"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
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.

Just a thought.... since cabbage likes it's nitrogen.... anyone thought of
using it (without digging up the whole place) to deplete N levels?

Patrick