Can anyone tell me what to do with a meadow area of the garden, approx 600
square metres, that has now gone to a thick, matted dead grass state. I
want to sow some wild flowers ready for next year. Do I cut down to the
ground and rake over areas where I want the seed to germinate. I don't think
anything will take if I just throw the seed into the grass - it is too
dense.
Any help would be appreciated.
Roy

"Jan White" wrote in message
...
Can anyone tell me what to do with a meadow area of the garden, approx 600
square metres, that has now gone to a thick, matted dead grass state. I
want to sow some wild flowers ready for next year. Do I cut down to the
ground and rake over areas where I want the seed to germinate. I don't
think anything will take if I just throw the seed into the grass - it is
too dense.
Any help would be appreciated.
Roy

Never done this myself (yet) but think the way I'd tackle it would be to
clear away as much dead matter as possible and really try to open up the
grass thatch.

I'd sow the wild flowers seed in trays or modules and grow them on to a
reasonable size before planting out. I'd clear spaces around the seedlings
to give them a fighting chance !!

Let me know how you get on as I may be doing something similar next
year..... :~)
Jenny

Jan White writes
Can anyone tell me what to do with a meadow area of the garden, approx 600
square metres, that has now gone to a thick, matted dead grass state. I
want to sow some wild flowers ready for next year. Do I cut down to the
ground and rake over areas where I want the seed to germinate. I don't think
anything will take if I just throw the seed into the grass - it is too
dense.

The most important thing is to reduce the fertility. If the ground is
fertile, the grass will be able to compete better, if it is not, then
wild flowers have a chance.

Recommended way is to start by removing all the turf and the top few
inches of topsoil, then to sow a wild flower and grass mixture. You need
to be careful as to your choice of wild flowers. Things like
cornflowers, poppies, marigolds and corncockle are weeds of cornfields -
they rely on the ground being cleared each year. You need perennial
flowers suitable to your soil type and area.

You may feel that clearing the whole area is not practical. In this
case, you can try the longer process of cutting the grass just after
flowering each year, and taking away all the cuttings. The idea behind
this is that the grass removes nutrients from the ground in order to
grow, and by removing the cuttings, you are not allowing them to rot and
return the nutrient to the ground, so you are slowly reducing fertility.
This will allow the native plants of the area to grow.

If you are impatient, planting plants rather than sowing seed gives more
chance of success, but be prepared for lots of failures. You don't need
to buy pants - you can sow the seed in trays and grow them on until they
are large enough to plant out.

To have flowers for next year, I would suggest splitting in to two
areas, one for cutting from about May/June onwards, the other to be left
till late summer for cutting. In area 1), plant crocus bulbs and native
daffodils for spring, add primroses and cowslips.

In area 2), go for summer flowering flowers. In my damp neautral to acid
clay, I have managed to establish yellow vetchling (like a miniature
yellow sweet pea) and birds foot trefoil (similar), field geranium
(large blue flowers), burnet (round red flower heads) and oxe eye
daisies. I'm now adding vetches (pea flowers in blue and purple) and
yellow rattle (which is parasitic on grass to some extent, so should
help in the battle)
--
Kay

"Jan White" wrote in message
...
Can anyone tell me what to do with a meadow area of the garden, approx 600
square metres, that has now gone to a thick, matted dead grass state. I
want to sow some wild flowers ready for next year. Do I cut down to the
ground and rake over areas where I want the seed to germinate. I don't
think
anything will take if I just throw the seed into the grass - it is too
dense.
Any help would be appreciated.
Roy


You basically have to make hay each year, cut the area with a strimmer
rather than a mower, leave to dry, rake up and remove.
If this is a new project you may have to reduce fertility by stripping turf,
and I have found growing the wild flowers in plugs and planting them direct
worked better than seed on existing grass land, for seed you need to start
with clean ground.

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cultivars

On 28/8/07 08:57, in article , "Charlie
Pridham" wrote:


"Jan White" wrote in message
...
Can anyone tell me what to do with a meadow area of the garden, approx 600
square metres, that has now gone to a thick, matted dead grass state. I
want to sow some wild flowers ready for next year. Do I cut down to the
ground and rake over areas where I want the seed to germinate. I don't
think
anything will take if I just throw the seed into the grass - it is too
dense.
Any help would be appreciated.
Roy


You basically have to make hay each year, cut the area with a strimmer
rather than a mower, leave to dry, rake up and remove.
If this is a new project you may have to reduce fertility by stripping turf,
and I have found growing the wild flowers in plugs and planting them direct
worked better than seed on existing grass land, for seed you need to start
with clean ground.

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cultivars



Not altogether joking, how about 'borrowing' some sheep or a goat or two, if
possible?
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:56:16 +0100, Sacha wrote
(in article ) :

On 28/8/07 08:57, in article , "Charlie
Pridham" wrote:


"Jan White" wrote in message
...
Can anyone tell me what to do with a meadow area of the garden, approx 600
square metres, that has now gone to a thick, matted dead grass state. I
want to sow some wild flowers ready for next year. Do I cut down to the
ground and rake over areas where I want the seed to germinate. I don't
think
anything will take if I just throw the seed into the grass - it is too
dense.
Any help would be appreciated.


You basically have to make hay each year, cut the area with a strimmer
rather than a mower, leave to dry, rake up and remove.
If this is a new project you may have to reduce fertility by stripping turf,
and I have found growing the wild flowers in plugs and planting them direct
worked better than seed on existing grass land, for seed you need to start
with clean ground.


Not altogether joking, how about 'borrowing' some sheep or a goat or two, if
possible?


Seriously, that is not a good idea for a wildflower meadow, since it
increases the nutrient level. We do just as Charlie has said, cut with a
strimmer (large one on wheels) twice a year, let it dry a little, rake it off
and remove it, where it composts down quite nicely.

One added thing we have done, apart from sowing wildflower seed and adding
plants which we have grown from seed, is to buy some small bales from a
wildflower-rich meadow and strew them on to the area after the autumn/late
summer cut and after we have raked away the grass. The seeds drop out of the
bales and in those areas where we have done this, we have certainly seen an
increase in the wild flowers, both in quantity and varieties.


--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

On 28/8/07 13:13, in article
, "Sally Thompson"
wrote:

On Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:56:16 +0100, Sacha wrote
(in article ) :

On 28/8/07 08:57, in article , "Charlie
Pridham" wrote:


"Jan White" wrote in message
...
Can anyone tell me what to do with a meadow area of the garden, approx 600
square metres, that has now gone to a thick, matted dead grass state. I
want to sow some wild flowers ready for next year. Do I cut down to the
ground and rake over areas where I want the seed to germinate. I don't
think
anything will take if I just throw the seed into the grass - it is too
dense.
Any help would be appreciated.


You basically have to make hay each year, cut the area with a strimmer
rather than a mower, leave to dry, rake up and remove.
If this is a new project you may have to reduce fertility by stripping turf,
and I have found growing the wild flowers in plugs and planting them direct
worked better than seed on existing grass land, for seed you need to start
with clean ground.


Not altogether joking, how about 'borrowing' some sheep or a goat or two, if
possible?


Seriously, that is not a good idea for a wildflower meadow, since it
increases the nutrient level. We do just as Charlie has said, cut with a
strimmer (large one on wheels) twice a year, let it dry a little, rake it off
and remove it, where it composts down quite nicely.

Thanks, Sally. I hadn't thought of the extra nutrients, though I should
have done. I was thinking of the lore that sheep nibbling at grassland
graze the grass to such a level as allows other plants to come through. I
can't say I know the principles of this but that's what was at the back of
my mind.

One added thing we have done, apart from sowing wildflower seed and adding
plants which we have grown from seed, is to buy some small bales from a
wildflower-rich meadow and strew them on to the area after the autumn/late
summer cut and after we have raked away the grass. The seeds drop out of the
bales and in those areas where we have done this, we have certainly seen an
increase in the wild flowers, both in quantity and varieties.


Lovely idea - I bet it's a picture. The field behind us is now farmed
totally organically and this year has the most wonderful batch of poppies in
it. They're a real eye catcher.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 28 Aug, 13:13, Sally Thompson
wrote:
Seriously, that is not a good idea for a wildflower meadow, since it
increases the nutrient level.

For a meadow you don't want to increase the fertility of the soil - in
the contrary, you want to keep it poor so that the grass doesn't
overtake the flowers.

On 28 Aug, 14:42, La Puce wrote:
On 28 Aug, 13:13, Sally Thompson
wrote:

Seriously, that is not a good idea for a wildflower meadow, since it
increases the nutrient level.

For a meadow you don't want to increase the fertility of the soil - in
the contrary, you want to keep it poor so that the grass doesn't
overtake the flowers.

Forgot!!!! This book is lovely - by Yvette Verner. She created a
meadow in a field and it shows you week by week what she did, from
design to insects plants etc. Ideal for Jan's project.

http://www.wychwoodproject.org/templates/books.asp

Thanks to everyone for their help. We certainly will be following some of
the ideas - not the sheep though !!!! We have visions of the rabbits and
sheep doing battle with the rabbits winning. Last week two of the devils
chased off a stoat.
Roy & Jan

On 31/8/07 11:29, in article ,
"Jan White" wrote:

Thanks to everyone for their help. We certainly will be following some of
the ideas - not the sheep though !!!! We have visions of the rabbits and
sheep doing battle with the rabbits winning. Last week two of the devils
chased off a stoat.
Roy & Jan


Some fierce rabbits in your parts! No, I withdrew my sheep suggestion when
I was reminded they'd actually help fertilise the ground. I suppose you
could just have an enormous bonfire..... ;-))


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'