Lee Burkhill: Award Winning Designer & BBC 1's Garden Rescue Presenters Official Blog
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Quote from nottsgardener on 30th October 2022, 2:11 pm
Hi there,
I am relatively new to gardening so maybe this is a stupid question but, I have made a half perennial wildflower meadow, Half annual meadow, and the soil is relatively low in fertility which I am aware is a good thing, however there are literally no grasses in this meadow at all but im also aware a lot of the time people have problems with grasses taking over the flowers. So should I include some grasses with seeds ect or not. Honestly im not fussed about the appearance but rather wanting the best for wildlife and if some grass will be better for wildlife then id be happy to add some, or should I give it another year to allow the for some natural succession of grass? Also as my meadow is half and half of perennials and annuals, should I trim down all the foliage that still appears quite green and healthy for the perennial side?
Thank you!
Hi there,
I am relatively new to gardening so maybe this is a stupid question but, I have made a half perennial wildflower meadow, Half annual meadow, and the soil is relatively low in fertility which I am aware is a good thing, however there are literally no grasses in this meadow at all but im also aware a lot of the time people have problems with grasses taking over the flowers. So should I include some grasses with seeds ect or not. Honestly im not fussed about the appearance but rather wanting the best for wildlife and if some grass will be better for wildlife then id be happy to add some, or should I give it another year to allow the for some natural succession of grass? Also as my meadow is half and half of perennials and annuals, should I trim down all the foliage that still appears quite green and healthy for the perennial side?
Have a look on Lee's blog, it can be found on the above menu, he has a section on wild flower meadows, and on his YouTube video's he has one on grasses, both of which will help you out.
There's nothing wrong in mixing your plants, but there are some differing requirements for different plants, you enquired about planting grasses, personally I would say the majority are thought of as ornamental, but should you wish there is nothing stopping you from making a complete bed of grasses, and some grasses will thrive in poor soil, therefore they should be fine in your soil, as you said its a bit poor, personally I think the right grass or grasses would certainly make an impact.
Hope all goes well.
Bob
Hi Nottsgarener,
Have a look on Lee's blog, it can be found on the above menu, he has a section on wild flower meadows, and on his YouTube video's he has one on grasses, both of which will help you out.
There's nothing wrong in mixing your plants, but there are some differing requirements for different plants, you enquired about planting grasses, personally I would say the majority are thought of as ornamental, but should you wish there is nothing stopping you from making a complete bed of grasses, and some grasses will thrive in poor soil, therefore they should be fine in your soil, as you said its a bit poor, personally I think the right grass or grasses would certainly make an impact.
Great question about grasses and meadow management.
Firstly congratulations in starting with a virgin grass-free meadow. It's clear you've undertaken some hard work to start from scratch which is always far easier than 'taking back' grass to a meadow.
What I would say is to leave the meadow to evolve itself. I wouldn't introduce grasses as you'll find they appear by their own. So save yourself the drama.
In terms of cutting it, I did my final cut last week. Even though there was some green foliage and perennial plants still looked quite healthy. This is because the meadow needs to be reset each year. It allows fresh air and light to the soil to allow seeds to overwinter and get stratified correctly.
Great question about grasses and meadow management.
Firstly congratulations in starting with a virgin grass-free meadow. It's clear you've undertaken some hard work to start from scratch which is always far easier than 'taking back' grass to a meadow.
What I would say is to leave the meadow to evolve itself. I wouldn't introduce grasses as you'll find they appear by their own. So save yourself the drama.
In terms of cutting it, I did my final cut last week. Even though there was some green foliage and perennial plants still looked quite healthy. This is because the meadow needs to be reset each year. It allows fresh air and light to the soil to allow seeds to overwinter and get stratified correctly.
Quote from nottsgardener on 3rd November 2022, 2:47 pm
So this is what it looked like before. As you can see the leafs look quite healthy with just a couple little flowers on different species. I admit earlier at the start of autumn perhaps I did remove most the deadheads and long stems of flowers.
And this is after a trim I don't have a scythe I just used a pair of standard straight head shears. I'm unsure what flower these leaves belongs to but it's really low to the ground and grows in quite abundance. So would this be ok to leave or should I fully take it back to the ground. I am planning on leaving a little bit foliage ect because I want to provide a safe space for any frogs, insects that might set up camp there during the winter months but for this part here im unsure. Sorry if this is a stupid question, just want to make sure this wildlflower meadow can be as healthy and successful as possible.
Cheers.
So this is what it looked like before. As you can see the leafs look quite healthy with just a couple little flowers on different species. I admit earlier at the start of autumn perhaps I did remove most the deadheads and long stems of flowers.
And this is after a trim I don't have a scythe I just used a pair of standard straight head shears. I'm unsure what flower these leaves belongs to but it's really low to the ground and grows in quite abundance. So would this be ok to leave or should I fully take it back to the ground. I am planning on leaving a little bit foliage ect because I want to provide a safe space for any frogs, insects that might set up camp there during the winter months but for this part here im unsure. Sorry if this is a stupid question, just want to make sure this wildlflower meadow can be as healthy and successful as possible.
Quote from nottsgardener on 22nd November 2022, 11:00 am
Hi sorry to be a nuisance to Lee or fellow readers. Just wondered if anybody could give me some help after the photos I've posted above to Lee's response. Before we get the first frost.
Cheers!
Hi sorry to be a nuisance to Lee or fellow readers. Just wondered if anybody could give me some help after the photos I've posted above to Lee's response. Before we get the first frost.
Lee Burkhill: Award Winning Designer & BBC 1's Garden Rescue Presenters Official Blog
So this is what it looked like before. As you can see the leafs look quite healthy with just a couple little flowers on different species. I admit earlier at the start of autumn perhaps I did remove most the deadheads and long stems of flowers.
And this is after a trim I don't have a scythe I just used a pair of standard straight head shears. I'm unsure what flower these leaves belongs to but it's really low to the ground and grows in quite abundance. So would this be ok to leave or should I fully take it back to the ground. I am planning on leaving a little bit foliage ect because I want to provide a safe space for any frogs, insects that might set up camp there during the winter months but for this part here im unsure. Sorry if this is a stupid question, just want to make sure this wildlflower meadow can be as healthy and successful as possible.
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