essential refuges and provide wider benefits like carbon capture and flood reduction too.

What makes a hedge an ecotone (not just a green wall)

The best wildlife hedges are:

• thick

• broad at the bottom

• mixed species

• with climbers and bramble threaded through (where safe/acceptable)

The Wildlife Trusts explicitly recommends thick, broad-based hedges with a range of woody species (hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple, hazel, spindle, etc.) and often bramble/rose plus climbers like honeysuckle and clematis. Suffolk Wildlife Trust gives a very practical starter mix: hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel plus field maple, holly, wild privet, dog rose, buckthorn for variety.

Go-to hedge mix for small/medium UK gardens

Pick 4–7 species (you don’t need 20!):

• Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) – blossom + haws

• Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) – very early blossom; sloes; dense nesting

• Hazel (Corylus avellana) – catkins; nuts; coppiceable

• Field maple (Acer campestre) – structure; autumn colour

• Holly (Ilex aquifolium) – winter shelter + berries (female plants berry)

• Dog rose (Rosa canina) – threading + hips

• Alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus) if you have damp soil

The RSPB also promotes hedges as excellent wildlife food + shelter and provides practical guidance for planting wildlife-friendly hedges.