American Meadows should sponsor you. Because of this video I am buying seeds from them! Thank you for spreading your knowledge. The garden is beautiful!
Although i've spent my entire life working in gardens i still completely zoned out watching the last few minutes of the flowers in bloom. Mesmerising, great video 👍 Well planted and hopefully will inspire others to do something similar.
Love it. I'm 1.5 years into converting from a grass to a clover/grass lawn. There is a problem area at the back of the property that I was considering for wild-flowers, Terrible soil so tilling in some topsoil soil and using a Southestern wilflower mix may be they way to go. Thanks.
Beautiful! I love seeing the evolution over the seasons. I wonder if you've inspired any of your neighbors to to take on a similar project (I know I'd be inspired by seeing this out my window).
Thanks! I’ve had my neighbors tell me how much they love it. Some great gardeners in our community but so far nobody has done it like this. Second year was still pretty great, seems like year three will be even better. Hoping to post on the progression at some point.
Awesome wildflower garden. I have some wildflower seeds I purchased from Dollar Tree and Dollar General. I’m going to do the same. Thanks for the inspiration.
Great work I love how beautiful the blooms are the variety you got. WAAAAYYYYY better than the lawn that was there and it looks like you're sure enjoying it. Since you're in the midwest, I would encourage you to add more native plants as time goes on. You've be rewarded with wildlife.
Thank you! Totally better than the lawn. The non-natives are annuals that are there for color in year one. Hoping to show what it looks like in subsequent years soon!
You are an inspiration, and this video helped me to make my decision. As the years have gone by, I'm taking apart 2 large perennial beds, wanting something pleasant but a lot easier to maintain. I'm nearly done with removing and replanting elsewhere and donating plants. I had wondered about simply replanting lawn grass (not my fave idea), planting perennial grasses (an o.k. idea, but big expense again). Finally, you've given me the courage to go for what I find most rewarding: a meadow. Just ordered the seed from American Meadow. Now, I can hardly wait til next May! thanks a lot. Patricia
Hi Patricia- that’s really awesome! Sorry for the delay response I’ve been slack in checking comments. Best of luck with your meadow! It’s super fun and rewarding!
Love all the beauty and how it changes every few weeks. You did a great job. My sister and i did a huge patch in her back yard last year, started it the autumn before with cardboard, soil, and mulch instead of tilling. Then seeded in the spring, it looked pretty but not as gorgeous as yours. Im hoping this year will be more spectacular.
My sister is about to use this approach too. Please let me know details (set-up / degree of success). We are trying several different approaches and want to learn from others who have been there / done that.
@@victoriaarcher9861 it was very easy, just lay a thick layer of cardboard on the area you want to kill grass/weeds, soak the cardboard with the hose put a layer of compost or soil soak that layer then mulch and soak the mulch. Its preferable to do this in late summer to early fall to give give the cardboard time to breakdown by spring. The more wet the area stays the quicker the cardboard will breakdown. In spring sprinkle wildflower seed both annual and perenial mixes. We just hand sprinkled no sand or anything but it is a small area. Make sue the seed stays miost until germination, lightly water using the mist selection on hose nozzle. She had gorgeous blooms by late June until November, not completely full but this year the perenials should be established so it should be fuller this year. She did sow annual seed again this spring. If all the cardboard is not broken down its okay the seed will still germinate and the roots will find there way down to the earth.the card board attracts earthworms who will break down the cardboard and aerate the soil. Hope this helps.
Very cool 👍. I have a huge pollinator garden and many areas that I have let go back to wild on my small 3.5 acre mini farm. I have plans to put in a wild flower meadow as well. Yours is awesome and gives people inspiration to do the same. Thanks for sharing. 😎
Go for it! I’d love to have the chance to turn that much acreage into wildflower meadow. Have you thought of yellow rattle as a way to kill off turf grass?
Nice. I hope the areas I’m gardening looks as nice as yours. Last year I sowed two different packages that had 20 - 25 different seeds for my zone and tested what would grow successfully. So I purchased those seeds and started sowing since November.
Wow, so beautiful, and so peaceful with the bird sounds all around. I'd sit out there all the time. Question: were weeds not a problem? I was worried that a billion weed seeds would sprout and crowd out all the flower seedlings, but that didn't happen.
Great question, prepping the site is key to avoid seeds. I tilled it once and waited a few weeks to let weeds sprout then tilled again. That worked well in this spot.
That's awesome. I plant the same type of seeds every year but just in large pots. I love your idea (and beautiful result) of creating a wildflower meadow. Great video 👍
Well done! We live in Missouri, Zone 6 and this year I'm going to do this in our back and side yard. We live just outside of Kansas City and have dear but I'm going to try this anyway. I hope our neighbors will enjoy it as much as we will. I've planted the wildflower mix in the past and it seems that the Cosmos are always the fastest to grow and the deer will eat them if they get the chance. I like your slow-motion shot of the hummingbird moth! I love your work and hope to see more videos! Thank you for all of your hard work and for sharing your method in planting this beautiful habitat!
Everything in the garden is “deer resistant” but the deer do graze! I have so many echinacea stems that were nibbled by deer. Same thing with the bee balm in spring. a lot of the asters I have right now have been topped by deer. I think they will eat anything as young tender plants, but once the plants get taller they’re left alone. My beds are big enough that some flowers escape the grazing. But if I fenced it in it would undoubtedly be much much better
I plan to do more and more of my lawn. Last year i did planting by weed whacking the grass low, covering with paper then compost/manure/soil, then planting. No dig no rototiller
Looks great! I plan on doing this along a fence row. I'm in Muncie so I might have to factor in it being slightly cooler than Bloomington at that time of year. Your video gave me a lot of ideas. Thanks!
Good morning, from East TN! Just the video I needed to see and thank you for sharing! It is so lovely! I’m wanting to do the same, with most of my yard! I’m on an acre, but my HOA will likely have words. How does this look in the winter? I’ve done this in my flower beds around the house, and I love it! Just cast every seed I can get my hands on, and I too, have so many lovely little visitors! Your green electric tiller? I have one exactly like it! LOVE it! Be well! 🌿🧡🌿
Thanks! Glad you like it! I mow it once down to about 6” in the late fall-using a scythe that I bought for this purpose. I don’t think it looks any worse than brown winter grass. My HOA is very hands off
@@IndianaMeadows , thank you for the reply! I wish mine was hands off. Not as bad as some I’ve seen on here though, thankfully. Those scythe apparatuses are everywhere in our little vintage/antique shops around here. I’ll have to google and see if I can swing something like that. I plan on buying a grinding wheel this winter and sharpening all my own blades. I made eye glasses back in the day, the old fashioned way, and it can’t be any more difficult than using that. It certainly can’t look any worse than dormant lawn, you are right! This makes this old lady very excited! Thank you so much for sharing, again! 🌺🌸🌺
I tried just tilling and then planting. It looked OK the first year as the annuals came up fast. By the second year the biennials and the perennials were coming along nicely but the grass was coming back pretty good. By the third year it was mostly grass and I gave up and just started mowing it with the lawn again. I know many people are against spraying, but when I do it again, I will use glyphosate first on the entire area. Then spot spray clethodim whenever I see grass coming back.
Hahaha! But don’t scare the goldfinches away ;)! Most of the flowering I’m year one is actually from annuals but in later years it’s all almost perennials. Most perennials take a year or two to first flowers which is why the seed mix has annuals for year one.
@@IndianaMeadows I have a city suburban large-ish corner and have started a meadow. This year, transitioning out of grass to Wh. Dutch clover. I have on order some seeds to make a floral meadow for the corner area where there's an ugly tree, water lid, sewer pipe, and fire hydrant. I guess I'll need to trim around the water items for visibility but it beats the alternative. I have goldfinches around too. They like the zinnias which seeds I toss around my beds for happy color to fill between non-blooming perennials. I'll look fwd to seeing your meadow happily established.
I love it, i have those wild flowers in my kiddie pool flower beds, i want to do a meadow like you, will have to get my neighbor to till it up for me, thanks for sharing 🫶✌️🦋🦋🦋
I’d love to see another video next Summer and then the following Summer also. I bet it will be even more beautiful! Did you have to remove many weeds the first year after you planted the wildflowers?
There are other videos of subsequent years. I spend a lot of time sitting by the meadow and do pull weeds as they appear but I’d say weeding is pretty minimal. But I can’t say that would be the case if you don’t pay attention
I haven’t tried the cardboard smothering method. I draw out the outline of the bed first using landscape paint. Then I used an electric rototiller and tilled down about 5 or six inches about a month or so before seeding. This gives time for weeds to sprout. Then I tilled again down about 3 inches right before spreading the seeds. That worked well.
I only ever watered until the baby plants were 6 inches tall. The second year wasn’t as great but that’s to be expected. Almost all of the color in the first year is from annuals. The perennials did have some flowers in year 2 but overall kind of ratty. This is part of the “sleep, creep, leap” pattern of their growth. I expect this year will be MUCH better. See the sleep leap creep video on my channel!
@@IndianaMeadows so true ! annuals are instant gratification and keep us hopeful for the rebound during the 'down time'. We were the first on our street to take down the chain link fence and turn our little front lawn into a 'mini meadow' 16 years ago. Douglas Fir in middle back, Weeping Norway spruce at the far back side, rose bushes in front for anchors. Then staples like Queen Anne's Lace, Delphinium, California Poppies, Digitalis. Then any annual that seemed to fit in the mix from year to year. We always have visitor plants show up from who knows where, especially sunflowers, bee balm and camomile~ everyone is welcome. It's magic !
Wow... You could always add the annuals you like... Or the same mixture in late April again each season... And some spring watering, if needed for the seeds. If you did water heavily.. a couple of times a month... It would be gang busters! All summer.. Thanks for this great Inspiration!!
@@bubblerings i actually did try some cosmos and plains coreopsis seeds in the barer patches of year 2. Coreopsis did well but the cosmos didn’t really take. Hard to prepare the soil amidst established perennials
@@IndianaMeadows Oh bummer.. I usually would throw some fine mulch or potting soil on the seeds.. But, I live in Hawaii.. Not growing northern perennials.. Aloha..🍻
What zone are you in? What a stunning garden!! .... I just de-turfed about 400 square feet today, November 7, 2023, in my own side lot. I'm in zone 5, Northern Illinois... I will be sowing my wildflower seed in the next few days... hoping and praying for a similar spring show! Thank you for this video... it is exactly what I was looking for! Very inspiring!
I’m in Zone 6a. Good luck with your seeding! I have done my seeding in the spring, but I have been meaning to try a plot with fall seeding. Some of the seeds in the mix I used need a winter hardening period (ie. Milkweed, lupine). Disappointing that I don’t have those at all
Lovely, definitely lovely! I did this on a much smaller scale a bunch of years ago. To this day, I still have California Poppies coming up each year. This year I've decided to let them all reseed themselves, instead of pulling them up when spent. I'd rather have a lot of poppies, as opposed to poppies and weeds. Love what did with your flower bed. Did they all come back this year? (2023) Good job!
Thanks! The perennials come back each year, the meadow gets better and better as they become more and more established. I’ve posted a lot of videos from 2023 actually! Like and subscribe to see the updates ;)
Wonderful video! We have been adding wildflower beds to our yard in small, slow increments mainly because we are taking up the grass turf first by hand (flat shovel / stirrup hoe). As expected, that's a **very** big labor-intensive undertaking! Your roto-till approach would obviously cut that prep time immensely. Question: What will your wildflower bed look like the 2nd year (recognizing that annual wildflowers may need to be supplemented if they didn't seed themselves well enough)? Will you be facing original turf grass coming back in your new wildflower-dedicated bed? **Any tips, suggestions, etc. from you or your viewers would be real helpful and appreciated**
In the second year I reseeded in a few bare patches using plains coreopsis seeds and cosmos. There was a bit of turf grass that persisted. I try to pull as much as I can in spring and also spray with a product called Grass Beater. I know some people will object to using chemicals but it’s just a single application in early spring before the pollinators start to arrive. Also, it doesn’t kill natural grasses like sedges and rushes. I have a fair amount of slender path rush that’s working in to bare spots. I try to pull it when I can but it’s probably a losing battle. It has a low growing habit though so the flowers rise up above it and it’s hardly noticeable. With perennials, the saying goes “sleep, creep, LEAP.” Second year the plants are still establishing root systems so the meadow was a bit ratty. I can see that third year is going to be much better.
PS- I apply the Grass Beater to any small patches of turf grass. It doesn’t kill dicots so even if a bit touches the perennials they shouldn’t be harmed (and as far as I can tell they are not).
If anyone is committed to keeping out the grasses.. A 1 to 2 ft wide pile of wood chips, delivered... Can really help.. Especially if you dig out a little soil... and make the chips a foot deep! Otherwise, there are Edging solutions that vary, depending on how deep your grass roots can travel to pass a barrier. Love this!! 🍀🍻
It is so beautiful!! Thanks for sharing!!! Love to see all those pollinators enjoying !! I love all the vivid colors!! I live in the Midwest. Couple of questions I have - do you need to water this meadow area or whatever rains we get is good enough? And do these plants reseed and come back next year if these are annuals?
Sorry for the slow reply. The annuals do not reseed but they’re only there to add color in the first year. The perennials come back year after year. The plants survive the winter months once established and they also reseed. I don’t water unless I have planted something new to fill in bare spots.
@@IndianaMeadows thank you so much. We live in a town house community and this year being a dry one with not enough rains, couple of us were suggesting planting wildflower seeds in the barren spaces, so it will be a low maintenance one. After seeing your videos and now your responses we definitely want to try it next spring.
@@ssubramanian605 oh that’s great! It’s really important to prepare the soil for seeding though. The tilling helps with that to aerate and make it easier for sprouts. If you just toss seeds on bare spots of soil they won’t do well. Also, watering is needed in the first year until the seedlings are six inches tall. Just enough to keep soil moist without soaking. But if it’s a rainy spring less watering is necessary
Hi Ron, I have lots of wild bunnies too. They don’t seem to eat much of the garden but they do love it for shelter. Each year I have had baby bunnies that love to hide in the thick foliage
My father was a barber, and he would bring home bags of hair sweep from the floor of his barbershop, which then he would sprinkle it all around the perimeter of the garden and up the rows . The smell of so many humans deterred the rabbits/etc.
how lovely ........ I created a meadow too, this spring, I will sprinkle some more variety of seeds in mine. Think I will sprinkle some poppy and zinnias into my mix. Last fall, I sprinkled Holly hock into my centre area.......love Xeriscape gardening too........ how did you water your meadow?
Thank you! I love holly hocks and zinnias and poppies haha. This meadow only requires watering for the first six weeks or so. After that nature does the rest
What is done for grass and weeds that will regrow with the flowers? I love my clover and let it go as long as possible but grass came up too and made it a mess.
I keep an eye out for weeds and pull them up. I spray turfgrasses in early spring with a product called grass out. Some will object to chemical use. But it’s just one application. You can also try planting yellow rattle in with your clover, it’s parasitic on grasses and will kill them. I haven’t tried yellow rattle myself though
I think it would be great in a front yard as long as you have enough sun. 4-8 hours is best. You do need to kill the grass first, I did this by tilling as seen in the video. I keep an eye on “weeds” and pull them as they come up. Kind of depends on your definition of a weed but for me that would be non natives or natives like goldenrod that I don’t want taking over the whole meadow.
Very nice. Looks lovely. Two questions: What do you suppose would happen if you did not rototill the grass? What will happen in the fall/winter? Will everything need to be cut down and removed?
The wildflower seeds cannot effectively compete with the turf grass, so if you did not rototill then very few flowers would be able to grow. The seeds also need aerated soil for efficient germination and the tilling provides this. I have heard of people using yellow rattle seeds as a way of taking over the grass, it's parasitic on grasses but I haven't experimented with this myself. I purchased a scythe that I use to mow the meadow in the late fall once the seeds have dropped. I mow everything down to about 6 inches (this takes about 20 minutes). I remove the debris after mowing and put it into a brush pile in the corner of the yard.
@@IndianaMeadows Thank you for the very detailed reply. My front yard, well at least the part I would meadow-ize, is 4,500 sqft so scythe on it might take me a while I suppose. LOL
This was the best video. Made me feel better about how simple I could be. Any other preparation for soil other than the sand? And was this all just from the one bag of seed? (Last question) are these all perennial?
The sand isn’t for soil prep, it’s just to add volume to the seeds. I ordered a bag of seed that was the right size for the plot. But full disclosure is that I had some extra seeds from Eden brothers that I tossed in.
Lovely wildflower garden. I just wanted to let you know that you didn't comment on irrigation and frequency of watering. This is a critical consideration when rainfall is not regular enough to keep germinating seedlings from failing. Any suggestions here?
@@richardfaltonson3121 it’s necessary to water after sowing. Lightly water to moisten the soil (not drenching) until the seedlings are 6 inches tall. Wildflowers are drought tolerant and no need to water after that.
Wow! This was the most complete video on the topic of changing a lawn into a beautiful meadow. I especially liked the videos on the progressive growth. Good Job! Just make sure I understand and do my project correctly, you mowed your lawn very short, went over the area a couple of times with a rototiller, and then put down the seeds. Right? How long did you wait between the tilling? You did not try to kill the exiting lawn by chocking it under black plastic, or using a sod cutter first? Looking forward to your response. Thank you.
Yeah, that’s pretty much it. There are instructional videos at American Meadows website. I followed them. First round of tilling is 6-8 inches down. Then wait 4-6 weeks, this gives weed seeds time to sprout. Then just prior to seeding retill the top 3-4 inches to kill weeds. I didn’t kill the lawn with plastic/cardboard but I’ve seen that recommended. Nor did I use a sod cutter. You’ll never get all the grass but it doesn’t matter once plants start getting tall.
@@IndianaMeadows 😃 Thanks a bunch for the quick response. You actually answered another question with your reply. I feel I am ready to tackle my project now.
Awesome I’ve done the same. Only difference I didn’t seed my yard. Wildflowers seeds had been waiting 60 years. All I had to do was stop taking care the grass. In 3 years, I’ve ended up with a native wildflower field that blooms from July to Halloween. The only thing I planted was milkweed for the Monarch butterflies. They come in droves to do their lifecycle every year! Try this. You’ll be amazed. No spending money on gas and most of all no wasting time in the nice weather to cultivate a sterile yard!
Beautiful! Did you dead head the flowers at all? I imagine it would be difficult to do for the flowers towards the middle, so I assume you just let them go natural. Get more re-seeding that way too! It will be interesting to see what it looks like next year.
The first two years I did not do any deadheading. In my most recent two videos I talk about how the garden starts to look a bit ragged in end of July, because the bee balm is tall and browning on top. so this year I decided to go in and deadhead the bee balm which really beautified the meadow. If also let’s light in for the other plants and helps with air circulation. I waited until the bee balm dropped its seed before pruning. It is challenging to find good places to step and it becomes a little bit like a game of twitster lol.
Great question. The first year was great with cosmos, but the perennials are definitely less dense compared to the rest of the plot. I think the overseeding is the explanation for this but this part of the plot also gets sun all day. It could be that there’s just too much sun but I favor the overcrowding hypothesis. I keep trying to add things in that area but still haven’t found the right plants. It is still pretty though not as lush as the rest.
@@IndianaMeadows Thankyou for the reply. Placed a perennial/annual mix down this Fall, and early Winter. May have over seeded, but very happy to see all the new seedlings coming up and growing very nicely after heavy rains. At this point, will just let mother nature handle everything, and see how things grow. 😃 When do you mow, if at all, your wildflower meadow? Considering doing this as few times as possible, since it seems defeating to mow down flowers prior to them setting seed - nature works very well without a lawn mower.😃
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I did this in a large section of my yard, and didn't have to mow it for 36 years!
That’s awesome
Less is more. That's the gardening style I like. 😊
what happened on the 37th year?
I sold the house and bought a condo!@@jonathanroson2277
Think smarter not harder, love it
American Meadows should sponsor you. Because of this video I am buying seeds from them! Thank you for spreading your knowledge. The garden is beautiful!
Thank you! Please leave a comment to let me know how it turns out! I did email @americanmeadows but no reply lol
It’s like one of those lovely homes that has a hidden meadow garden in a book 📖🌸💛🧚🏻♀️✨
Thank you!
Although i've spent my entire life working in gardens i still completely zoned out watching the last few minutes of the flowers in bloom. Mesmerising, great video 👍 Well planted and hopefully will inspire others to do something similar.
Wow. Thanks a lot for the kudos! Definitely going to check out the vids on your channel. Looks like great stuff!
feeling tears well up when you showed us the two lawn chairs facing your beautiful garden great job dude👍🏽
Love it. I'm 1.5 years into converting from a grass to a clover/grass lawn. There is a problem area at the back of the property that I was considering for wild-flowers, Terrible soil so tilling in some topsoil soil and using a Southestern wilflower mix may be they way to go. Thanks.
Most wildflowers aren’t very picky about soil. You should have good luck!
That is absolutely beautiful. Wildflowers make me feel happy, I just love seeing all the pollinators being busy amongst them :)
I spend hours every week just sitting and watching the pollinators!
WOW! This took my breath away! Absolutely beautiful, peaceful, and calm. You've done a wonderful job!
Thank you!
Love seeing the bees!
Beautiful! I love seeing the evolution over the seasons. I wonder if you've inspired any of your neighbors to to take on a similar project (I know I'd be inspired by seeing this out my window).
Thanks! I’ve had my neighbors tell me how much they love it. Some great gardeners in our community but so far nobody has done it like this. Second year was still pretty great, seems like year three will be even better. Hoping to post on the progression at some point.
Ok,I'm doing it!Thanks for the inspiration!!(fellow Hoosier,here.)
Go for it. It’s so fun. I spend hours sitting in those Adirondack chairs just watching bees and butterflies and birds
Awesome wildflower garden. I have some wildflower seeds I purchased from Dollar Tree and Dollar General. I’m going to do the same. Thanks for the inspiration.
Fantastic ok I am motivated to make this happen. Incredible film making…
Lol on the “film making” but do it!
Stunning. Thank you for showing how it changed over the summer. Always something new coming up.
It’s going to be even more exciting to see the changes across the years!
Much prettier than all that grass!
Great work I love how beautiful the blooms are the variety you got. WAAAAYYYYY better than the lawn that was there and it looks like you're sure enjoying it. Since you're in the midwest, I would encourage you to add more native plants as time goes on. You've be rewarded with wildlife.
Thank you! Totally better than the lawn. The non-natives are annuals that are there for color in year one. Hoping to show what it looks like in subsequent years soon!
Beautiful - I love them all - planted a box years ago (a round section) and they still come. I love the cosmos!
Oh! I love Cosmos! Lovely meadow garden. Inspired me!🌸
I envy you and I admire you for your success on that project too! What a beautiful patch of flowers!
Thank you Brenda!
You are an inspiration, and this video helped me to make my decision. As the years have gone by, I'm taking apart 2 large perennial beds, wanting something pleasant but a lot easier to maintain. I'm nearly done with removing and replanting elsewhere and donating plants. I had wondered about simply replanting lawn grass (not my fave idea), planting perennial grasses (an o.k. idea, but big expense again). Finally, you've given me the courage to go for what I find most rewarding: a meadow. Just ordered the seed from American Meadow. Now, I can hardly wait til next May! thanks a lot. Patricia
Hi Patricia- that’s really awesome! Sorry for the delay response I’ve been slack in checking comments. Best of luck with your meadow! It’s super fun and rewarding!
Absolutely gorgeous. Love wildflowers. Cosmos is amazing. You made me hate my lawn.
So pretty! You may have just inspired my next front yard project...
Absolutely beautiful, thanks for sharing with the bees and us
Love all the beauty and how it changes every few weeks. You did a great job. My sister and i did a huge patch in her back yard last year, started it the autumn before with cardboard, soil, and mulch instead of tilling. Then seeded in the spring, it looked pretty but not as gorgeous as yours. Im hoping this year will be more spectacular.
My sister is about to use this approach too. Please let me know details (set-up / degree of success). We are trying several different approaches and want to learn from others who have been there / done that.
@@victoriaarcher9861 it was very easy, just lay a thick layer of cardboard on the area you want to kill grass/weeds, soak the cardboard with the hose put a layer of compost or soil soak that layer then mulch and soak the mulch. Its preferable to do this in late summer to early fall to give give the cardboard time to breakdown by spring. The more wet the area stays the quicker the cardboard will breakdown. In spring sprinkle wildflower seed both annual and perenial mixes. We just hand sprinkled no sand or anything but it is a small area. Make sue the seed stays miost until germination, lightly water using the mist selection on hose nozzle. She had gorgeous blooms by late June until November, not completely full but this year the perenials should be established so it should be fuller this year. She did sow annual seed again this spring. If all the cardboard is not broken down its okay the seed will still germinate and the roots will find there way down to the earth.the card board attracts earthworms who will break down the cardboard and aerate the soil. Hope this helps.
@@adrabruzzese7610 thanks for info and fingers crossed for the same success in our yard.
@@victoriaarcher9861 I hope your sister has success!
@adrabruzzese7610 how thick should the compost/soil be?
What a beautiful addition to your garden!
Thank you for showing the progress! What fun!
Thanks. I hope to update with how it looks this year soon!
Very cool 👍. I have a huge pollinator garden and many areas that I have let go back to wild on my small 3.5 acre mini farm. I have plans to put in a wild flower meadow as well. Yours is awesome and gives people inspiration to do the same. Thanks for sharing. 😎
Go for it! I’d love to have the chance to turn that much acreage into wildflower meadow. Have you thought of yellow rattle as a way to kill off turf grass?
Love what you did. I’d love to do this when I get a home of my own.
It’s fun!
You can do it with a planter outside! Or a window box!
Lovely! I could look at them forever!❤
I spend hours just sitting in a chair and watching them all summer long!
Wow absolutely gorgeous ❤ this so delightful for my eyes to gaze apon, thanks bunches.
Thanks Tracey!
Nice. I hope the areas I’m gardening looks as nice as yours. Last year I sowed two different packages that had 20 - 25 different seeds for my zone and tested what would grow successfully. So I purchased those seeds and started sowing since November.
Good luck!
What a beautiful meadow you have
Wow, so beautiful, and so peaceful with the bird sounds all around. I'd sit out there all the time.
Question: were weeds not a problem? I was worried that a billion weed seeds would sprout and crowd out all the flower seedlings, but that didn't happen.
Great question, prepping the site is key to avoid seeds. I tilled it once and waited a few weeks to let weeds sprout then tilled again. That worked well in this spot.
I love how you had beautiful colors and blooms all summer long! ☀️
Visual overload. Looks fantastic! Good job
Thank you very much!
That's awesome. I plant the same type of seeds every year but just in large pots. I love your idea (and beautiful result) of creating a wildflower meadow. Great video 👍
Thanks! Great videos on your channel!
Well done! We live in Missouri, Zone 6 and this year I'm going to do this in our back and side yard. We live just outside of Kansas City and have dear but I'm going to try this anyway. I hope our neighbors will enjoy it as much as we will. I've planted the wildflower mix in the past and it seems that the Cosmos are always the fastest to grow and the deer will eat them if they get the chance. I like your slow-motion shot of the hummingbird moth! I love your work and hope to see more videos! Thank you for all of your hard work and for sharing your method in planting this beautiful habitat!
@jamesmanning-tu6rs thanks for the very kind words. I can say that our neighbors love our meadow. Good luck with yours and lmk how it turns out!
Looks just beautiful. Enjoy!
Oh so very beautiful I love your flower bed😊
Thank you! 🤗
Im surprised the deer do not come in and eat them. What a beautiful idea. It really turned out nice since you tilled up the bed.
Everything in the garden is “deer resistant” but the deer do graze! I have so many echinacea stems that were nibbled by deer. Same thing with the bee balm in spring. a lot of the asters I have right now have been topped by deer. I think they will eat anything as young tender plants, but once the plants get taller they’re left alone. My beds are big enough that some flowers escape the grazing. But if I fenced it in it would undoubtedly be much much better
I plan to do more and more of my lawn. Last year i did planting by weed whacking the grass low, covering with paper then compost/manure/soil, then planting. No dig no rototiller
Probably a better soil your way but sounds like more work to me lol
That is so lovely. All the colors. My husband and I are doing our yard today. Thank you for sharing.
Good luck!
Very nice,looks great..sometimes you can deadhead to get more blooms.since this is first year,let it go to seed . Happy gardening
Absolutely beautiful!!!
Beautiful thank you for sharing x
Thanks. Trying another patch this year!
I live over in Martinsville IN. and would love to do something like this but feel overwhelmed on where to start, thank you for sharing this!!!
You can do it!
I've learned so much from your gardening tips - thank you for sharing! 🌸📚
You are so welcome!
Looks great! I plan on doing this along a fence row. I'm in Muncie so I might have to factor in it being slightly cooler than Bloomington at that time of year. Your video gave me a lot of ideas. Thanks!
Sounds great! Have fun!
Good morning, from East TN! Just the video I needed to see and thank you for sharing! It is so lovely! I’m wanting to do the same, with most of my yard! I’m on an acre, but my HOA will likely have words. How does this look in the winter? I’ve done this in my flower beds around the house, and I love it! Just cast every seed I can get my hands on, and I too, have so many lovely little visitors! Your green electric tiller? I have one exactly like it! LOVE it! Be well! 🌿🧡🌿
Thanks! Glad you like it! I mow it once down to about 6” in the late fall-using a scythe that I bought for this purpose. I don’t think it looks any worse than brown winter grass. My HOA is very hands off
@@IndianaMeadows , thank you for the reply! I wish mine was hands off. Not as bad as some I’ve seen on here though, thankfully. Those scythe apparatuses are everywhere in our little vintage/antique shops around here. I’ll have to google and see if I can swing something like that. I plan on buying a grinding wheel this winter and sharpening all my own blades. I made eye glasses back in the day, the old fashioned way, and it can’t be any more difficult than using that. It certainly can’t look any worse than dormant lawn, you are right! This makes this old lady very excited! Thank you so much for sharing, again! 🌺🌸🌺
I tried just tilling and then planting. It looked OK the first year as the annuals came up fast. By the second year the biennials and the perennials were coming along nicely but the grass was coming back pretty good. By the third year it was mostly grass and I gave up and just started mowing it with the lawn again. I know many people are against spraying, but when I do it again, I will use glyphosate first on the entire area. Then spot spray clethodim whenever I see grass coming back.
Try planting yellow rattle to inhibit the grass. Glyphosate kills everything including people 😢
@@Solitude11-11 I don't believe it. Besides, live in farm country. I'm not dead yet. 😂 I doubt my little bit will make any difference.
@@morrismonet3554 Yeah that’s what everybody says…
Id love to just sit there and watch the different butterflies pass by
That’s my modus operandi for sure
Beautifully done, delightful!
Enjoy
A wildflower meadow is all perennials, right? I LOVE THIS!!! Can't help shouting that out. LOL.
Hahaha! But don’t scare the goldfinches away ;)! Most of the flowering I’m year one is actually from annuals but in later years it’s all almost perennials. Most perennials take a year or two to first flowers which is why the seed mix has annuals for year one.
@@IndianaMeadows I have a city suburban large-ish corner and have started a meadow. This year, transitioning out of grass to Wh. Dutch clover. I have on order some seeds to make a floral meadow for the corner area where there's an ugly tree, water lid, sewer pipe, and fire hydrant. I guess I'll need to trim around the water items for visibility but it beats the alternative. I have goldfinches around too. They like the zinnias which seeds I toss around my beds for happy color to fill between non-blooming perennials. I'll look fwd to seeing your meadow happily established.
Love the flowers and love that I.U. sweat shirt!!
Thank you!!
Wow, stunning.
I love it, i have those wild flowers in my kiddie pool flower beds, i want to do a meadow like you, will have to get my neighbor to till it up for me, thanks for sharing 🫶✌️🦋🦋🦋
Go for it!
@@IndianaMeadows 🙏🦋🌻
I’d love to see another video next Summer and then the following Summer also. I bet it will be even more beautiful!
Did you have to remove many weeds the first year after you planted the wildflowers?
There are other videos of subsequent years. I spend a lot of time sitting by the meadow and do pull weeds as they appear but I’d say weeding is pretty minimal. But I can’t say that would be the case if you don’t pay attention
Beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. I would love to have this.
Loving the time lapse. It’s so beautiful. The first August video it changed so much with all the yellow. So pretty.
Thank you. I can't wait to see what it looks like in year three! Sleep, creep, LEAP!
Beautiful. Love it.
Thank you! 😊
What's your favorite way of initially getting rid of the sod? Did you do cardboard the year before?
I haven’t tried the cardboard smothering method. I draw out the outline of the bed first using landscape paint. Then I used an electric rototiller and tilled down about 5 or six inches about a month or so before seeding. This gives time for weeds to sprout. Then I tilled again down about 3 inches right before spreading the seeds. That worked well.
Nice job, that looks great.
Lovely....thank you
Thank you too!
Absolutely beautiful!! I can’t grow much of anything in this heat wave.
Looks awesome!
Beautiful and inspiring ✨️ did you need to water much once the plants established? What did the next year look like?
I only ever watered until the baby plants were 6 inches tall. The second year wasn’t as great but that’s to be expected. Almost all of the color in the first year is from annuals. The perennials did have some flowers in year 2 but overall kind of ratty. This is part of the “sleep, creep, leap” pattern of their growth. I expect this year will be MUCH better. See the sleep leap creep video on my channel!
@@IndianaMeadows so true ! annuals are instant gratification and keep us hopeful for the rebound during the 'down time'. We were the first on our street to take down the chain link fence and turn our little front lawn into a 'mini meadow' 16 years ago. Douglas Fir in middle back, Weeping Norway spruce at the far back side, rose bushes in front for anchors. Then staples like Queen Anne's Lace, Delphinium, California Poppies, Digitalis. Then any annual that seemed to fit in the mix from year to year. We always have visitor plants show up from who knows where, especially sunflowers, bee balm and camomile~ everyone is welcome. It's magic !
Wow... You could always add the annuals you like... Or the same mixture in late April again each season... And some spring watering, if needed for the seeds.
If you did water heavily.. a couple of times a month... It would be gang busters! All summer..
Thanks for this great Inspiration!!
@@bubblerings i actually did try some cosmos and plains coreopsis seeds in the barer patches of year 2. Coreopsis did well but the cosmos didn’t really take. Hard to prepare the soil amidst established perennials
@@IndianaMeadows
Oh bummer.. I usually would throw some fine mulch or potting soil on the seeds.. But, I live in Hawaii..
Not growing northern perennials..
Aloha..🍻
Like my mom would say" from spring til fall, you'll see different wildflowers pop up every couple weeks
Beautiful! I just planted 20k seeds in my garden and I hope they turn out as well as yours
Good luck!
What zone are you in?
What a stunning garden!! .... I just de-turfed about 400 square feet today, November 7, 2023, in my own side lot. I'm in zone 5, Northern Illinois... I will be sowing my wildflower seed in the next few days... hoping and praying for a similar spring show! Thank you for this video... it is exactly what I was looking for! Very inspiring!
I’m in Zone 6a. Good luck with your seeding! I have done my seeding in the spring, but I have been meaning to try a plot with fall seeding. Some of the seeds in the mix I used need a winter hardening period (ie. Milkweed, lupine). Disappointing that I don’t have those at all
Lovely, definitely lovely! I did this on a much smaller scale a bunch of years ago. To this day, I still have California Poppies coming up each year. This year I've decided to let them all reseed themselves, instead of pulling them up when spent. I'd rather have a lot of poppies, as opposed to poppies and weeds. Love what did with your flower bed. Did they all come back this year? (2023) Good job!
Thanks! The perennials come back each year, the meadow gets better and better as they become more and more established. I’ve posted a lot of videos from 2023 actually! Like and subscribe to see the updates ;)
Wonderful video! We have been adding wildflower beds to our yard in small, slow increments mainly because we are taking up the grass turf first by hand (flat shovel / stirrup hoe). As expected, that's a **very** big labor-intensive undertaking! Your roto-till approach would obviously cut that prep time immensely. Question: What will your wildflower bed look like the 2nd year (recognizing that annual wildflowers may need to be supplemented if they didn't seed themselves well enough)? Will you be facing original turf grass coming back in your new wildflower-dedicated bed? **Any tips, suggestions, etc. from you or your viewers would be real helpful and appreciated**
In the second year I reseeded in a few bare patches using plains coreopsis seeds and cosmos. There was a bit of turf grass that persisted. I try to pull as much as I can in spring and also spray with a product called Grass Beater. I know some people will object to using chemicals but it’s just a single application in early spring before the pollinators start to arrive. Also, it doesn’t kill natural grasses like sedges and rushes. I have a fair amount of slender path rush that’s working in to bare spots. I try to pull it when I can but it’s probably a losing battle. It has a low growing habit though so the flowers rise up above it and it’s hardly noticeable. With perennials, the saying goes “sleep, creep, LEAP.” Second year the plants are still establishing root systems so the meadow was a bit ratty. I can see that third year is going to be much better.
PS- I apply the Grass Beater to any small patches of turf grass. It doesn’t kill dicots so even if a bit touches the perennials they shouldn’t be harmed (and as far as I can tell they are not).
@@IndianaMeadows thanks! And best wishes for your good luck contiuing in the meadow
If anyone is committed to keeping out the grasses.. A 1 to 2 ft wide pile of wood chips, delivered... Can really help.. Especially if you dig out a little soil... and make the chips a foot deep!
Otherwise, there are Edging solutions that vary, depending on how deep your grass roots can travel to pass a barrier.
Love this!! 🍀🍻
It is so beautiful!! Thanks for sharing!!! Love to see all those pollinators enjoying !!
I love all the vivid colors!!
I live in the Midwest.
Couple of questions I have - do you need to water this meadow area or whatever rains we get is good enough?
And do these plants reseed and come back next year if these are annuals?
Sorry for the slow reply. The annuals do not reseed but they’re only there to add color in the first year. The perennials come back year after year. The plants survive the winter months once established and they also reseed. I don’t water unless I have planted something new to fill in bare spots.
@@IndianaMeadows thank you so much. We live in a town house community and this year being a dry one with not enough rains, couple of us were suggesting planting wildflower seeds in the barren spaces, so it will be a low maintenance one. After seeing your videos and now your responses we definitely want to try it next spring.
@@ssubramanian605 oh that’s great! It’s really important to prepare the soil for seeding though. The tilling helps with that to aerate and make it easier for sprouts. If you just toss seeds on bare spots of soil they won’t do well. Also, watering is needed in the first year until the seedlings are six inches tall. Just enough to keep soil moist without soaking. But if it’s a rainy spring less watering is necessary
Beautiful! I can only dream because the prolific wild rabbits in my area eat everything.
Hi Ron, I have lots of wild bunnies too. They don’t seem to eat much of the garden but they do love it for shelter. Each year I have had baby bunnies that love to hide in the thick foliage
My father was a barber, and he would bring home bags of hair sweep from the floor of his barbershop, which then he would sprinkle it all around the perimeter of the garden and up the rows . The smell of so many humans deterred the rabbits/etc.
🏡...Beautiful and Lovely 🎼.
Stunning!
oh wowwww i am in the process of doing something similar to my front and back yard. hoping it comes out even half as good as yours!
Good luck!
Looks amazing!
how lovely ........ I created a meadow too, this spring, I will sprinkle some more variety of seeds in mine. Think I will sprinkle some poppy and zinnias into my mix. Last fall, I sprinkled Holly hock into my centre area.......love Xeriscape gardening too........ how did you water your meadow?
Thank you! I love holly hocks and zinnias and poppies haha. This meadow only requires watering for the first six weeks or so. After that nature does the rest
What is done for grass and weeds that will regrow with the flowers? I love my clover and let it go as long as possible but grass came up too and made it a mess.
I keep an eye out for weeds and pull them up. I spray turfgrasses in early spring with a product called grass out. Some will object to chemical use. But it’s just one application. You can also try planting yellow rattle in with your clover, it’s parasitic on grasses and will kill them. I haven’t tried yellow rattle myself though
Very nice!!😊
Gorgeous! Three questions: would this work in a front yard, can I put it in with the current grass, and how do you keep out weeds?
I think it would be great in a front yard as long as you have enough sun. 4-8 hours is best. You do need to kill the grass first, I did this by tilling as seen in the video. I keep an eye on “weeds” and pull them as they come up. Kind of depends on your definition of a weed but for me that would be non natives or natives like goldenrod that I don’t want taking over the whole meadow.
@IndianaMeadows thanks for replying! I think I'll try this next year. It's stunning.
Great! Good luck with your meadow!
Very nice. Looks lovely.
Two questions: What do you suppose would happen if you did not rototill the grass?
What will happen in the fall/winter? Will everything need to be cut down and removed?
The wildflower seeds cannot effectively compete with the turf grass, so if you did not rototill then very few flowers would be able to grow. The seeds also need aerated soil for efficient germination and the tilling provides this. I have heard of people using yellow rattle seeds as a way of taking over the grass, it's parasitic on grasses but I haven't experimented with this myself. I purchased a scythe that I use to mow the meadow in the late fall once the seeds have dropped. I mow everything down to about 6 inches (this takes about 20 minutes). I remove the debris after mowing and put it into a brush pile in the corner of the yard.
@@IndianaMeadows Thank you for the very detailed reply.
My front yard, well at least the part I would meadow-ize, is 4,500 sqft so scythe on it might take me a while I suppose. LOL
@@TroySwezey my meadow is about 1500 sq feet. Watch Scythe vs Mower vids on RUclips! You might be surprised at the efficiency
Love it! Beautiful flowers! Did you have an issues with the birds or squirrels trying to eat the flower seeds?
Birds might’ve picked at the seeds but there’s an excess
This was the best video. Made me feel better about how simple I could be. Any other preparation for soil other than the sand? And was this all just from the one bag of seed? (Last question) are these all perennial?
The sand isn’t for soil prep, it’s just to add volume to the seeds. I ordered a bag of seed that was the right size for the plot. But full disclosure is that I had some extra seeds from Eden brothers that I tossed in.
Pollinator paradise
Lovely wildflower garden. I just wanted to let you know that you didn't comment on irrigation and frequency of watering. This is a critical consideration when rainfall is not regular enough to keep germinating seedlings from failing. Any suggestions here?
@@richardfaltonson3121 it’s necessary to water after sowing. Lightly water to moisten the soil (not drenching) until the seedlings are 6 inches tall. Wildflowers are drought tolerant and no need to water after that.
So beautiful.❤ from Croatia.
Thank you! 😊
Sooo pretty
Thank you!
Wow! This was the most complete video on the topic of changing a lawn into a beautiful meadow. I especially liked the videos on the progressive growth. Good Job! Just make sure I understand and do my project correctly, you mowed your lawn very short, went over the area a couple of times with a rototiller, and then put down the seeds. Right? How long did you wait between the tilling? You did not try to kill the exiting lawn by chocking it under black plastic, or using a sod cutter first? Looking forward to your response. Thank you.
Yeah, that’s pretty much it. There are instructional videos at American Meadows website. I followed them. First round of tilling is 6-8 inches down. Then wait 4-6 weeks, this gives weed seeds time to sprout. Then just prior to seeding retill the top 3-4 inches to kill weeds. I didn’t kill the lawn with plastic/cardboard but I’ve seen that recommended. Nor did I use a sod cutter. You’ll never get all the grass but it doesn’t matter once plants start getting tall.
@@IndianaMeadows 😃 Thanks a bunch for the quick response. You actually answered another question with your reply. I feel I am ready to tackle my project now.
I tried to subscribe , but , RUclips says I have too many subscriptions !!!! Thanks for posting this gardening video !!!!
Oh no! But thanks
How beautiful!
It really is!
That’s so beautiful
Thank you!
Beautiful
So pretty 😍
Thank you!! 😊
wow super wow. i wish i can do like this here in vegas
I bet there are drought tolerant seed mixes you could use
Awesome I’ve done the same. Only difference I didn’t seed my yard. Wildflowers seeds had been waiting 60 years. All I had to do was stop taking care the grass. In 3 years, I’ve ended up with a native wildflower field that blooms from July to Halloween. The only thing I planted was milkweed for the Monarch butterflies. They come in droves to do their lifecycle every year!
Try this. You’ll be amazed. No spending money on gas and most of all no wasting time in the nice weather to cultivate a sterile yard!
Great idea! But I guess the seed bank would be highly dependent on the age of lot and whatever wind born seeds are nearby?
Beautiful! Did you dead head the flowers at all? I imagine it would be difficult to do for the flowers towards the middle, so I assume you just let them go natural. Get more re-seeding that way too! It will be interesting to see what it looks like next year.
The first two years I did not do any deadheading. In my most recent two videos I talk about how the garden starts to look a bit ragged in end of July, because the bee balm is tall and browning on top. so this year I decided to go in and deadhead the bee balm which really beautified the meadow. If also let’s light in for the other plants and helps with air circulation. I waited until the bee balm dropped its seed before pruning. It is challenging to find good places to step and it becomes a little bit like a game of twitster lol.
Googoo gaga. Totally delightfull!
Hahaha best comment yet
Nice wildflower meadow. How did the over seeded area do?
Great question. The first year was great with cosmos, but the perennials are definitely less dense compared to the rest of the plot. I think the overseeding is the explanation for this but this part of the plot also gets sun all day. It could be that there’s just too much sun but I favor the overcrowding hypothesis. I keep trying to add things in that area but still haven’t found the right plants. It is still pretty though not as lush as the rest.
@@IndianaMeadows Thankyou for the reply.
Placed a perennial/annual mix down this Fall, and early Winter. May have over seeded, but very happy to see all the new seedlings coming up and growing very nicely after heavy rains.
At this point, will just let mother nature handle everything, and see how things grow. 😃
When do you mow, if at all, your wildflower meadow? Considering doing this as few times as possible, since it seems defeating to mow down flowers prior to them setting seed - nature works very well without a lawn mower.😃
It's beautiful.