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The following notes
should cover the main points with regard to the
establishment and maintenance of the seed that you
have bought from us. The notes will be by no means a
definitive answer to all problems and if you require
any further information do not hesitate to contact
me.
It will cover Wild
Flower meadows, both with grass and without, and the
Cornfield annuals. If you follow these points then
you should be able to enjoy the flowers over the next
few years.
Establishment.
With the Wild Flower
mixtures it is important to remember that they thrive
best when on ‘poor ‘
soil. This is because on ground with
reasonable fertility other grasses and weeds may grow
too quickly and smother the mixture. In some case
where people have been concerned about high fertility
they have removed some of the topsoil first. This is
unlikely to be necessary in most cases.
It is very important
that the ground is prepared thoroughly. Once
established both the grasses and wild flowers will be
easy to maintain but they can take some time to get
started .In particular you need to get rid of any
invasive weeds like couch grass, docks, nettles and
elder. It is in some cases worth looking at the
ground nearby where you are sowing the seed. For
example, if you plant next to a field full of docks
they are going to reseed in your meadow.
You can either dig
the site over with a fork by hand, removing all the
weeds. Or for a larger area spray it with a herbicide such as glyphosate. Then use a rotavator to turn the soil over
(if you have the time it can pay to go though this
process twice.) Kill off what is there and wait to
see what starts to establish, then kill that off
before planting the seed.
Before sowing or
planting, the soil should be broken up and be
relatively free-draining. It can then be raked over
to a firm and fine tilth,
as you would for a lawn. Since you are looking to sow
only a small amount of seed per square metre it may
help to mix it in with some sand or earth first to
increase the volume and help spread it more evenly.
You can broadcast the seed by hand or if you are
establishing a larger area a hand operated lawn
fertilizer spreader could do the job. After sowing
the seed should be raked in and then trodden
in.
The best times for
sowing are March through to May or in the autumn. It
is worth noting that the grasses and wild Flowers
will take some time to get established. You will
start to see the real benefit in the second year
rather than the first year of establishment.
Maintenance
For large areas of
Wild Flower Meadows people often keep paths regularly
mown through the area so they can get the full
benefit of the meadow.
In general once
established the Wild Flower meadows can turn what is
often a neglected part of the garden into an
attractive area that needs little maintenance. All
our Wild Flower range of mixtures
are what is known as summer meadows i.e.
flowering throughout the summer.
It is important that
the grass is cut a number of times a year. If it were
left completely then eventually the ground would
revert to scrubland.
Whilst guidelines are
difficult as each year can be very different, we
would recommend that once established you cut the
meadow regularly in the early months of the year.
After this leave it and wait until all the summer
flowers are over (normally in the early autumn.) Some
species will flower twice and you may need to give it
a second cut in the late autumn.
It should never be
cut too short (the blades should be set at about
4” if possible.) This level will prevent the
broad–leaved plants from being destroyed whilst
allowing light and air to them. You will need to
remove the grass cuttings but it is worth leaving
them for a few days to wilt, so making it less weight
to move. If left on the ground and not removed at all
they may well kill some of the broad–leaved
plants.
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