[Fleecewife]

[member=28951]Steph Hen[/member]  - I couldn't work out where that box came from as I was sure I hadn't ordered anything from Egypt!!  Then I saw the clover and other little plants and thought of you     Thank you so much - they will be my starter flock of wild flowers.


It's been so horribly wet practically all this summer here that our tups haven't been able to get down to the proposed hay meadow to graze it down a bit, and nor have we been able to get on to chop down the rushes (I know they are also wild plants but we don't want too many)


Life has rather got in the way of creating our species rich grassland so we've done little this year, but we'll get back to it when it stops raining, or snowing, or blowing a hurricane which we've been promised for tomorrow night.....


How has everyone else got on with their wildflower projects?

[Steph Hen]

Just sorry it took me so long!! The others are echium, vipers bugloss, but like lupins. There's only two, but if you can treat them well (they're quite pot bound I think) they should shoot up and flower with loads of seed next year. all the best x

[greengumbo]

Well year three of wildflower meadow and it's looking fantastic. Still a long long way to go but plenty of mixed grass, eyebright, yellow rattle, bugloss etc etc. Lots of established perennials as well.

Really enjoying it this year and have plenty meadow pipits and skylarks using it along with yellowhammers and linnets.

Willows planted 2 years ago as sticks are now about 14ft and growing well. Ready for wood burning stove in a few years

[Black Sheep]

Life has rather got in the way of creating our species rich grassland so we've done little this year, but we'll get back to it when it stops raining, or snowing, or blowing a hurricane which we've been promised for tomorrow night.....

How has everyone else got on with their wildflower projects?

That sounds familiar!

We have a roughly 2.5 acre field that is managed under Higher Level Stewardship as upland hay meadow / moderately species-rich semi-improved grassland. Also seeing skylarks, pipits, wagtails and a flock of linnets the other day. I really need to try and spend some time working out what flower species are there but wandering through this last week I've found a couple of patches of orchids - probably common spotted and northern marsh - which was a lovely surprise.

The Hebs are due to go on as soon as the fencing guy has put some posts in for me to top wire the dry stone wall. Hopefully they will enjoy the varied herbage :-)

[YorkshireLass]

Observations from green hay spreading - the hay mulch brought enough moisture onto parched cut grass that the existing grass has begun regrowing! I suppose this effect is only noticeable in these drought conditions. I hope this doesn't mean the grass will grow and outcompete the flowers!

[greengumbo]

Bit late this year but the flowering season has been so long that we are just getting around to cutting the meadow.

Takes about 4 hours to do 2,5 acres with the power scythe but what a machine ! Could not do without it. I can see plenty bugloss and teasels already for next year.

More rattle and eybright seeds going in on bare patches after the cut.

Willows are providing a great wind break now. Up to 16ft in less than 3 years from 1ft sticks !

[Dookie]

Fab thread! I am trying to create a wildflower meadow on an acre of neglected ground... lots of baramble, dock, thistle, nettles, but also a huge amount of knapweed...which is a start! The problem is, it's a clay soil... very heavy and liable to waterlogging in places... I've been mostly planting flowering shrubs such as buddleia and elderflower around the boundaries... I'd like some poppies and cornflowers, too... I'm having some success with ox-eye daisies... what can I do to lighten the soil... I was thinking some cockleshell or gravel...?