What you are doing is amazing. No matter how small the garden.Wildflower projects take time, be patient and the rewards will come, trust me. Ive been researching and growing willdflowers from seed for 30 yrs, still learning but what's more important is you're doing a great service to the planet. So don't give up!! Well done.
Thanks Dean! Yeah I actually love the thrill of whether it will work and the time it takes. I’ll get there eventually and thanks for the encouragement 😊
Canada 100 acre organic farm and we have been sowing wildflower seeds, this is the third year. My sons (20’s) get as excited as we do by all the bugs, birds and flowers. We clear the ground to bare dirt them add topsoil and compost. Scatter the seeds and stamp them down. So glad I found your channel. Save our pollinators
Looking forward to putting in a wildflower meadow in a portion of my backyard to help restore some wildlife habitat in our community. With the incredible loss of biodiversity, we need to be proactive in retaining what species that remain and every garden patch the can be dedicated to nature is a big help. Thank you for your video.
I’m trying out my own version of yard-to-meadow and your video hits the nail on the head. It feels embarrassing when you know what it will eventually look like, but it currently looks awful. And people may think “what is he doing?” Thank you for the video.
Thank you for sharing this video. I am working diligently this fall trying to establish the beginnings of a meadow garden in our pasture. I've been collecting some of the local wildflowers I see growing around the roadside's edge and potting these for the winter and plan to collect the seeds and scatter these in the pasture over the winter. I also plan to take the potted roots and move them to the meadow garden area in early spring. My challenge, and I am sure there will be many, is to resist the temptation to mow this part of the pasture as I have not removed the pasture grass in this area. This may be "big: mistake number one but I will know in time. I am a hobby beekeeper and want to let nature take its course so that not only my bees, but other pollinators, will be drawn to the meadow garden. I live in central Alabama.
I've adopted a "green-enough" lawn. It's tidy, edged, but mostly contains clover and other flowering weeds that little critters like. We never artificially fertilize it, and it's presentable enough to the neighborhood so that I'm not reported (LOL!). The pollinators/birds are what we hope to attract and will settle in, and so far they have! We have 5 birdbaths going in the summer (my wife keeps purchasing rummage sale birdbaths). Essentially, we try anything to counteract the horrid chemo lawn care/deadzones around the neighborhood. Cheers.
Enjoyed this realistic update & I strongly relate to all the tribulations. I have a small field and swallowed the endless advice about just sowing seeds straight into the ground, which were then overwhelmed by grasses. I need yellow rattle too. Now growing plug plants to see how they fare next spring
Thanks Mike! Null results are important to include otherwise it’s hard to learn. I think I sowed too late for the rattle. I’m going to try and germinate some which I’ll share as it needs grasses to establish (being a semi parasite). Did you scarify much before or just sow straight into the grass?
I have 4 acres I'm planning on turning into one giant Hobbit/Cottage style garden for a wedding venue. Right now it's bare ground. I'm planting cover crops for the winter, but I'm overwhelmed with what to do for spring. I'm in the US, zone 5 with brutal summers, so everything must be native or extremely hardy. I'll be concentrating on paths, a pond, and trees/shrubs this next year, so whatever I can do for the bulk of the land that is low effort is best. Wish me luck and pray my ADHD doesn't bog me down!
I made a wildflower bed 5ft wide and 20ft long and all so built a wildlife pond I find the best way to sow wildflowers is dig down about 6inches get rid of the top layer of soil or relocate it elsewhere in the garden then dig over again then rake then spread seeds gently rake again and water regularly do not add compost .
Love your approach. I live remote West Coast Vancouver Island. 3hr drive for groceries. We used to stop two times on the way to town to clear the bugs from the windshield. So round trip it was 4 stops to wash off bug debris. Fast forward 18 years, we no longer stop at all to wash the windshield, round trip. It’s awful to witness the decline of our precious Mother Nature. The food chain is breaking down… pollution, encroachment, plastic, chemicals and a plethora of ignorant selfish greedy people. Our dwindling resources are being destroyed through mismanagement
Thanks for sharing. I’ve got a couple of small patches covered now and will sow seeds this fall. As you said it often takes months or even years for plants to become established. The trees I planted 2 or 3 years ago have finally taken off. Keep us updated.
I'm in process of this too... was really happy with the 1st year.. but over winter I appeared to of adopted an unknown plant that I can only imagine came in the original mix.. as its even spread along the area.. looks like Gem lettuce.. no flower head.. root is like a Dandelion.. but is definitely not a dandelion.
Really interesting to see the progression - particularly because you're properly creating a meadow rather than simply going for the no-mow lawn option. Looking forward to seeing how it develops this year and onwards. You've got a great way of presenting as well (love the camerawork in the intro and outtro when you're in the woods), 👍
Thanks Niall! I’ve done seen a fair bit more germination and I’m going to try and get some going in seed trays too. I think no mow is a great option too! There’s always an abundance of species in it. I just really want to see whether there’s a way of curating it a bit like a border. I don’t feel I have that level of skill yet though! There’s a greater chance of converting more traditional hort people that way I think. What do you think?
@@tecmow4399 Yeah I totally agree. I think the no-mow idea is an over-simplification that actually can disappoint people. I much prefer the route you're taking
Totally with you! It can leave people underwhelmed if hey just leave the lawn unmown. A few annuals like poppies make a huge difference to confidence as it gives the early reward that’s important for motivation. If I can eventually make it beautiful I think there will be more converts from the traditional horticulture sphere. That’s the hope anyway!
I'm trying to grow a native meadow garden here in the Pacific Northwest. First I need to get rid of a thick layer of gravel. Underneath is black asphalt mixed with dirt. Pretty awful substrate, but I chose the hardiest collection of seeds I could find. Wish me luck, I'll need it!!
Good luck! There probably are quite a few local plants that can do well in those conditions. I know from a friend who works in PNW there are great nurseries for specifically that. He’s in Vancouver are you Canadian or US side?
thank you so much for this!! I really needed to hear this in started a wildlife garden to join mg wildlife pond and I’m super intimidated by it. Fingers crossed this year!
Thanks for a great video, we are year 6 of our wildflower meadow in the front garden and it's been well worth the effort and patience. Yellow rattle is doing really well and remember you can always resow that if you need to. It took some species 3 years to show up, like ox-eye daises! First year was mostly yellow rattle and plantain. Now we have thistles, buttercups, etc. Insect magnet. We would however love a bit more colour... Wondering if we can sow annuals in our already established wildflower (perennial) garden and if so how we might go about this and when? Maybe in Autumn when we cut it back?
I appreciate your honest presentation. There is so much buzz on this topic and native plants in the hort world. Unfortunately much of it is 'rooted' in a next-big-garden-thing type of hype and is purely trend based . What is missing is a discussion around the downside.and drawbacks and how these can be mitigated by integrating using time tested cultivars. As a result I feel like the buzzkill guy sometimes trying to get my clients to create a balanced approach to creating a garden that not only includes pollinatiors, natives, but ALSO those plants that have been developed primarily for their astthetic properties over hundreds, if not thousands of years.
It’s so true! Lots of plants are just not suited to a typical garden or a type of management that’s practical. Sometimes we need plants that we can rely upon. You’ve communicated that idea so well with this comment. Thank you 🙏
I have sowed yellow rattle in small areas for the last two years. I had some success with it - it seemed to be keeping the grass down. This autumn I have sowed it more widely, but I have many dandelions and always get lots of bluebells pushing up from late December onwards, so it will have its work cut out! I have noticed a big increase in ranunculus repens (creeping buttercups) this year.
I’ve had so much creeping buttercup too. I leave a bit but it gets very samey if left unchecked doesn’t it?!😅 glad to hear you’re managing to have some success even if it’s a bit more labour intensive than expected!
That’s decided me. I’m buying a wildflower mat. I’ve only got a titchy garden with about a 3sq metre area I want to cover for the bees and such. It’ll be more expensive, but less hassle in the long run and I can plug in my favourite flowers as it matures each flowering season. Thanks for living the pain for me!
I think they usually have a minimum order quantity don't they? When I looked into it was quite pricey (£500) and I couldn't find anything obvious about the species of plants in them. What've you found? I'm interested to find out!
The optimal time to sow yellow rattle is around the 12th of august. Cut the meadow down, remove the hay, sow the yellow rattle in the short dry meadow grass. Do not walk on the meadow after mid february. Yellow rattle germinates mid to late february. 😊
Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing. I have been creating my own mini-meadow for a few years now and like you, I think yellow rattle is key. I'm always keen to learn from others who are also experimenting with meadows. Because it parasitises grass, I don't think it grows well in seed trays or large areas of bare or cleared soil. It needs some grass close to it to help it grow, in my humble opinion. It seems to have done best when the seeds are in contact with a little bare soil but in close proximity to grass. Once yellow rattle becomes established, as it now has in my garden, it self seeds readily and you won't need to go to the trouble of resowing it. The seeds need a period of frost to germinate so it's best to sow them in the autumn. Good luck, persevere, it will be worth it and you are doing a good thing for nature.
Thanks, Geoff! That was so well explained in the comment! I took the last 5 weeks to figure that out. I’ve released another video that can be summarised in large part by your comment 😁
We see flowers all the time so we never really think of it, but we only see flowers bloom likely less than 80 times in our lifetime. People should just enjoy that opportunity than think its messy. Wildflower Gardens are beautiful and really natural compared to a "nice garden" full of brick/ slabbed patios and a tiny bit of grass
That’s a beautiful perspective. They’re a rarer commodity than we appreciate. And I completely agree, gardens with too much hard landscaping are austere and lack life
Thanks for this! Glad it's not just mine thats looking poor. I dug up about 1/3 of my lawn to turn it into a meadow (looks like it's going to be a pretty long term project). I did cover it with garden fleece though, and have been watering it occasionally with a sprinkler on the drier days we have had. Hopefully it starts warming up soon and I can remove the fleece.
I’m so glad it’s helpful to you! It can feel a bit rubbish looking out on a patchy mess of scrubby lawn can’t it?!! This last week has been wet so hopefully things should start really kicking off! 🤞
I worked at a garden centre in London during the early 00's and teens'? And I can't remember the exact year? But one year there were lots of insects and the next hardly any!😢 Even during the summer months, with masses of plants flowering. The systemic insecticides were the thing that wiped most of them out!😮😢
One method which worked for me is to focus on a patch say 1m square, turn the top 1-2 inches upside down and see if you can get the seeds to germinate. But also, work with the natural environment of your garden: seeing Dandy Lions, Butter Cups, Daisies etc in a more positive way as a food source for wild life and something that's OK to look at during the summer.
Yep absolutely! I love seeing dandelions and buttercups! I’m all for seeing “weeds” as desirable! I’ve tried turning over the soil in another garden but the grass still dominates until you get a decent amount of yellow rattle. How long have you been into letting things go wild? 😁
@@tecmow4399 I tried wilding my garden for a few years using what I inherited from the house when I bought it, eventually discovering that the previous owners didn't know what they were doing: they put a pond and flower borders in shaded areas, gravel gardens in bright sunny areas etc. It's only last year that I let the garden go wild from a clean slate to gain an idea of how each area naturally works and the results have exceeded my expectations so far. Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton has convinced me that it's not an exact science, but the key is to be flexible every year and see it as a long term journey.
That’s a really nice approach! Allow things well adapted to each area to colonise. I haven’t heard about Joel Ashton so I’ll be sure to look him up! I’m glad you’re enjoying the journey. Have you managed to convert any unbelievers?
Just put up a sign " wildflower medow in progress" and the people who don't like it can stuff it. It took GOD 7 days, so be assured you can do it in a few seasons, I've been working on my garden for nine years and still not done yet.🤗
Yes I think killing it off completely first is worth doing with some plastic sheets would be a good idea. I tried removing most of the grass which sometimes works. I didn’t fancy blitzing it with roundup. Having said that it’s supposed to take a while if the ground is fertile anyway so be prepared to be patient 😅
I havent cut our bottom lawn this year and i havent got a Van Gogh type scene yet,more of a Piccasso type Guernica.Just all long grass,what a shock.F-all wild flowers there.After i cut in September should i sow in seeds or will this eventually become a real meadow after a few years without intervention?
I need to do this but need some help my main reason is my front garden has no borders with the next and all the lawns are mown short My neighbours would probably be mortified when they see the lawn turfed up and that worries me a bit I'd have to erect signs and think carefully about how to dispose of the top layer as it will cost
If you hire a scarifier and blitz it it won’t produce they same type of waste. Its just grass and roots that way which isn’t so heavy. Yeah make a sign if it saves you a few conversations 👌🏼😁
I mowed my lawn short and raked it for days, lots of moss, scattered yellow rattle last autumn but none came through, I have devil's bit scabious doing well also primroses dandelion and fox and cubs, goats beard, and clover and yarrow Not sure when to mow though, or do I just leave it throughout the winter?
I'm about where you are in the video (the 2nd year). It looks like I have a lot of weeds.I think I need to l earn to identify what is there before pulling them out. Do you have any tips or comments about that?
I have just started killing my grass with tarps to make part of my lawn a wildflower garden. Do you think it is worth it to add some perennial plants like lavender, or sunflowers. Also part of my yard gets afternoon shade. Should I buy a separate supply of shade specific seed? Thanks. I enjoyed your realistic point of view!
these bulk buys and others seem to have more peat and sand mixed with it. nothing but a scam buy. when I buy a kilo of seed that's what I expect. not fillers to make up the weight.
What you are doing is amazing. No matter how small the garden.Wildflower projects take time, be patient and the rewards will come, trust me. Ive been researching and growing willdflowers from seed for 30 yrs, still learning but what's more important is you're doing a great service to the planet. So don't give up!! Well done.
Thanks Dean! Yeah I actually love the thrill of whether it will work and the time it takes. I’ll get there eventually and thanks for the encouragement 😊
Canada 100 acre organic farm and we have been sowing wildflower seeds, this is the third year. My sons (20’s) get as excited as we do by all the bugs, birds and flowers. We clear the ground to bare dirt them add topsoil and compost. Scatter the seeds and stamp them down. So glad I found your channel. Save our pollinators
Looking forward to putting in a wildflower meadow in a portion of my backyard to help restore some wildlife habitat in our community. With the incredible loss of biodiversity, we need to be proactive in retaining what species that remain and every garden patch the can be dedicated to nature is a big help. Thank you for your video.
I’m trying out my own version of yard-to-meadow and your video hits the nail on the head. It feels embarrassing when you know what it will eventually look like, but it currently looks awful. And people may think “what is he doing?” Thank you for the video.
Good video, and honest, just showing that not everything goes to plan but still the insects came and everyone should give it a go.
Thank you for sharing this video. I am working diligently this fall trying to establish the beginnings of a meadow garden in our pasture. I've been collecting some of the local wildflowers I see growing around the roadside's edge and potting these for the winter and plan to collect the seeds and scatter these in the pasture over the winter. I also plan to take the potted roots and move them to the meadow garden area in early spring. My challenge, and I am sure there will be many, is to resist the temptation to mow this part of the pasture as I have not removed the pasture grass in this area. This may be "big: mistake number one but I will know in time. I am a hobby beekeeper and want to let nature take its course so that not only my bees, but other pollinators, will be drawn to the meadow garden. I live in central Alabama.
Important presentation to watch end-to-end. (I liked the wind noise at the level it was) Thank you for showing this.
I've adopted a "green-enough" lawn. It's tidy, edged, but mostly contains clover and other flowering weeds that little critters like. We never artificially fertilize it, and it's presentable enough to the neighborhood so that I'm not reported (LOL!). The pollinators/birds are what we hope to attract and will settle in, and so far they have! We have 5 birdbaths going in the summer (my wife keeps purchasing rummage sale birdbaths). Essentially, we try anything to counteract the horrid chemo lawn care/deadzones around the neighborhood. Cheers.
I live in Northern Nevada (we get snow) and am preparing to plant a meadow. Thanks for the tips - I'll check your other videos out!
Thank you so much! I'm glad it has relevance in a different country too. Good luck with it :)
Enjoyed this realistic update & I strongly relate to all the tribulations. I have a small field and swallowed the endless advice about just sowing seeds straight into the ground, which were then overwhelmed by grasses. I need yellow rattle too. Now growing plug plants to see how they fare next spring
Thanks Mike! Null results are important to include otherwise it’s hard to learn. I think I sowed too late for the rattle. I’m going to try and germinate some which I’ll share as it needs grasses to establish (being a semi parasite). Did you scarify much before or just sow straight into the grass?
I have 4 acres I'm planning on turning into one giant Hobbit/Cottage style garden for a wedding venue. Right now it's bare ground. I'm planting cover crops for the winter, but I'm overwhelmed with what to do for spring. I'm in the US, zone 5 with brutal summers, so everything must be native or extremely hardy. I'll be concentrating on paths, a pond, and trees/shrubs this next year, so whatever I can do for the bulk of the land that is low effort is best. Wish me luck and pray my ADHD doesn't bog me down!
I made a wildflower bed 5ft wide and 20ft long and all so built a wildlife pond I find the best way to sow wildflowers is dig down about 6inches get rid of the top layer of soil or relocate it elsewhere in the garden then dig over again then rake then spread seeds gently rake again and water regularly do not add compost .
Love your approach. I live remote West Coast Vancouver Island. 3hr drive for groceries. We used to stop two times on the way to town to clear the bugs from the windshield. So round trip it was 4 stops to wash off bug debris. Fast forward 18 years, we no longer stop at all to wash the windshield, round trip. It’s awful to witness the decline of our precious Mother Nature. The food chain is breaking down… pollution, encroachment, plastic, chemicals and a plethora of ignorant selfish greedy people. Our dwindling resources are being destroyed through mismanagement
Thanks for sharing. I’ve got a couple of small patches covered now and will sow seeds this fall. As you said it often takes months or even years for plants to become established. The trees I planted 2 or 3 years ago have finally taken off. Keep us updated.
Thanks Tim! I’ve got an update nearly ready. Great to hear the trees are taking off! What trees have you planted?
@@tecmow4399 Blackgum, Willow Oak, Sweet Gum, and Sourwood tree.
I'm in process of this too... was really happy with the 1st year.. but over winter I appeared to of adopted an unknown plant that I can only imagine came in the original mix.. as its even spread along the area.. looks like Gem lettuce.. no flower head.. root is like a Dandelion.. but is definitely not a dandelion.
I think the second & third years will be when it comes into it's own & things start to seed everywhere. Good luck👍
Thank you! So many things take a few seasons regarding the natural world don’t they? Have you created one in your garden?
Same here. It was very difficult to get rid of grass and let wildflowers establish. Much easier using plugs or creating a brand new meadow bed.
Exactly! Completely agree with this
Really interesting to see the progression - particularly because you're properly creating a meadow rather than simply going for the no-mow lawn option. Looking forward to seeing how it develops this year and onwards. You've got a great way of presenting as well (love the camerawork in the intro and outtro when you're in the woods), 👍
Thanks Niall! I’ve done seen a fair bit more germination and I’m going to try and get some going in seed trays too. I think no mow is a great option too! There’s always an abundance of species in it. I just really want to see whether there’s a way of curating it a bit like a border. I don’t feel I have that level of skill yet though! There’s a greater chance of converting more traditional hort people that way I think. What do you think?
@@tecmow4399 Yeah I totally agree. I think the no-mow idea is an over-simplification that actually can disappoint people. I much prefer the route you're taking
Totally with you! It can leave people underwhelmed if hey just leave the lawn unmown. A few annuals like poppies make a huge difference to confidence as it gives the early reward that’s important for motivation. If I can eventually make it beautiful I think there will be more converts from the traditional horticulture sphere. That’s the hope anyway!
Bloody awesome... Thx 4 sharing and updating g😊
My pleasure 😊
I'm trying to grow a native meadow garden here in the Pacific Northwest. First I need to get rid of a thick layer of gravel. Underneath is black asphalt mixed with dirt. Pretty awful substrate, but I chose the hardiest collection of seeds I could find. Wish me luck, I'll need it!!
Good luck! There probably are quite a few local plants that can do well in those conditions. I know from a friend who works in PNW there are great nurseries for specifically that. He’s in Vancouver are you Canadian or US side?
I wish my family would let me do this to the lawn. It’s going to look amazing when they’re all grown!
Try it on a swath of your lawn to start :)
thank you so much for this!! I really needed to hear this in started a wildlife garden to join mg wildlife pond and I’m super intimidated by it. Fingers crossed this year!
Thanks for a great video, we are year 6 of our wildflower meadow in the front garden and it's been well worth the effort and patience. Yellow rattle is doing really well and remember you can always resow that if you need to. It took some species 3 years to show up, like ox-eye daises! First year was mostly yellow rattle and plantain. Now we have thistles, buttercups, etc. Insect magnet. We would however love a bit more colour... Wondering if we can sow annuals in our already established wildflower (perennial) garden and if so how we might go about this and when? Maybe in Autumn when we cut it back?
I appreciate your honest presentation. There is so much buzz on this topic and native plants in the hort world. Unfortunately much of it is 'rooted' in a next-big-garden-thing type of hype and is purely trend based . What is missing is a discussion around the downside.and drawbacks and how these can be mitigated by integrating using time tested cultivars. As a result I feel like the buzzkill guy sometimes trying to get my clients to create a balanced approach to creating a garden that not only includes pollinatiors, natives, but ALSO those plants that have been developed primarily for their astthetic properties over hundreds, if not thousands of years.
It’s so true! Lots of plants are just not suited to a typical garden or a type of management that’s practical. Sometimes we need plants that we can rely upon. You’ve communicated that idea so well with this comment. Thank you 🙏
Really looking forward to a future update.
😁 it’s starting to come together a bit now after a month of rain in May
I have sowed yellow rattle in small areas for the last two years. I had some success with it - it seemed to be keeping the grass down. This autumn I have sowed it more widely, but I have many dandelions and always get lots of bluebells pushing up from late December onwards, so it will have its work cut out! I have noticed a big increase in ranunculus repens (creeping buttercups) this year.
I’ve had so much creeping buttercup too. I leave a bit but it gets very samey if left unchecked doesn’t it?!😅 glad to hear you’re managing to have some success even if it’s a bit more labour intensive than expected!
You can have all my creeping buttercups! 😂 It's considered "an invasive European weed" here in the Seattle area.
Really good to see the real time progress! Please continue!
Thanks Jennifer! It’s come on a bit now so I’ll do another update soon 😁
That’s decided me. I’m buying a wildflower mat. I’ve only got a titchy garden with about a 3sq metre area I want to cover for the bees and such. It’ll be more expensive, but less hassle in the long run and I can plug in my favourite flowers as it matures each flowering season. Thanks for living the pain for me!
I think they usually have a minimum order quantity don't they? When I looked into it was quite pricey (£500) and I couldn't find anything obvious about the species of plants in them. What've you found? I'm interested to find out!
This shows impatience.
The optimal time to sow yellow rattle is around the 12th of august. Cut the meadow down, remove the hay, sow the yellow rattle in the short dry meadow grass. Do not walk on the meadow after mid february. Yellow rattle germinates mid to late february. 😊
Thanks for the tips!
Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing. I have been creating my own mini-meadow for a few years now and like you, I think yellow rattle is key. I'm always keen to learn from others who are also experimenting with meadows.
Because it parasitises grass, I don't think it grows well in seed trays or large areas of bare or cleared soil. It needs some grass close to it to help it grow, in my humble opinion. It seems to have done best when the seeds are in contact with a little bare soil but in close proximity to grass. Once yellow rattle becomes established, as it now has in my garden, it self seeds readily and you won't need to go to the trouble of resowing it. The seeds need a period of frost to germinate so it's best to sow them in the autumn.
Good luck, persevere, it will be worth it and you are doing a good thing for nature.
Thanks, Geoff! That was so well explained in the comment! I took the last 5 weeks to figure that out. I’ve released another video that can be summarised in large part by your comment 😁
We see flowers all the time so we never really think of it, but we only see flowers bloom likely less than 80 times in our lifetime.
People should just enjoy that opportunity than think its messy.
Wildflower Gardens are beautiful and really natural compared to a "nice garden" full of brick/ slabbed patios and a tiny bit of grass
That’s a beautiful perspective. They’re a rarer commodity than we appreciate. And I completely agree, gardens with too much hard landscaping are austere and lack life
lol this is exactly how my wild flower meadow looks. my husband said we needed together rid fall the "weeds" growing there. it looks like crap
😅 a year later it still looks quite crap too
Thanks for this! Glad it's not just mine thats looking poor. I dug up about 1/3 of my lawn to turn it into a meadow (looks like it's going to be a pretty long term project). I did cover it with garden fleece though, and have been watering it occasionally with a sprinkler on the drier days we have had. Hopefully it starts warming up soon and I can remove the fleece.
I’m so glad it’s helpful to you! It can feel a bit rubbish looking out on a patchy mess of scrubby lawn can’t it?!! This last week has been wet so hopefully things should start really kicking off! 🤞
I worked at a garden centre in London during the early 00's and teens'? And I can't remember the exact year? But one year there were lots of insects and the next hardly any!😢 Even during the summer months, with masses of plants flowering. The systemic insecticides were the thing that wiped most of them out!😮😢
Yes intensification of agriculture hasn’t helped at all
Well…I’ll plant a meadow with you! You’re super cute! Lol
One method which worked for me is to focus on a patch say 1m square, turn the top 1-2 inches upside down and see if you can get the seeds to germinate. But also, work with the natural environment of your garden: seeing Dandy Lions, Butter Cups, Daisies etc in a more positive way as a food source for wild life and something that's OK to look at during the summer.
Yep absolutely! I love seeing dandelions and buttercups! I’m all for seeing “weeds” as desirable!
I’ve tried turning over the soil in another garden but the grass still dominates until you get a decent amount of yellow rattle.
How long have you been into letting things go wild? 😁
@@tecmow4399 I tried wilding my garden for a few years using what I inherited from the house when I bought it, eventually discovering that the previous owners didn't know what they were doing: they put a pond and flower borders in shaded areas, gravel gardens in bright sunny areas etc. It's only last year that I let the garden go wild from a clean slate to gain an idea of how each area naturally works and the results have exceeded my expectations so far. Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton has convinced me that it's not an exact science, but the key is to be flexible every year and see it as a long term journey.
That’s a really nice approach! Allow things well adapted to each area to colonise. I haven’t heard about Joel Ashton so I’ll be sure to look him up! I’m glad you’re enjoying the journey. Have you managed to convert any unbelievers?
Just put up a sign " wildflower medow in progress" and the people who don't like it can stuff it. It took GOD 7 days, so be assured you can do it in a few seasons, I've been working on my garden for nine years and still not done yet.🤗
Which God? There are so many... where are you? that will help narrow it down greatly....
Might make some of those signs actually 😅. That’s a great idea!
I'm seeding a wildflower meadows this spring with my kid - will be fully lifting turf first. If it ever.stops.raining 😂
Hi thank you for this video, I want to do some rewildng patches around the place, do you have to take the grass up first? for a better result, cheers
Yes I think killing it off completely first is worth doing with some plastic sheets would be a good idea. I tried removing most of the grass which sometimes works. I didn’t fancy blitzing it with roundup. Having said that it’s supposed to take a while if the ground is fertile anyway so be prepared to be patient 😅
I havent cut our bottom lawn this year and i havent got a Van Gogh type scene yet,more of a Piccasso type Guernica.Just all long grass,what a shock.F-all wild flowers there.After i cut in September should i sow in seeds or will this eventually become a real meadow after a few years without intervention?
I need to do this but need some help my main reason is my front garden has no borders with the next and all the lawns are mown short My neighbours would probably be mortified when they see the lawn turfed up and that worries me a bit
I'd have to erect signs and think carefully about how to dispose of the top layer as it will cost
If you hire a scarifier and blitz it it won’t produce they same type of waste. Its just grass and roots that way which isn’t so heavy. Yeah make a sign if it saves you a few conversations 👌🏼😁
I'm thinking of incorporating this in my orchard patch!
That will look amazing! I can imagine you running your fingers through the blooms!
@@tecmow4399 last summer I had a wildflower garden and def ran my fingers thru the blooms! Haha
I mowed my lawn short and raked it for days, lots of moss, scattered yellow rattle last autumn but none came through, I have devil's bit scabious doing well also primroses dandelion and fox and cubs, goats beard, and clover and yarrow Not sure when to mow though, or do I just leave it throughout the winter?
I'm about where you are in the video (the 2nd year). It looks like I have a lot of weeds.I think I need to l earn to identify what is there before pulling them out. Do you have any tips or comments about that?
I have just started killing my grass with tarps to make part of my lawn a wildflower garden. Do you think it is worth it to add some perennial plants like lavender, or sunflowers. Also part of my yard gets afternoon shade. Should I buy a separate supply of shade specific seed? Thanks. I enjoyed your realistic point of view!
The soil doesnt look like it was amended proir to olanring ?
No it wasn’t. It’s already a bit too high in nutrients for a meadow
these bulk buys and others seem to have more peat and sand mixed with it. nothing but a scam buy.
when I buy a kilo of seed that's what I expect. not fillers to make up the weight.
i like your face - can you show more of your face
Thank you 😊 I’ll do my best
You could have created one video, and edited the filler.
Thanks. I made them separately as I went though. So that’s what’s available
Show more of your work unless if you talk
What do you mean?