One of the best sources of information on meadows currently available is the Plantlife Meadows Learning Resource.

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/learning-resource/managing-meadows/

There is detailed information on management of species rich grasslands by hay cutting or by grazing, and a guide to the defining features of lowland neutral hay meadows, floodplain meadows, upland hay meadows, rhôs pasture, chalk or limestone grassland and acid grassland. The downloadable “Good meadow guide” is effectively a workshop manual for anyone trying to create, conserve or manage a meadow:

Click to access The-Good-meadow-guide-Plantlife.pdf

If you are starting from scratch and growing your meadow from seed there is detailed information on seed choice:

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/learning-resource/which-seed-should-i-use/

and the importance of Yellow Rattle, with guidance on how to grow it:

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/how-to-grow-yellow-rattle/

There is also guidance on equipment you might need, both for garden scale and field scale:

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/learning-resource/what-equipment-do-you-need-to-manage-a-meadow/

And a guide to the costs involved in creating and managing meadows on different scales:

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/learning-resource/how-much-does-a-meadow-cost/

As well as meadows, there is guidance for those responsible for managing road verges and other green spaces:

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/learning-resource/managing-road-verges-and-greenspaces/

including downloadable guides for methods to make road verges a valuable resource for biodiversity.  The website is regularly updated to try to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape of subsidies for farmers and landowners to encourage more wildlife friendly land use, so it’s well worth visiting regularly to see what news has appeared – in an intelligible form.

If you are seeking detailed information on any aspect of the conservation or creation of species-rich grassland, in a variety of locations or conditions, this Plantlife Learning Resource section is one of the best places to start.