My wildflower meadow project 2009

[Blackdogjnr]

Apologies if this subject has been covered to death!
Something tells me Jez may be the man for this, but anyway, I have a few questions....

I have a portion of lawn in full sunlight, very open and by about 3mx3m square, I'd like to convert it to a meadow.
The soil is heavy clay so I think the best thing to do is dig 10cm deep and remove the turf.

My problem is what to replace it with. I have read about crushed concrete, brickdust, sand etc but my concerns are:

1- won't this look awful during the times of year when the flowers aren't in bloom?

2- Isn't it difficult (dangerous even) to get the lawnmower on ground like this?

3- where on earth do I get this sort of material? I found places online that do it by 100 tonnes at a time, but this is only a small area and my house is up a tiny lane in a very quiet village.

4- Finally, I cleared some gravel from one side of the patio last year, would this along with some sharp sand do the trick? This'd be good as at the moment I have just shovelled it behind the shed!

Thanks in advance team WAB!

[Hedge Witch]

Hi, interesting questions, and even when I'd only read the title, I knew Jez'd be your man.

You are right to do your homework:

If you get the soil conditions right at the outset, the rest will be easy. Some of the very best wildflower gardens have been created on rubble topped with crushed chalk, crushed concrete and even motorway scrapings - generally the poorer the soil the better.

I shall be following this thread with interest because the results could be stunning

[ron1863]

There are advantages and disadvatages to clay soil, it's full of nutrients and retains water well but if it dries out it hardens like cement and starts to crack.
Why don't you just hire a small rotavator and turn it over, then add a load of sharp sand and some topsoil then re-seed it with a wildflower mix.

[Jez]

Hi Blackdog Jnr

I've just logged in and it's 23.45! Very tired atm so after a good nights sleep I'll be all to glad to help you! If your up earlier than I am then hope this my be to your liking in the way of wildflowers and grasses suitable for heavy soil!?! http://www.naturescape.co.uk/info/moistheavy.htm

I'm off to bed, sweet dreams

[Jez]

Morning!

Okay first of all glad to see your thinking of a meadow project BBJ and what better place to have 1 than in your very own garden!!!

Though I should be envious right now, as I think from what you have described, will show better results than my meadows have done, this due to the fact that you will be ripping up turf and getting to the subsoil (where I unfortunately couldn't get to my subsoil as it was some 12" deep which resulted in grasses out competing the flowers, though it's looking better with each mow )! As Ron is rightly says, heavy clay soil can be very wet throughout the winter period and crack during the hot summer months, but the list of flowers and grasses in the link are ideally suited for those conditions! I have this same mix for the same project as you but added a couple of extra flowers to the mix- Salsify (a purple type Goatsbeard) & Snakeshead Fritillary (which should flower around the same time as the Cowslips).

My feelings towards ripping the existing lawn would be to hire out a turf cutter for the day for making a neater and easier job to expose the subsoil. Preparation would be best done towards the end of June so a turf cutter would cut out the graft esp if it's a baking hot day! This allows you 6 weeks for digging over and allowing the ground to settle before you come to sow the seed in it's optimum period Aug-Sep when the ground is at it's warmest, ideal for germination! When the time comes for sowing the rate of seed is far less than sowing for a normal lawn approximately 3-5 grms a square meter. I read the suggestions on sowing at the time when it came to do mine but never felt comfortable with sowing by hand scattering the plot throwing the seed to fall evenly so this is how I went about it. I used a compost bin when I say I used a compost bin I didn't use a whole compost bin rather for square slats off the top approximately 1 meter square and used this as a template in which to sow the seed. I also happened to have a 5 grm measuring spoon which was ideal for the quantity per square meter and added slightly under a full spoons worth and sprinkled the seed instead in the template. When 1 meter was done I moved the template along and so on then lightly raked over the seed starting from the back, bring the template forward to the next new row and repeating as done previous, though you might be very happy with just sowing by hand?!? Then firm in the ground when done either by treading or by roller. Now this part might come as a disappointment to you?!? The following year you need to cut the lawn as normal when the grass gets up to 100mm down to 35mm so set your lawn mower blades high, a rotary mower with a grass collecting box/bag is ideal as you don't want to allow the cut grass to get back in the soil providing it with nutrients. This first years mowing is recommended as it allows the wildflowers to establish in the sward to come into flower the following year when you then can let the meadow grow, it's a bit of a waiting game I know but well worth it in the long run as the following cuttings are only need twice a year so your saving yourself all that extra elbow grease ! Following cuttings twice a year early Feb and then again in September after the flowers have set seed! I think I've gone through everything, and hope it makes the project worth a go!

Jez

[Tursiops2]

Interesting questions. My thoughts:

Originally Posted by Blackdogjnr

My problem is what to replace it with. I have read about crushed concrete, brickdust, sand etc but my concerns are:

1- won't this look awful during the times of year when the flowers aren't in bloom?
It shouldn't do. If your meadow seed mix contains a sufficiently high proportion of grass, this should cover the ground pretty quickly

2- Isn't it difficult (dangerous even) to get the lawnmower on ground like this?
I wouldn't have thought so, unless the ground is particularly badly drained and boggy.

3- where on earth do I get this sort of material? I found places online that do it by 100 tonnes at a time, but this is only a small area and my house is up a tiny lane in a very quiet village.
A very good question. About 10 years ago, I did some vol. work with BTCV in London, which included laying a bed of concrete fines as the substrate for a wildflower meadow in the grounds of a school. The guy who designed it swore that concrete fines were the best material for this, but I never asked him where he got it . I'd be very interested to know.

4- Finally, I cleared some gravel from one side of the patio last year, would this along with some sharp sand do the trick? This'd be good as at the moment I have just shovelled it behind the shed!
I would have thought that loose gravel was more likely to damage your mower. if you have heavy clay, dig this material in somewhere you want to improve the drainage.

Thanks in advance team WAB!

Hope this helps
T2

[Jez]

I agree with T2, the site shouldn't look unsightly as the ratio of grasses to wildflowers is approximately 80%-20% (also hence why a first years mow is recommended)!

Another point I forgot to mention is if you decided to sow by hand, do add dry silver sand to the mix to give your sowing some gravitas and obviously do it on a relatively calm day!

[Jez]

Haha another thing lol, very important too,is:-

When you come to do your cut in September (the following year), check the site for mammals and amphibians, would hate for them to be mangled by your stimmer and keep the cut grass in the meadow area, don't collect it for a couple of weeks, this allows seed to escape and for any invertebrates to crawl out of the grass after all making meadows is a relaxed way to garden with nature not against it!

To correct myself first years cut should be from 75mm down to 30mm, whoops sorry I was thinking of a normal lawn