The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Gardens => Topic started by: whitby_sam on February 26, 2008, 10:17:57 pm
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So far I've taken a lot out of my garden in the way of trees (to be seasoned as fire-wood) and I've dug up the flower beds as they are of no use to me. Although I have replaced all the trees I still want to put something back so have acquired loads and loads of wildflower seeds that I hope to sow on a patch of land which is of no real use to me. Not only is it sheltered by around 15 oak trees but it's a pig to mow. I've put a few rotting tree stumps there, put up a bat box, a bumble bee nesting area and a hedgehog hide and was wondering what best way to encourage the wildflowers and wildlife. I have a funny feeling it'd be better to remove the turf before sowing the seeds in order for them to have the best chance. Any hints and tips? It's probably about a quarter of an acre so not huge but compared to my 2 acre plot its not bad going...
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Hi Sam,
How are you getting on with your little project ? I don't have any experience with wild flower meadows but luckily we have one in the field next door to us & it's beautiful. Have you tried googling for info?
Take Care
Donna ;)
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might be best to just make some holes with a grden fork and sprinkle a few seeds in add hoc all over the area required, and let nature take over. Most wild flowers self set where they want with the help of bird bees and the breeze. I am doing a wild corner this year for my birds to wander about in. My pigs have allready turned it over, so I will rake it over a bit and re seed.
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I'm no expert in this either but wildflowers won't be able to cope with "garden" conditions and a typical ryegrass sward - they will be out competed by the ryegrass. I think you're spot on that you woudl be better to remove the turf if you are going to sow seeds. Another alternative would be to cut the area very close and remove the clippings for a season to starve the soil so that the wildflowers, that are better suited to harsh conditions, can outgrow the ryegrass. You can buy wildflower plants that you can insert into the sward - they woudl have a better chance of establishing than seed.
The folk across the track from us oversowed a ryegrass field with a horse mix and you wouldn't know the difference.
We have a wildflower area but it's in the wrong place. It has gowans (big daisies), violets, yellow rattle, loads of land cress - it looks great for about two weeks then looks awful. The hens love it though and their scratching has undoubtedly improved it by scattering the seed.
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hiya their whitby_sam, Depends how much time you have you can always try to remove light from an area with black bags/plastic so the grass dies away, once this has happen you can then sow it with wild flowers and see which one live on you also get the native flowers come in to the areas too. You could also but not sure how 'moral' this would be is to go out and look out for native seed heads and collect them and sow them in your patch of ground
just my random ideas
;D
linz
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I was very careful to make sure the seeds I got were native... I've decided that as I lifted a load of turf for my strawberry runs today I'm going to lay that upside-down along the border of my little wildflower plot and then using whatever I can find in the way of old carpets etc cover the grass for a few weeks starving it of light and only then sow the wildflower seeds. Fingers crossed it'll work.