Our garden is divided roughly into three parts, my bit, her bit
and no-mans-land which is covered in grass (and a few weeds)
about 12 inches high.

What I would like to do is to make this part into a wild flower area,
I did try last year, spent a lot of money on seeds from the garden
centres, and because I'm a clever fellow I ignored the instructions
on the packet, which said something like, 'plant into prepared seed
beds and when large enough plant out into the final flowering places',
but, as I've said I'm a clever beggar and I worked out that in nature
the wild flowers don't have gardeners to put their seeds into these
sort of conditions, so I did what the plants naturally do and just
chucked them on the ground.

Result, nothing!

As I'm careful with my money, (i.e. mean!) I am reluctant to spend a
lot of money on packaged seeds, average price £2.00 per packet,
so I'm on the scrounge! Does anyone have a surplus of wild flower
seeds that they are desperately looking for a home for?

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

In article , Alan Holmes
writes

Our garden is divided roughly into three parts, my bit, her bit
and no-mans-land which is covered in grass (and a few weeds)
about 12 inches high.

What I would like to do is to make this part into a wild flower area,

As I'm careful with my money, (i.e. mean!) I am reluctant to spend a
lot of money on packaged seeds, average price £2.00 per packet,
so I'm on the scrounge! Does anyone have a surplus of wild flower
seeds that they are desperately looking for a home for?

Firstly, many of the wildflowers you see on sale are annual corn field
flowers - poppies, cornflowers and the like. They rely on shedding
their seed, and then the land being ploughed so they can grow nest year
in clear ground - I doubt whether you're planning to do this every year!

What you would like is perennial wildflowers which will grow year after
year.

Where the ground is fertile, the grass will out-compete these, so one
thing you need to do is try to reduce the fertility - do this by letting
the grass grow, then cutting the grass and removing the cuttings. And,
of course, don't add any fertiliser!

Secondly, you'll get more success if you sow the seeds separately and
plant them into the grass once they are big enough to look sensible in a
3inch pot. Small seedlings will find it hard to compete. Once you have
some wild flowers in there, you will need to time your grass cutting to
be after the flowers have bloomed.

I haven't any seeds at this time of year - all planted - but will
willingly collect some for you later on that you can grow for next
season ... or why not do that yourself - look round your area for wild
flowers you like the look of and collect some seed. That way you'll get
plants which will be happy in your area.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on the 'weeds' that come up in other parts of the
garden, and transfer any that you like into the grass area. It's very
worth looking out for primrose and cowslip seedlings for early in the
year, and crocus bulbs if you have any spare.
--
Kay Easton

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

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

Our garden is divided roughly into three parts, my bit, her bit
and no-mans-land which is covered in grass (and a few weeds)
about 12 inches high.

What I would like to do is to make this part into a wild flower area,
I did try last year, spent a lot of money on seeds from the garden
centres, and because I'm a clever fellow I ignored the instructions
on the packet, which said something like, 'plant into prepared seed
beds and when large enough plant out into the final flowering places',
but, as I've said I'm a clever beggar and I worked out that in nature
the wild flowers don't have gardeners to put their seeds into these
sort of conditions, so I did what the plants naturally do and just
chucked them on the ground.

Result, nothing!

As I'm careful with my money, (i.e. mean!) I am reluctant to spend a
lot of money on packaged seeds, average price £2.00 per packet,
so I'm on the scrounge! Does anyone have a surplus of wild flower
seeds that they are desperately looking for a home for?

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk



Just a thought

John Chambers seed merchant have what they call a flowering lawn mix, I
know you don't want to spend a lot on seed but their catalogue tells you
what the mixtures contain.

bel