I want a flower meadow
Nicky Nicky
Posts: 76
So another one of my projects that I would love to get underway soon is a flower meadow. But I have no idea where to start.
I have seen many pre mixed seeds but they are either not the look I want or 80% grass seed. I am not trying to recreate a natural planting of a wild meadow. I want an area of the garden ( well maybe more than just an area) 4-5 acres to eventually be established flower meadow.
I feel I should be sewing some seeds now, as I do want it to be flowering ready for next June. I think I should do some sewing Now and again in early spring. Is that right?
Also since the seed mixes I have found are really not the right look I want I have turned to the idea of buying the seed direct and creating my own mix. But then I’m not sure which seeds need to be planted out now and which in spring. I am looking at buying through
http://www.kingsseedsdirect.com/gold-cut-mix/p1435
Any other suggestions on what I should do. If it costs too much to establish all the area in year one. Another thought was to sew 1 acre and then collect the seed and sew the other 4 acres next year. Would that work or am I just too penny pinching?
Also any suggestions on what flowers to add into the mix for bright flowers for next summer? I think I should take a mix of peoples colourful suggestion and just sew that?
Posts
You need to decide what sort of meadow you want. Cornfield type flowers in cultivated soil/ flowers in grass/other. The really bright ones, poppies, corn marigold etc don't grow in grass. They'd be there the first year and then gone.
In general terms; sow now, it's what the plants are doing. That is if you're talking about native plants
In the sticks near Peterborough
This is a really BIG project. In the first year you will get only annuals flowering so I would think you need a mixture of annuals and perennials. The annuals are the easy part, poppies, corn flower, corn marigold, corn cockle and such, probably sown in spring is best. The perennials will grow up along side the annuals in the first summer. But what happens in the winter months? Won't you want some greenery? I would have thought sheeps fescue grass would be good to incorporate into the mix, maybe not 80% but 40--50% maybe. It is small and low growing and will also stop the undesirable weeds invading over time. Flower seeds are expensive and 4-5 acres it's going to take bags, not packets.This won't be cheap. Why don't you like wildflower meadow with grass?
Humm interesting points. When I look at the pictures of the cornfield flowers I do like that. I want as Nutcutlet said really bright flowers so I guess that’s why I’m off the grass. If it dies back to bare earth in the winter I’m not too worried as I can just avoid that area of the garden until it greens up again.
I guess I don’t like the native look for the flower meadow. I want it more flower power OTT.
I guess I need to figure out what I need to do in terms of sowing as even from the two comments here so far opinions vary. Should I make a sowing now of the perennials and then over sow in spring with the annuals for that years flower? I don’t want it to get away and look like a hay field with too much grass in it.
Regards to expense what are your opinions on growing a smaller area this year and harvesting the seeds to make it larger would that work?
Have a look at
www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk
They may have something like you want. If you have an annual meadow, it will have to be ploughed or rotavated each year. Perennial meadows take longer to establish.
With such a large area, you could do Islands of perennials surrounded by a sea of annuals, giving a longer period of interest. Are you going to put hedges or native trees in as well?
An oak or two would have plenty of room to spread, and support an entire ecosytem.
I live very close to Pictorial Meadows and they supplied their seeds to Rotherham Council who sowed them along roadsides & roundabouts etc and they really did look spectacular. I even wrote to Rotherham council to commend them.