Can I plant a mini wildflower meadow in the poorest of soil?
I'm new to the forum and would like to sow a wildflower meadow in my garden. I know these plants like poor soils, but much of my garden (a 1930s property) is full of builders' rubble, or the remians of a previous building's foundations that have never been properly removed. The grass grows patchily, or not at all, on land in which stones and rubble are packed a few inches - sometimes only 2 or so inches - beneath the surface. To treat this ground with a view to growing a decent lawn would require a digger and the application of new top soil.
Will wildflower meadow plants grow in these conditions? I watched Gardeners' World last night and saw Monty cutting and raking grass before sowing seeds. Will this technique work, or will I better off creating raised beds of spent compost/soil in which to sow seeds?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Will wildflower meadow plants grow in these conditions? I watched Gardeners' World last night and saw Monty cutting and raking grass before sowing seeds. Will this technique work, or will I better off creating raised beds of spent compost/soil in which to sow seeds?
Thanks for any suggestions.
0
Posts
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/11385005/Wildflower-guru-the-woman-who-knows-meadows.html
"If a client wants to create a new meadow from an area of good soil, Pam has found that the most effective way to create it (in areas under a quarter of an acre), is to isolate (rather than removing) the over-fertile topsoil. This she does by covering it with a layer of Terram, Mypex, old carpet (whatever suits the budget and size best) and then spreading a depth of 150-200mm of substrate: limestone chippings or other nutrient-poor material (sand, gravel, rubble, chalk) on top."
So I think it might be worth your while to sow a trial area, with really tough wild flowers, such as a "cornfield mixture" - and see what happens. They like disturbed soil so you'd need to rake it about a bit before sowing, and if you wanted the annual plants (poppies etc) to carry on from year to year, you'd need to rake it up again in the autumn to encourage the new seeds to germinate...
But generally I think the answer is yes. Not all wildflowers will grow in those conditions, but there are a lot that will
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'