Advice
Maintaining wildflower meadows
Wildflower meadows require an annual maintenance programme to allow the more desirable species to flourish and to reduce the vigour of some of the more rampant species.
Above: Using long-flowering, clump-forming perennials, grasses
and annuals is a practical way to create a meadow-like effect
in small gardens. Photograph copyright Tim Sandall
Watering and feeding
A wildflower area doesn't require any additional watering or feeding. This could alter the natural balance of plants in the area. Many native flowers colonise poor land and the addition of extra nutrients and water will encourage excessive vigour in grasses, which will consequently out-compete the more desirable native plants.
Mowing
Mowing is one way gardeners can manipulate the range of wildflowers that grow. To encourage perennial flowers and grasses to make good root development, it is important to mow the meadow in the first year after sowing. Cut to a height of 5cm (2in) four times during the year.
Established spring-flowering meadows are cut in July and for the remainder of the summer to reduce the vigour of coarse grasses and to allow flowers such as cowslips, fritillary, lady's smock, selfheal and bugle to prosper. Leave unmown from February to July. Established summer-flowering meadows are not mown until late August or September, after wildflowers such as knapweed, devil's bit scabious and lady's bedstraw have set seed. Use this summer-flowering meadow regime for meadows with plants flowering at various times.
It is usually a good idea to leave the initial mowings in situ for a few days to allow seed to drop to the ground but then it is important to collect mowings to reduce soil fertility. Aim for the first cut to be 5-7.5cm (2-3in) high. Subsequent cuts can be lower. Many lawnmowers will struggle with long grass. Small areas can be cut with a strimmer, though larger areas are best tackled with a heavy-duty mower (e.g. sickle-bar mowers and motor scythe) or a two-wheel strimmer.
Tackling weeds and dominant grasses
Perennial weeds, thistles and nettles for example, can either be weeded out by hand or spot treated with a weedkiller based on glyphosate, such as Roundup or Tumbleweed. Selective lawn weedkillers should not be used as these will kill the wildflowers you wish to encourage. Where grasses become dominant try sowing the annual wildflower, yellow rattle ( Rhianthus minor ) which is semi-parasitic on grasses. Sow this in August and keep the grass mown until March.
Further information
Search our online Nursery Finder for specialist wildflower suppliers