Grass / flowers
Grass and flowers. Photograph: Graham Turner Graham Turner/Guardian

There is something about flowers growing through grass that creates a warm feeling. Perhaps as a child you wandered through a meadow, or maybe it's just a received image tucked away in your subconscious - Monet's fields of poppies on a sultry summer's day, say.

The idea of reproducing something similar appeals, which is why so many gardeners strive to recreate meadow or cornfield in their back gardens. It's a laudable ambition, too, because the benefit to native flora and fauna cannot be overstressed.

Some of us, however, have neither the room nor the commitment to plant a meadow. Still, you can create a meadowy feel by planting up an area with a grass and a perennial or annual flowering plant.

Hordeum jubatum is an ideal starting point. Closely related to barley, it immediately conveys that "cornfield" atmosphere. In the picture above, it's planted with Dahlia 'Gaiety', and the two merge beautifully, the soft, orange orbs of the dahlia being complemented by the blue-tinged awls of the grass. You could substitute the dahlia for a Californian poppy, an annual that seeds itself easily - try searing orange for a blatant effect, or one of the creamy pink strains for something easier on the eye.

An alternative grass, meanwhile, could be Stipa tenuissima. It's as soft as hordeum, but more bulky. If you opt for this, it will need a substantial partner: try the dark-flowered pin cushions of Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Chat Noir' or the lemon-coloured S. ochroleuca

If only a small area is designated to such a theme, it needn't be too pricey, but if you're thinking of going further, there are ways to economise. The grasses, for instance, can easily be raised from seed - buy a packet, or buy a plant and collect your own. Collecting the seed is child's play: when you can feel the seed in the inflorescence (the top bit of the grass), run your index finger and thumb along the length of the stem up to the top, collect the seed in an envelope, gently blow away the chaff and sow on the surface of any seed compost. When seedlings appear, separate and pot individually until strong enough to plant out. Dahlias, meanwhile, can be increased from spring cuttings; scabious and poppies from seed.