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Wild flower bed

janinerjaniner Posts: 66
in Wildlife gardening
Hi everyone.
We have moved into a new house and the garden in North facing and laid to grass with beds around the edges. 

I've always wanted a wildflower bed and I'm wondering what the maintenance is for these spaces? I know I would need to prepare the bed and rid of weeds. I also know it will take a year or two to grow properly. But what do you do to maintain a bed? Do you cut everything back? Does it all die in winter and then regrow in spring? 

I just want to know all the details (worts and all) before I decide to commit.

Posts

  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    janiner said:

    I've always wanted a wildflower bed and I'm wondering what the maintenance is for these spaces? I know I would need to prepare the bed and rid of weeds.
    Sorry, I don't understand your question. Wild flowers are weeds... and weeds are wild flowers. ;)
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Weeds are plants in the wrong place but wildflowers are fabulous plants for the insects...and so are "weeds".
    We have over the years tried different ways to get wildflowers to germinate.
    We have had success with making small areas and sowing the seeds and then collecting the new seed the following year and sowing it the next year.
    yes it is a long time but worth while.
    @janiner don't be put off. Give it a go even if it is a small area to start with. The insects will love you.

  • janinerjaniner Posts: 66
    Thanks both. I have been given bee bombs over the last couple of years. So I have these balls that I just need to clear a bed and then spread them out and hope for the best. 

    I was just worried that the bed will just become an overgrown mess after a couple of years. But hey.... what do I have to loose?
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    You don't. It is always worth giving it a go. Best of luck and the insects will benefit.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    The annuals can be removed after they’ve flowered and seeded. 
    The biennials and perennials can be treated just as you would treat biennial and perennial ‘garden flowers’. 
    Hopefully we can help you sort out which are which. 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • pandakoalagirl49lS9c8QR_pandakoalagirl49lS9c8QR_ Posts: 71
    The wildflower seed mixes are often lovely, though I cheat by adding extra cornflowers and also cosmos, which I think are wildflowers in Brazil. You could also cheat and grow roses, osteosperma, NZ flax... I mean everything started out growing wild somewhere!
  • bellysherebellyshere Posts: 24
    I have done a wildflower bed for the last few years. I intially cleared the bed and tried to remove most of the weeds but didn't get too hung up on it. I chucked loads of wildflower seeds on and the grew into a stunning display. Left them to die back and hopefully reseed. I removed the dead foliage in late winter and chucked more seed out in the spring and got another great display which was full of bees and insects all summer. I did grow some Cosmos to add in as they are just fabulous all summer.

  • cornellycornelly Posts: 970
    Our wild flower bed !!!, grew all by itself, maybe not the full range that can be obtained with the wild flower mixtures of seed that can be purchased, but have a fair range from winter through spring to summer.
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