Creating a wildflower meadow
I have been considering creating a wildflower meadow for a while now. The main reasons for creating a wildflower meadow are.
- To reduce lawn area and have less mowing. I had considered a robotic mower but I do need some grass clipping because I use it to make compost and I also use it to mulch onto newly created borders. So we have decided to reduce the area so less time needs to be spent cutting.
- Provide food and habitat for pollinators.
- For the beauty it provides especially with paths through it.
What type of wildflower meadow?
Native wildflower meadow
It is important at this point to be clear what a wildflower meadow is and it is causing much debate in gardening circles. There are pure native wildflower meadow’s which are created by sowing either native wildflower seed or created using the “no mow let it grow” or the “don’t sow let it grow” method highlighted in the All Ireland Pollinator plan https://pollinators.ie/wildflower-seed/
Floral meadow
This type of meadow in its technical terms should be called floral meadow rather than a wildflower meadow. It is this type of meadow that receives the most crititsism from certain experts because these are not native and so should not be labelled or sold as wildflowers.
These are generally a mix of both annual and perennial flowers that are blended together to create a stunning mix of flowers. These flowers are native to somewhere but not Ireland. Its for this reason that some unsuspecting gardeners receive the ire of others when they post a picture of their beautiful “wildflower meadow” leading to a an array of comments on the beauty of the meadow and as many comments criticising the person for using the mix and claiming them to be wildflowers.
I personally find the criticism a bit short sighted. It is important to educate people rather than critique them for using the wrong terminology. These meadows are beautiful and do provide for pollinators but are not native. They should be called floral meadows and not wildflower meadow.
Both types of meadow have their place. Both have their benefits and both are beautiful.
What I am doing in my garden
For me I am going to use a variation on the “no mow let it grow” method. The reason I am using a variation is for the first year or two in truth this type of meadow doesn’t look great because the grass is normally very dominant. This is especially the case where you are creating this in an existing lawn. It also for the first year or two doesn’t provide pollinator food over a long period of time because usually at the start only the strong wild flowers will come to the fore.
So here is the tips I will use to create the variation of the “no mow let it grow” meadow.
- Sow yellow rattle wildflower seed between Sept-Nov. I will mow the grass in the area low. Then place yellow rattle on bare soil and press in. Yellow rattle is a beautiful yellow wildflower it is semi parasitic to grass. This will reduce the grasses dominance in your new meadow. Once you do this other wildflower will start to show almost by magic over time.
- Plant naturalising bulbs that will multiply and spread these include crocus, snowdrop and bluebells. These will look beautiful when the meadow is looking a little dull but will also provide much needed early flower for pollinators.
- I may decide to sow a 1mt strip of high flowering wildflowers all around the perimeter. This will give the meadow a beautiful look from year one and allow the inner meadow to develop in its own time.
So that’s what I am doing to create a wildflower area with a twist. How will you create your? for a more in-depth look at both native wildflower meadows and floral meadows. listen to episode 026 of Master My Garden podcast with Irish wildflower expert Sandro Cafolla http://www.wildflowers.ie all about native wildflowers meadows.
For floral meadows listen to episode 027 of Master My Garden podcast
Whichever type of meadow you create I hope it turns out great. If you are using the “no mow let it grow” option and the area highly is visible such as in a front garden. It is a good idea to put a sign up to inform people what you are doing so the are educated of the method and may also adapt it over time.
Whichever meadow you create enjoy it and enjoy the insect life it is sure to bring to your garden.
Until next time happy gardening
John
