On 23/02/2012 15:11, mogga wrote:
On Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:55:45 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

On Feb 22, 9:01 pm, Janet wrote:
Two people (obviously watching Sarah raven!) have contacted me to ask
where the best place to get a bulk order of wildflower mix for chalk
meadows. I know you can get small amounts from the standard seed
companies but where do they go for larger amounts of seed. 1 lady has
about half an acre she could sow.
--
Janet Tweedy


There was a lot of bullsh*t on that programme. The woman is a half
wit.
Wildflower meadows as they created by the method shown will be taken
over by grass in a few years. The soil is too fertile.

To create a real wildflower meadow, you have to mow and take away the
grass for years to reduce the fertility. The flowers can then out
compete the grass.

I think they did say something about yellow rattle being vital to
attack the grass and allow flowers to thrive



Indeed, they most certainly did.



Medieval meadows had low fertility, that's why there are/were lots of
flowers.
Modern meadows have high fertility due to added nitrogen, that's why
there are few flowers.

Don't waste your money girls. Start mowing TAKE THE CUTTINGS AWAY,
VERY IMPORTANT. And no fertilizer. It takes around three years of
mowing to get fertility down to where you can even start. By then you
will probably get local wild flowers spontaneously appearing.
They might not be the pretty ones on that stupid TV progamme/
presenter.

BTW I had ten acres of wildflower meadows at my previous house.
There are/were gov. grants (and advice) for creating them

This lot here advocates removing the topsoil to achieve low fertility.
http://lincstrust.org.uk/factsheets/meadow/create.php
OK on a pocket handkerchief I suppose.


--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay