It may take time and effort, but making a meadow is worth it
Rotovate, harrow and weed, says our expert Agnes Stevenson. And you’ll be rewarded by a host of flowers, scents and wildlife. Kids will love it, too!
Like many gardeners, I dream of creating a meadow filled with flowers. In reality, it takes more than just scattering a pack of wild seeds to make it happen. Someone who knows the ins and outs is Sally Gouldstone, a botanist who lives in Pencaitland, Edinburgh.
Sally has created a wildflower meadow and what was once an over-grazed patch of land, is a haven for native species.
Not only is the meadow a place where Sally’s daughter, Willow, can chase butterflies and pick daisies, it also provides a source of organic ingredients for Sally’s ‘Seilich’ brand of skincare products.
Sally says: “I realised Willow would have little chance of experiencing a rich, natural environment unless I did something to make that happen.
“Now she loves to play among the flowers, which have attracted huge numbers of insects as well as dragonflies, owls, voles and other wildlife.”
Sally rotovated and harrowed the soil, then sowed seeds of local provenance, designed to provide year-round food for pollinators.
As the seeds began to grow Sally hand-weeded to prevent young plants being overwhelmed and now chamomile, yarrow, comfrey and wild garlic are just some of the species that fill the meadow with flowers and scent.
“It’s a perennial meadow, which takes longer to establish than a meadow grown from annuals, and there are times when it can be quite messy, but I think it looks beautiful. I love the colours and the textures and the richness of the insect life that the flowers attract.”
Sally harvests flowers to make the botanical oils and essences that she uses in her skincare and the meadow has continued to evolve as the seed bank, which was already present in the soil, has germinated and other things have arrived on the wind or with birds.
“What’s great about a meadow is that you can just leave it to get on with things. I just thin out anything that I think is growing in the wrong place.”
The popularity of Sally’s Seilich range has meant that there’s an increasing demand for products and so she is now looking for a large piece of land on which to establish a second meadow. And she also works with schools and other groups, advising them on how to plant and maintain a meadow of their own.
The Scotia Seeds is a good place to start. This Scottish seed company has seed mixes for all kinds of places, from pond edges and woodland to grassland and flowering lawns making it easy to establish a meadow that’s suited to the conditions in your garden.