I am very concerned that you will get a profusion of weeds and your wildflowers will be out competed. Are you against using weedkiller? If so, how will you control weeds?
That's why preparing the ground effectively is vital if you have any chance of success. Remove stones (anything 2/3 Inch) and roots when you lift the turf. Mix in a reliable topsoil. Keep the adjacent grass behaved otherwise it will self seed into the patch very quickly. I grow my wildflowers as plugs before lifting the turf as it means they have a head start to out-compete the weeds. Also consider growing some perennials wildflowers (such as mountain cornflower) amongst the classic annual wildflowers as although they take longer to establish they are more reliable and give you a bit more control against weed suppression. Generally as long as you prepare the ground well the first/second year are successful. Third year onwards weeds slowly come to dominate, so you need to be aware of what each flowers seedlings look like to keep they weeds at bay from the get go.
At the end of the summers (Late Aug/Sept) you cut the swathe and let it rest where it falls for a number of weeks to ensure seeds and bugs can vacate.
Wildflower meadows are like tides in that they change quickly between seasons and even within the season as different flowers come to dominate. Despite evoking carefree summers and suggestive of low maintenance, they require a lot of care and attention, but if you get it right they can be wonderful.
Mountain cornflower, (I presume Centaurea montana) might not be the best example. It's not native and very hard to eliminate when you realise what a spreader it is.
SEED Choose your seed supplier with care - cheap generic mixes generally have low germination rates. Go to a specialise supplier (there are loads on the internet who will deliver) who is flora locale registered (http://www.floralocale.org/page24182) and make sure you choose native species. You will get better results if you choose a seed mixture with varieties that suit your soil - is it dry and sandy or heavy and damp for example.
PLANTING All wildflower seeds need light to germinate - if you bury them even a few millimetres germination rates will be much lower. So choose a still day and damp the ground first - then sprinkle the seeds by hand (the damp soils should stick the seeds to the ground. Sow in the late summer for best results. If you sow in spring then dry spells can kill lots of your plants. Also be aware that some varieties of seeds will not germinate without in the ground over Wintering.
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I am very concerned that you will get a profusion of weeds and your wildflowers will be out competed. Are you against using weedkiller? If so, how will you control weeds?
That's why preparing the ground effectively is vital if you have any chance of success. Remove stones (anything 2/3 Inch) and roots when you lift the turf. Mix in a reliable topsoil. Keep the adjacent grass behaved otherwise it will self seed into the patch very quickly. I grow my wildflowers as plugs before lifting the turf as it means they have a head start to out-compete the weeds. Also consider growing some perennials wildflowers (such as mountain cornflower) amongst the classic annual wildflowers as although they take longer to establish they are more reliable and give you a bit more control against weed suppression. Generally as long as you prepare the ground well the first/second year are successful. Third year onwards weeds slowly come to dominate, so you need to be aware of what each flowers seedlings look like to keep they weeds at bay from the get go.
At the end of the summers (Late Aug/Sept) you cut the swathe and let it rest where it falls for a number of weeks to ensure seeds and bugs can vacate.
Wildflower meadows are like tides in that they change quickly between seasons and even within the season as different flowers come to dominate. Despite evoking carefree summers and suggestive of low maintenance, they require a lot of care and attention, but if you get it right they can be wonderful.
Mountain cornflower, (I presume Centaurea montana) might not be the best example. It's not native and very hard to eliminate when you realise what a spreader it is.
In the sticks near Peterborough
SEED
Choose your seed supplier with care - cheap generic mixes generally have low germination rates. Go to a specialise supplier (there are loads on the internet who will deliver) who is flora locale registered (http://www.floralocale.org/page24182) and make sure you choose native species. You will get better results if you choose a seed mixture with varieties that suit your soil - is it dry and sandy or heavy and damp for example.
PLANTING
All wildflower seeds need light to germinate - if you bury them even a few millimetres germination rates will be much lower. So choose a still day and damp the ground first - then sprinkle the seeds by hand (the damp soils should stick the seeds to the ground. Sow in the late summer for best results. If you sow in spring then dry spells can kill lots of your plants. Also be aware that some varieties of seeds will not germinate without in the ground over Wintering.