Wildflower meadows

[Amari]

Thought I'd start a thread about creating wildflower meadows & share my experience. Hoping I might be able to inspire some of you.

We've lost 97% of our meadows since the war, they're wonderful for wildlife as well as pollinators. A patch of lawn is a good start and it's a perfect time of year to start one, or plan making one next Spring

9 years ago, I decided to 'convert' a poorly maintained acre of grassland on the small holding we'd just bought, into a meadow
Spent the first summer, cutting the overgrown grass & nettles, digging out rocks & burning the old grass

Then with the help of a local neighbour farmer, the field was harrowed & I got hold of some fine meadow grasses & wildflower seed via the RSPB

Spent the next few years gradually adding to the meadow by collecting local perennial wildflower seed, growing plug plants each year, as well as over-sowing more seed. This was sown into the tractor marks after the field was cut every August. It's important to reduce the fertility and take off the hay. I give the hay to a the farmer who helps cut it each year. He then puts sheep on in the autumn to keep the grass down

Key to the meadow success has been introducing yellow rattle, a native annual wildflower which is semi parasitic on grass, it opens the sward and allows wildflowers to germinate and develop

8 years on since I started, I now have over 40 types of wildflowers in the meadow and over 15 species of fine meadow grasses. The wildflowers most attractive to bees are birdsfoot trefoil, knapweed, devils bit & field scabious, yarrow, betony, cats ear and hawk bit.

Lifts my soul every year to see butterflies, moths, hoverflies, all types of bees, bats, hares, owls and ground nesting birds living amongst the meadow

Here's some before, during and after pics. Happy to answer any question / give advice about creating one. It's a nice legacy to leave behind.

Elaine

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My main apiary is on two acres of rough grass which ceased to be a plant nursery 12 years ago. My landlord visits only once a year from afar. For the first several years it was cut for hay in July. Latterly it is just topped in August. Several bee orchids previously but none for two years now. Scattered pyramidal orchids most years. Occasional garden plant relics.

I am the unofficial custodian with limited decision powers. My landlord does not want it grazed.

Two problems: 1. thistles are slowly taking over 2. I have tried sowing yellow rattle without success - Have you any tips?

 

[Erichalfbee]

My main apiary is on two acres of rough grass which ceased to be a plant nursery 12 years ago. My landlord visits only once a year from afar. For the first several years it was cut for hay in July. Latterly it is just topped in August. Several bee orchids previously but none for two years now. Scattered pyramidal orchids most years. Occasional garden plant relics.

I am the unofficial custodian with limited decision powers. My landlord does not want it grazed.

Two problems: 1. thistles are slowly taking over 2. I have tried sowing yellow rattle without success - Have you any tips?

Creeping thistles we pull up.
The solitary ones we leave.
The first year we close mowed two strips and sowed Rattle in the autumn. From there we mowed that separately and dispersed the seeds over the rest of the field after it was topped. We don’t like to cut too early as we have quite a bit of Knapweed and we get flocks of Goldfinches. This sort of Rattle seed spreading seems to work. Maybe you could do a couple of strips like this every two or three years. Last year we had thousands of bluebells suddenly appear under the hedges.

 

[elainemary]

Why is this? Please.

So the wildflowers can compete better with the grasses

 

[elainemary]

My main apiary is on two acres of rough grass which ceased to be a plant nursery 12 years ago. My landlord visits only once a year from afar. For the first several years it was cut for hay in July. Latterly it is just topped in August. Several bee orchids previously but none for two years now. Scattered pyramidal orchids most years. Occasional garden plant relics.

I am the unofficial custodian with limited decision powers. My landlord does not want it grazed.

Two problems: 1. thistles are slowly taking over 2. I have tried sowing yellow rattle without success - Have you any tips?

Have to dig out the thistle before they seed.
Yellow rattle - use fresh seed it’s viability deteriorates and germinates from fresh seed every year as it’s an annual. Also needs frost to germinate, so best planted in the autumn and needs contact with the soil - c50-80% bare patches when first sow it. Earliest time to cut the following year is mid July - the seed pods dry and if you pick one they rattle - good way to tell it’s ready. Once established it’ll come back every year
Elaine

 

[Amari]

Creeping thistles we pull up.
The solitary ones we leave.
The first year we close mowed two strips and sowed Rattle in the autumn. From there we mowed that separately and dispersed the seeds over the rest of the field after it was topped. We don’t like to cut too early as we have quite a bit of Knapweed and we get flocks of Goldfinches. This sort of Rattle seed spreading seems to work. Maybe you could do a couple of strips like this every two or three years. Last year we had thousands of bluebells suddenly appear under the hedges.

Have to dig out the thistle before they seed.
Yellow rattle - use fresh seed it’s viability deteriorates and germinates from fresh seed every year as it’s an annual. Also needs frost to germinate, so best planted in the autumn and needs contact with the soil - c50-80% bare patches when first sow it. Earliest time to cut the following year is mid July - the seed pods dry and if you pick one they rattle - good way to tell it’s ready. Once established it’ll come back every year
Elaine

Many thanks. Too many thistles to dig up. I might try spot-treating with glyphosate when they first appear in spring.
There is a wild flower meadow across the lane with yellow rattle. I'll go and see if there are still seed heads to harvest now, or wait till next year.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Many thanks. Too many thistles to dig up. I might try spot-treating with glyphosate when they first appear in spring.
There is a wild flower meadow across the lane with yellow rattle. I'll go and see if there are still seed heads to harvest now, or wait till next year.

Just order some online. It’s not expensive.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Well done Elainemary! Brilliant.
I love the photo with the blue butterfly

Adonis blue?

 

[elainemary]

Adonis blue?

Think it was a common blue butterfly. Get some lovely hawk moths too,attracted to the rosebay willow herb on the field margins

 

[Curly green finger's]

Think it was a common blue butterfly. Get some lovely hawk moths too,attracted to the rosebay willow herb on the field marginsView attachment 22388View attachment 22389

They love the rosebay.. We have a catterpillar in the out house the children are studying it.
It's now a. Crisalist come the spring when it emerges we will take it to some rosebay out on the Common to continue its life.
We are looking forward to seeing the lovely colours that they have.

 

[beeno]

Elainemary, since you have done your homework, would you mind listing the 40 types of wildflowers you have established in your field?

 

[elainemary]

Elainemary, since you have done your homework, would you mind listing the 40 types of wildflowers you have established in your field?

Find attached my spreadsheet!
Elaine

 

[beeno]

Thank you, that's so kind. Gives me something to get on with and check off against!

 

[Swarm]

Good luck with your project Beeno! Another strip of land saved.

 

[Linda G]

Does anyone know what to do about ground elder? Last year I diligently scarified a grassy area about 20 m x 10m and sowed some wildflower mix containing yellow rattle to fight the grass. Some of the yellow rattle appeared with one other flower, but mostly, a huge amount of ground elder, more than was there before, overtook everything and killed the rest. I cannot use glyphosate as I am an organic gardener. The area is pretty big, so I can't realistically get it all out by hand. I was hoping someone might know of a plant which could kill off the ground elder!

 

[beeno]

Does anyone know what to do about ground elder? Last year I diligently scarified a grassy area about 20 m x 10m and sowed some wildflower mix containing yellow rattle to fight the grass. Some of the yellow rattle appeared with one other flower, but mostly, a huge amount of ground elder, more than was there before, overtook everything and killed the rest. I cannot use glyphosate as I am an organic gardener. The area is pretty big, so I can't realistically get it all out by hand. I was hoping someone might know of a plant which could kill off the ground elder!

My husband and I did it by hand, about the same area you are talking about. Every little root needs picking out. If you are thorough you should do it in two goes.

 

[beeno]

Good luck with your project Beeno! Another strip of land saved.

Thank you swarm. Yes, I am rescuing it from neighbours getting rid of spare turfs from their garden and burst water pipe repairs from another. About to practice mowing with my recently purchased scythe on my other neighbours strip, who is letting it grow into a meadow, but all he is growing is rag wort. People down my part of the country has no idea about curb appeal only interested in what is inside their boundary fence.

 

[Amari]

Just order some online. It’s not expensive.

Snap - some arrived in the post today. Elainemary above suggests it be sown on bare soil so perhaps I'll go along tomorrow with a spade and skim off patches of turf.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Snap - some arrived in the post today. Elainemary above suggests it be sown on bare soil so perhaps I'll go along tomorrow with a spade and skim off patches of turf.

I’m not sure you need to
We just close mowed a couple of strips and scarified with a garden rake then walked about on the sown areas.

 

[elainemary]

Does anyone know what to do about ground elder? Last year I diligently scarified a grassy area about 20 m x 10m and sowed some wildflower mix containing yellow rattle to fight the grass. Some of the yellow rattle appeared with one other flower, but mostly, a huge amount of ground elder, more than was there before, overtook everything and killed the rest. I cannot use glyphosate as I am an organic gardener. The area is pretty big, so I can't realistically get it all out by hand. I was hoping someone might know of a plant which could kill off the ground elder!

No plant will. If can’t use glyphosate, cover with black plastic for at least a season or have to meticulously dig out, any small parts of root left will regenerate. See RHS website advice Ground elder
Elaine

 

[beeno]

No plant will. If can’t use glyphosate, cover with black plastic for at least a season or have to meticulously dig out, any small parts of root left will regenerate. See RHS website advice Ground elder
Elaine

Tried plastic for one season did not work on ground elder.