Wildflower meadows are becoming a popular choice for people wanting a colourful, low maintenance lawn. There are many benefits to planting wild flowers. They re-seed themselves and the flowers are very beneficial to wildlife. The other great advantage is that the meadows only need cutting once a year when it is established. Throwing wild flower seed on to your existing lawn will probably end in failure as some preparation work will be needed to give the seeds chance to germinate. The favourable time to prepare an area is now and autumn, however most wildflower seeds will germinate in summer if they are kept moist. Here are a few pointers to get you started.
PREPARATION
Wildflower plants generally require poor soil so the first job is to scrape off all the topsoil. The grass will crowd the seedlings, stopping them germinating. The grass will also be full of weed seeds, which would suffocate the young plants. (This job alone is enough to put everyone off before they begin; this is why creating large meadows is sometimes best left to the professionals!) Don’t despair though if you only have a small area you won’t need to hire a digger!
Wildflower seeds should be mixed with grass seed. The percentage of wild flower seed to use depends on the amount of colourful flowers you require. Some people will put as much as 50% wild flower seed in the mix, while others put in only 10%. The seed for the flowers are expensive (about €135 per kg) so the main factor is cost when deciding on the percentage.
Rake the seed in to save them being eaten by the birds. Use old C.D’s that newspapers give away as free gifts for scaring the birds. Tie them on to string and let them catch the sun. You might have to do a bit of weeding as the seed establishes. Keep an eye on any weeds that look as though they are going to seed and pull them out.
The lawn will need cutting about three times in the first year, do this when it looks untidy. Take away the cuttings, as this will add to the fertility of the soil. Don’t consider using fertilizer on the lawn this will cause the grass to grow too rapidly and will kill the flowers. After the first year the grass should only be cut when the flowers have set seed. This will lead to a self-sustaining area.
You can use wildflower seed in window boxes and planters; the seeds can fall to the ground where they will quickly spread where you want them. They can be used to enhance beds and borders by filling in the bare patches. The seed can be sown directly outdoors or treat them like perennial seeds and sow them in trays or pots. Most of the wildflower plants flower in their second year so don’t despair if there isn’t much colour in the first year.
PONDS
Wildflowers grow well by the side of ponds if the ground is damp or wet. Remember that some of these seeds can take a few years to germinate and can lie dormant for many years until conditions are favourable.
GETTING IT RIGHT
Some wildflower seeds require winter chilling, such as the cowslip. Some need spring temperatures to germinate such as the poppy to break their dormancy. This is why I think it is a good idea to sow the seed directly outside and let nature do the rest. If the conditions are right from the outset then the rest will be easy. Some of the best wildflower gardens have been created on rubble topped off with crushed chalk or crushed concrete!
Horticultural.
PREPARATION
Wildflower plants generally require poor soil so the first job is to scrape off all the topsoil. The grass will crowd the seedlings, stopping them germinating. The grass will also be full of weed seeds, which would suffocate the young plants. (This job alone is enough to put everyone off before they begin; this is why creating large meadows is sometimes best left to the professionals!) Don’t despair though if you only have a small area you won’t need to hire a digger!
Wildflower seeds should be mixed with grass seed. The percentage of wild flower seed to use depends on the amount of colourful flowers you require. Some people will put as much as 50% wild flower seed in the mix, while others put in only 10%. The seed for the flowers are expensive (about €135 per kg) so the main factor is cost when deciding on the percentage.
Rake the seed in to save them being eaten by the birds. Use old C.D’s that newspapers give away as free gifts for scaring the birds. Tie them on to string and let them catch the sun. You might have to do a bit of weeding as the seed establishes. Keep an eye on any weeds that look as though they are going to seed and pull them out.
The lawn will need cutting about three times in the first year, do this when it looks untidy. Take away the cuttings, as this will add to the fertility of the soil. Don’t consider using fertilizer on the lawn this will cause the grass to grow too rapidly and will kill the flowers. After the first year the grass should only be cut when the flowers have set seed. This will lead to a self-sustaining area.
You can use wildflower seed in window boxes and planters; the seeds can fall to the ground where they will quickly spread where you want them. They can be used to enhance beds and borders by filling in the bare patches. The seed can be sown directly outdoors or treat them like perennial seeds and sow them in trays or pots. Most of the wildflower plants flower in their second year so don’t despair if there isn’t much colour in the first year.
PONDS
Wildflowers grow well by the side of ponds if the ground is damp or wet. Remember that some of these seeds can take a few years to germinate and can lie dormant for many years until conditions are favourable.
GETTING IT RIGHT
Some wildflower seeds require winter chilling, such as the cowslip. Some need spring temperatures to germinate such as the poppy to break their dormancy. This is why I think it is a good idea to sow the seed directly outside and let nature do the rest. If the conditions are right from the outset then the rest will be easy. Some of the best wildflower gardens have been created on rubble topped off with crushed chalk or crushed concrete!
Horticultural.
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