Planning a Wildflower Meadow

Sowing

Choose a site that has not been heavily fertilised. The meadow will establish itself best on a poor infertile subsoil. If this is not possible remove the topsoil. It is best to choose a sunny location, (unless you are intending to create a woodland area) in a spot that can be easily reached for mowing. Dig over the area thoroughly and remove all weeds.

Chose a suitable meadow mixture from our range shown to suit your location and soil type. The seed may be sown throughout the autumn, winter and spring. The meadow mix can either be sown alone or with some annual cornfield seeds which have the added advantage of providing a bright array of colour in the first year whilst protecting the more slow growing perennials as they develop. This technique is known as `nursing`.

Remove any stones from the area before sowing, rake it thoroughly before fine sieving. The plot should then be rolled until level. Water until soaked and lightly sow the seed at the rate shown below (mixing with a little silver sand will help to ensure an even spread.)

Sowing Rates: Meadow mixtures 3-4 grams per square
Cornfield Annuals: 2 grams per square metre
Pure Wlidflower seed 1 gram per square metre

For very small `Mini Meadows` of less than 5 x 5 metres it is best to sow a mixture of Wild Grasses and then introduce the wild flowers as Plant Plugs at a later date.
Our recommendation would be our wild grass mix and our plant plug selection for meadows.
For very large meadows, larger than a `tennis court` size follow more detailed instructions which are available on request.

Meadow Establishment

Management will depend upon the mix sown and the type of meadow required,
the two main types being spring flowering and summer flowering.

Meadow mixture only:

The first cut should be made at about six weeks after sowing, when the grass is about 4 inches high or if the seed was sown in the autumn, six weeks after the first spring growth begins. Continue cutting as necessary until the end of March, and then leave uncut during the spring and summer to allow flowering.

As the vegetation starts to die down at the end of summer the meadow may be cut. Leave the cuttings to one side for a day or so to enable any insects to escape and then remove to prevent an increase in fertility. Follow this by occasional cuts throughout the autumn and winter. In the first year it is unrealistic to expect everything to germinate, establish and flower, however, in the second and following years it is possible to adapt a more permanent management regime. Essentially if the meadow is cut early in the year and left it is possible to encourage spring flowering species to flourish. This would then be followed by a cut in early July. On the other hand if cutting is continued until the end of May a summer meadow can be encouraged which can be left until October before cutting. See also our bulb section for an alternative way of establishing a spring meadow.

Meadow mixture sown with Cornfield Annuals:

As well as the advantages already described, this technique has an added benefit. During the first year this type of meadow will require very little attention. In fact, following sowing the meadow can be left virtually unattended until the annuals have flowered. Then in late summer the meadow can be mown and the cuttings removed.

Cornfield Annuals:

Cornfield annuals sown alone in autumn or early spring will flourish on most soil types and will provide a mass of colour throughout the summer of the first year. However, if you wish this type of meadow to re-establish itself naturally from its own seed dispersal then it is essential that the dead vegetation is raked or rotavated into the ground during autumn and early spring of the following years.