In article , [H]omer
writes
Hi,

I'm going to be sowing a wildflower meadow in a steep verge at the back of
our garden, approx 40ft long X 14ft high with a flat top about 6ft wide.

I've found a great site (no spamming, but it's in Ireland) that sells
(what appears to be) probably the best mixes of seeds.

The problem is, I'm having difficulty identifying my soil type, so I can
choose an appropriate mix.

I live in the NE of Scotland, about 500 yards from the coast, and as you
can guess it's very exposed and windy, short but warm summers, and lots of
rain (of course). The area is not very much above sea level.

The area for sewing is currently home to some very healthy looking wild
grass and weeds - in fact the dock plants are absolutely huge and the
grass in an incredibly dark green. I don't have a soil kit, but I'd guess
it is very high in nitrogen and probably alkaline.

High in nitrogen sounds right, and you may find it challenging to
establish a wildflower meadow until you reduce that - grass competes
very well in high nitrogen conditions. The ideal would be to spend
several years mowing and removing all the mowings, but that isn't going
to suit your requirements! So go for a mix with fairly robust plants in
it, and accept that some of the wildflowers may be crowded out and may
need replanting (as plug plants) in future years.

As to acidity/alkalinity - what plants grow round about? Apart from the
docks, what are the weeds in the rest of your garden? Do people grow
rhododendrons and so on?


The website I'm looking at has a few classifications, but none seem to fit
100%. The choices are (brace yourself):

1. Fertile Top Soil (moist, rich in humus) - Definitely not.
2. Clay and Gleys (sticky top soil) - Clay yes, but not on top.
3. Dry Loam and Verges (improved soils) - Verge yes, but not that dry.

I wonder if the 'improved soil' description means this would be suitable
for your high nitrogen conditions? Plants that tolerate dryness can
often cope with wetter soils as long as the roots don't stay too wet.

4. Sandy Soil or Stony Till (pH 7.9) - Yes, but *how* sandy is sandy?

Probably sandier than you have, and very alkaline. I'd steer away from
this one.

6. Moist Acid Soils (acid / neutral pH 7) - Acid? Moist yes.

A possible, since it's OK for neutral, but try and get a better fix on
how alkaline you are.

7. Dry Acid Soils (often shallow over stone) - Acid? Few stones.

This sounds as if it needs to be well drained which you won't be over
clay.

8. Moist Alkaline / Lime Soils (alkaline, pH 7) - Don't know.

Possible, if you're sure you're alkaline.

9. Dry Alkaline / Lime Soils (alkaline, pH 7) - Not dry. Alkaline?

No. Don't think you'd be getting docks if this was the right one for
you.

10. Dry Soils on Steep Slopes - Dry top and slope, yes - but deeper?
11. Wet Soils on Steep Slopes - *How* wet is wet?

At a guess - moist all the year round, not susceptible to drought,
rather than waterlogged.

18. Raw Impoverished Sub Soil - Could be.

Not with docks!


Choices, choices ... but which one?

a) How expensive are they, and what quantities do you need to buy? Could
you try two or three different mixes?
b) But best suggestion is to phone them and seek their advice. They know
what they've put in the mixes!

What is the site? I'd be interested in seeing what they have too.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm