How To Create A Wildflower Meadow

Introduction

A wildflower meadow is a beautiful way to bring a breath of countryside into your garden. They are ideal for areas of the garden that are difficult to cultivate, or, because they are fairly simple to install and manage they are good for gardeners who would like to reduce maintenance of their gardens. 

Over the years, the introduction of monoculture type farming practices coupled with  the harsh maintenance of road verges has led to a reduction in the natural habitats of many seed eating birds, small mammals and insects. Therefore, by creating an area of wildflower meadow at home, the gardener can play an important role in the conservation both flower and animal species that are threatened by this destruction of their natural habitats.

Types of Wildflower Meadow 

There are generally three types of wildflower meadow that the homeowner can create. 

1. The traditional wildflower meadow – generally made up of perennial flowers. Flowers in Spring or Summer.
2. The traditional cornfield/annual wildflower meadow – as the name suggests is generally made up of annual  flowers. Flowers in Summer.
3. Flowering lawn – a domestic scheme usually made up of bulbs and/or lawn ‘weeds’. Flowers in Autumn, Spring or early summer depending on plant selection.

Although the basic concept is the same for all, each has a slightly different planting mix and maintenance regime.

To Create a Traditional Wildflower Meadow from Scratch

Seed Selection

There are many ready created seed mixes on the market but it is relatively easy to create a mix of your own by buying seed individually. There are also a  wide range of plugs and young plants to be found in specialist nurseries which will give an instant effect when purchased at flowering point.

Avoid strong growing grasses that will outcompete wildflowers such as:- 

Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). 

Good grasses to include are:- 

Meadow grasses (Poa annua and Poa pratensis),  red fescue (Festuca rubra), sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), common bent (Agrostis tenuis), quaking grass (Briza media) and Timothy grass (Phleum pratense).

There are many perennial wildflowers that can be grown in the spring meadow, for example:-

Daisy (Bellis perennis), cowslip (Primula veris), burnet (Sanguisorba minor), vetch (Vicia sativa), clovers (Trifolium repens & pratense) and hawkweeds (Hieracium sp.).

There are many perennial wildflowers that can be grown in the summer meadow, for example:-

Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa), ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor), buttercup (Ranunculus acris), Lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

BUYING SCOTTISH WILDFLOWER SEED

Reducing Soil Fertility 

To grow a successful, traditional wildflower meadow the fertility of the soil really needs to be reduced. This is because some grasses thrive in fertile soils and they will, within a few years outcompete the wildflowers. 

The way to do this depends on whether you are creating your meadow from scratch or converting an existing lawn area. Starting from scratch is faster and more effective, but very labour intensive. Converting an existing lawn is less effective and will take much longer for fertility to be reduced, but the labour required for this method is considerable less. Whichever method you choose, aim to be ready for seed sowing by spring or autumn. 

Ground preparation 

The most effective way to reduce soil fertility is to remove all the existing turf or plants, and the top 50-100mm of soil. If the soil beneath the turf is already poor, sandy or limey then it is not necessary to remove any topsoil, it will be good as is. 

Leave the ground fallow to allow any perennial weeds to grow. Dominating plants such as dock, nettle and creeping thistle will take over if left in your new meadow area. 

You should then dig these weeds out, ensuring all traces of root are removed. 

Deep digging of the soil will make it easier to remove all perennial weed roots but will also bring annual weed seeds to the surface to germinate. These should be left to grow for a few weeks before hoeing them off.

To remove weeds without disturbing the soil structure spread a black plastic sheet over the area for a few months. This will block out light and prevent photosynthesis, slowly killing the plant. Or, if your conscious will allow, you can spray with roundup or other perennial non-persistent weed killer.

Once the soil has been cleared of all weeds, rake the surface to a fine tilth and water well. 

Roll the soil to firm it if you removed weeds by digging. 

Seed Sowing

Seed mixes can be sown in spring or autumn. Ideally a spring meadow mix would be sown in Autumn and a summer mix would be sown in spring.

Broadcast the seed mix at a rate of around 3-4 grams per square meter. Broadcast the mixture from left to right then go back over the patch broadcasting from up to down. This will ensure an even coverage. A good tip is to add sand to the seed mix as this will help you to see where you are sowing.

Rake the seed in lightly and water well.

Ongoing Maintenance

Water regularly over the first few weeks to keep the seed damp, just as you would when establishing a normal, ornamental lawn.

Once the seed has germinated, cut your meadow every 6-8 weeks with the mower blades set high. The sward should be kept at around 5-10cms for the first year to promote root growth.

In the second spring after sowing, adopt the mowing regime suitable for spring flowering or summer flowering meadows (see below).

Mowing Regimes

Spring flowering meadow – Mow from mid-summer to late-autumn.

• Leave the meadow unmown from late autumn (October/November) until mid-summer (June/July) this allows the plants time to flower and set seed. 

• In midsummer, scythe, strim or mow the meadow, leaving a sward of around 5-10cms. The best time to do this is during a period or dry weather.

• Leave the hay where it falls but turn it daily with a fork. This allows the hay to dry out and the seed to drop. 

• Once haymaking has been carried out, resume a regular mowing regime, aiming to keep the sward at 5-10cms as before. It is important not to cut too short and certainly don’t add any fertiliser or leave clippings on the meadow after mowing. 

Summer flowering meadow – Mow from autumn to early summer.

• Leave the meadow unmown from early summer (May/June) until early autumn (September/October) to allow flowers time to bloom and set seed. 

• In early autumn, scythe, strim or mow the meadow, leaving a sward of around 5-10cms. The best time to do this is during a period or dry weather.

• Leave the hay where it falls but turn it daily with a fork. This allows the hay to dry out and the seed to drop. 

• Once haymaking has been carried out, resume a regular mowing regime, aiming to keep the sward at 5-10cms as before. It is important not to cut too short and certainly dont add any fertiliser or leave clippings on the meadow after mowing. 

After hay-making it is always a good idea to trample over the meadow to force the seed into the soil, just as cattle would do in natural meadow conditions.

Converting an Existing Lawn into a Traditional Wildflower Meadow

Ground preparation 

For several seasons, mow the existing lawn closely, with the blade set low. When grown longer the grass has a larger surface area to photosynthesise from; keeping it short will, over time, reduce photosynthesis and therefore vigour. 

Use a grass box or rake off all clippings after every mowing as the decomposition of any clippings that are left behind will feed the lawn.  

Seed Sowing

To introduce flowers to your lawn there are two options – Overseeding or planting pot grown flowers not the turf. 

Overseeding 

• Overseed in autumn for a spring flowering mix; in spring for a summer flowering mix.
• Cut the grass as low as possible.
• Rake thoroughly to remove all dead thatch and to create bare patches of soil.
• Sow the seeds into the bare patches. 
• Lightly rake the seed in and water well.
• Keep the seeded patches moist until they have germinated.

Planting pot grown flowers into the turf

• Pot grown flowers can generally be planted at any time of year but ideally in spring or autumn. 
• Cut the grass as low as possible.
• Rake thoroughly to remove all dead thatch and to create bare patches of soil.
• To plant pot grown flowers into the spaces, dig a hole slightly wider than the rootball of the plant and loosen the soil at the base of the hole. Place the plant in the hole, trying not to disturb the roots too much. Backfill gently ensuring the top of root ball is at the same height as it was in the pot. Firm the soil around the plant and water in.

Ongoing Maintenance

For the first year, cut the grass every 6-8 weeks with the mower blades set to high. Aim to leave a sward of around 7-10cm so that the growing wildflowers are not damaged, root growth is encouraged and the grass is prevented from dominating. Always remove all clippings. 

After the first year adopt the mowing regime for a traditional spring or summer flowering meadow (see ‘Mowing Regimes’ above).

Other types of wildflower meadow

Check out more Scottish Wildflower information from Highland Titles:

Like our handy how-to guide to help you create your own wildflower meadow! Or take some advice from our years of experience and team of experts to help you garden for wildlife yourself. Unless you just want to learn more about why we encourage the populating of wildflowers at our reserves and why honey bees are so important or discover the secrets of the Scottish Thistle and all of its glory!