Create your own meadow, says Nick Bailey
Get sowing now for a flower-rich plot that wildlife will love
There’s something heart-warmingly romantic about a meadow. The complex congestion of forms, foliage and flowers combine to create a multilayered melting pot of beauty. Meadows naturally occur in numerous environments around the planet so there’s no reason why we can’t tailor one to suit our gardens.
With a good mix of species, an annual meadow can be in bloom for six months or more with a rich tapestry of floral forms. Meadows also provide cover for wildlife and a long succession of nectar for pollinators. I’ve attempted to create them in many gardens over the years. The successes and failures of these has given me a good steer on to how to get it right.
Autumn sowing is one approach but I’ve discovered, nearly without fail, that a sowing in spring is the most successful. Start by choosing a patch of soil that receives full-sun and is quite workable. Remove all perennial weeds, ensuring the roots come out, too. Next, hoe off annual weeds. It may be worth delaying sowing for another month to allow other weed seeds, already present in the soil, to germinate so they can also be hoed off. Once you’ve removed as many weeds as you can, open up the soil with a light forking, then rake it down into a fine tilth with crumbs no larger than 1cm (¼in). If you’re sowing a small patch it can be worth sowing into shallow drills. This way it’s easier to identify between weeds and the plants you want to keep as they begin to germinate. On a larger scale this isn’t practical, so substantial meadow sowings are best broadcasted across the prepared soil, followed by being raked and firmed in. Sowing rates vary so there’s a simple method to get the density right. Weigh out six grams or whatever the per-metre rate is and scatter it on a square metre of paving. That way you can see the density you need before sweeping it up ready to sow. Once the sowing’s complete, lightly rake over and firm the soil. Germination takes three to four weeks. Remove any obvious weeds as the meadow matures and ensure it stays damp in a hot spell. And bingo – you’ll have your own annual meadow!
There are lots of ‘annual meadow mixes’ out there containing beauties such as cosmos, ammi, papaver, centaurea, linum and agrostemma. Every mix gives a different look from corn-field annuals to a more exotic Mexican palette. Make up your own seed mix or try the likes of www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk or www.meadowmania.co.uk.