Guest Blog – Meadow Magic

It has been a while since I have hosted a guest blog.  Then, as these things often do, an opportunity presented itself and here we have it.  In the past I have written about meadows.  Most often about how I am sadly under-educated about them; how to grow, what to grow, how to maintain etc.  But I love them.  Every little thing.  So let me introduce you to Orla at The Grass People who will rectify these shortcoming and give you a little insight into meadow magic with our own floriferous tutorial. 

How to Sow Wildflower seeds in your Garden

Wildflowers offer natural beauty and so much more…As well as adding spectacular colour to your garden, wildflowers do the very important job of creating a diverse environment that will help support birds and insects including bees which are vital to our ecosystem.

Wildflowers have a reputation for being difficult to grow. In reality with a little preparation beautiful wildflowers can grow easily in your garden.  Here’s The Grass People’s easy step by step process to get your own mini wildflower meadow:

Sowing Wildflower Seeds

Wildflowers grow in poor soil conditions so prepare your soil for wildflower growth by starving it of nutrients. This can be done by stripping away the top 5-10cm of soil which will reduce fertility.

1. Clear away all existing plants and grass, either by hand or with weed killer. Remove weeds such as nettles, docks and couch grass. Be aware weed killer is not advisable in areas of wildlife.
2. Dig the soil over and firm it down before raking to create a level seed bed.
3. Sow the wildflower seed either by hand or with a seed spreader. We recommend sowing the wildflower seed at 5g per 1 square meter of soil.
4. Rake the wildflower seed into the soil and moisten the ground well.
5. Cover the newly seeded area of your garden with netting to protect from birds and cats.
6. Ensure the soil is kept moist during hot, dry periods for the best germination. 

Top tips for growing wildflower seeds

• When preparing the soil avoid using fertilisers or manure as this encourages existing grass to grow which can crowd out the newly sown wildflowers.
• After you have prepared the soil we recommend allowing the soil to settle for up to 6 weeks. This also allows any weed seeds to germinate, which can then be removed with a hoe or weed killer.
• For best growth it’s important that the soil is warm and doesn’t dry out. Ensure you water the soil regularly particularly if there is a hot spell.

Best time of year to sow wildflower seeds

At The Grass People we have a large variety of wildflower seeds for all types of soil. By and large the best time of year to sow wildflowers is during September to expect bloom in early spring.

However wild flower seeds can be sown throughout the year with bloom usually taking 60-80 days. It may be the case that the first bloom may be after the first winter in soil.

Our wild flower seed range includes:

• Bees and Pollinators – a special selection of UK native flowers selected to attract bees
• Annual Mix – a beautiful selection of UK native annual wildflowers
• Flowering Meadow – a mixture of annual and perennial wildflowers and grasses
• Shaded Area Wildflowers – wildflowers suited to growing in shaded areas
• Heavy Clay Soil Wildflower – a selection of UK native wildflowers suited to grow in clay soils
• Sandy Soil Wildflower – wildflowers specially selected to grow in sandy soils

And there you have it, there really is no excuse.  Happy meadow making!