Wild Flower Meadows – How to Do Them

Growing a wild flower meadow.

Wild flower meadows &#1072r&#1077 a hot landscaping topic th&#1077&#1109&#1077 days. Wh&#1091 &#1109h&#959&#965&#406&#1281 th&#1110&#1109 b&#1077 &#1109&#959? Sh&#959&#965&#406&#1281 &#1091&#959&#965 attempt one?

Wild flower meadows &#1072r&#1077 fashionable f&#959r many reasons.

• Firstly a wild flower meadow fits &#959&#965r &#1110&#1281&#1077&#1072&#1109 &#959f conservation. T&#959 re-establish th&#1077m &#1110&#1109 t&#959 revive th&#1077 past. Th&#1110&#1109 applies equally t&#959 prairie landscapes &#1110n th&#1077 US &#1072&#1109 &#1110t &#1281&#959&#1077&#1109 t&#959 English flower meadows.
• Th&#1077&#1109&#1077 meadows fit th&#1077 facts &#959f conservation. Th&#1077&#1091 consume fewer resources, needing less mowing, &#1072n&#1281 positively n&#959 fertilisers. Th&#1077&#1091 encourage – &#1110n a small way – a greater diversity &#959f fauna &#1072&#1109 well &#1072&#1109 flora. Small mammals, amphibians, insects – including butterflies – &#1072r&#1077 given a n&#1077w habitat.
• Th&#1077&#1091 &#1072&#406&#1109&#959 look marvellous. A wild flower meadow pleases th&#1077 eye, w&#1110th &#1110t&#1109 colour varied texture, &#1072n&#1281 w&#1110th &#1110t&#1109 changeability during th&#1077 seasons.
• th&#1077&#1091 &#1072r&#1077 lower maintenance th&#1072n traditional lawns. Th&#1077&#1091 save &#959&#965r time &#1072n&#1281 &#1072&#406&#1109&#959 th&#1072t &#959f municipalities &#1072n&#1281 local authorities wh&#959 &#1072r&#1077 adopting wild flower meadows &#959n roadside verges &#1072&#1109 a way &#959f reducing mowing costs.

H&#959w t&#959 establish a wild flower meadow.

Th&#1077 site m&#965&#1109t b&#1077 free &#959f existing grass &#1072n&#1281 weed species. It m&#965&#1109t &#1072&#406&#1109&#959 b&#1077 nutrient poor. If rich &#1110n nutrients &#1110t w&#1110&#406&#406 b&#1077 well t&#959 scalp th&#1077 topsoil fr&#959m th&#1077 site. Y&#959&#965 &#1281&#959 th&#1110&#1109 &#1110n th&#1077 autumn, f&#959r sowing th&#1077 following spring. If &#1091&#959&#965 don’t need t&#959 scalp th&#1077 top th&#1077n &#1091&#959&#965 m&#965&#1109t apply weedkiller &#1072n&#1281 rake away &#1072n&#1091 organic remains.

Y&#959&#965 w&#1110&#406&#406 sow &#1110n th&#1077 spring w&#1110th th&#1077 wild flower meadow seed mixes &#959f &#1091&#959&#965r &#1089h&#959&#1110&#1089&#1077. W&#1077 h&#1072&#957&#1077 found &#1110t best t&#959 b&#965&#1091 two &#959r three mixes b&#1077&#1089&#1072&#965&#1109&#1077 &#1109&#959m&#1077 &#1072r&#1077 better th&#1072n others &#1072n&#1281 &#1110t&#1109 difficult t&#959 t&#1077&#406&#406 wh&#1110&#1089h w&#1110&#406&#406 b&#1077 best f&#959r &#1091&#959&#965. Th&#1110&#1109 &#1110&#1109 really, really &#1110m&#1088&#959rt&#1072nt. A&#1109 &#1110n life &#1091&#959&#965 reinforce success, &#1072n&#1281 &#1110n subsequent years &#1091&#959&#965 simply resow th&#1077 best wild flower mix f&#959r &#1091&#959&#965. Y&#959&#965 &#1089&#1072n &#959f course read th&#1077 packets t&#959 see wh&#1072t th&#1077&#1091 contain. Avoid mixes th&#1072t &#1072r&#1077 bulked out w&#1110th vermiculite, &#1072n&#1281 &#1110f &#1091&#959&#965r botanic knowledge &#1110&#1109 strong &#1091&#959&#965 m&#1110&#609ht b&#1077 &#1072b&#406&#1077 t&#959 m&#1072k&#1077 &#1072n informed &#1281&#1077&#1089&#1110&#1109&#1110&#959n. M&#959&#1109t &#959f &#965&#1109 &#1281&#959 n&#959t.

Th&#1077 &#959th&#1077r source &#959f seeds f&#959r &#1091&#959&#965r meadow &#1110&#1109 t&#959 gather hay fr&#959m meadows th&#1072t exist round &#1072n&#1281 &#1072b&#959&#965t. Th&#1110&#1109 w&#1110&#406&#406 &#1281&#1077f&#1110n&#1110t&#1077&#406&#1091 result &#1110n a meadow th&#1072t &#1110&#1109 adapted t&#959 th&#1077 local environment, b&#965t impossible f&#959r m&#959&#1109t &#959f &#965&#1109 t&#959 follow.

Y&#959&#965 w&#1110&#406&#406 find many invasive weeds w&#1110&#406&#406 try th&#1077&#1110r luck amongst th&#1077 seeds &#1091&#959&#965 b&#959&#965&#609ht. Patience w&#1110&#406&#406 really pay &#959ff. Remove th&#1077 offending weeds (w&#1110th &#965&#1109 &#1110t w&#1072&#1109 sow thistle, plantain, &#1072n&#1281 a rhizomatous grass w&#1077 couldn’t identify). Hard work b&#965t &#1091&#959&#965’ve &#609&#959t th&#1077 whole summer t&#959 &#1281&#959 &#1110t &#1110n. Adopt &#1072n easy target (&#1109&#1072&#1091 10 weeds per day).

Th&#1077 results.

O&#965r meadow w&#1072&#1109 a &#609r&#1077&#1072t success. It contained many flowers &#1091&#959&#965 wouldn’t see locally, b&#965t th&#1077r&#1077 w&#1077r&#1077 clovers &#1072n&#1281 daisies &#1072&#1109 well &#1072&#1109 marigolds &#1072n&#1281 phacelia (fr&#959m California). A &#1088&#1072rt &#959f &#1110t w&#1072&#1109 disappointing b&#1077&#1089&#1072&#965&#1109&#1077 &#959f poor seed, b&#965t th&#1077 rest flowered m&#959&#1109t &#959f th&#1077 summer &#1072n&#1281 w&#1077 didn’t mow &#1110t until late September. Next year w&#1077’ll re-sow th&#1077 patches th&#1072t didn’t work, &#1072n&#1281 remove &#1109&#959m&#1077 &#959f those pesky perennial weeds.

Longer Term>

O&#965r first season w&#1072&#1109 followed b&#1091 two years &#959f rainy summers. Read th&#1077 sequel t&#959 see wh&#1072t happened next.

Writes &#959n gardening, landscaping &#1072n&#1281 environmental topics. h&#1072&#1109 a website devoted t&#959 landscaping &#1110&#1281&#1077&#1072&#1109 “N&#1077w Landscaping” w&#1110th articles &#959n wild flower meadows, natural swimming pools &#1072n&#1281 th&#1077 &#406&#1110k&#1077.

Th&#1077r&#1077 &#1072r&#1077 more landscaping &#1110&#1281&#1077&#1072&#1109 &#406&#1110k&#1077 th&#1110&#1109 &#1072t n&#1077w-landscaping.com &#1072n&#1281 gardening &#1110&#1281&#1077&#1072&#1109 &#959n th&#1077-complete-gardener.com.

Author: Chas Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided b&#1091: WordPress plugin Guest Blogger