Should I chop this wildflower patch?

kieran.f.macdonald

Monty and all the websites are saying that I should have done it by now, but the patch still seems to have a fair bit of life in it (I'd say it's more than 60% green), and the birdsfoot trefoil hasn't gone to seed yet. Bees seem to have abandoned it completely, though.

The patch was grown from turf (Meadowmat Woodland Shade), planted in early April.

Any opinions would be much appreciated!

NewBoy2

The bees will only be there if they can get to the flowers they need.
Where is the patch in relation to your house , neighbours etc.?
Why did you start the project?
What are the long term aims for the patch ?

If its done what you wanted then Jobs a Good Un.

bertrand-mabel

We have cut ours back and this allowed new growth to take place but we did do this last month.

Maybe leave it until you see more seeds from the plants but then the grasses are producing seeds.

Difficult.

Somebody else will give you a better answer.

Lizzie27

I think the general advice is to cut wild flower patches down in August/September when the seed heads have formed, wait a few days for the seeds to drop, then rake it all up.
Haven't had time to do mine yet so will do soon, although like you, some are still flowering.

kieran.f.macdonald

Where is the patch in relation to your house , neighbours etc.?
Why did you start the project?

What are the long term aims for the patch ?

The patch is off to the side of the garden, kind of out of sight, so I don't mind it looking a bit straggly for a while; the main purpose of chopping is for the health of the patch. To be honest the long-term aim of the patch is to fill a space where we can't get anything else to grow! (It runs alongside a laurel hedge so the soil quality is very low.) 

Maybe leave it until you see more seeds from the plants but then the grasses are producing seeds.

It looks like the grasses have mostly gone to seed already (I'm going to pull some of them up to thin out the grass a bit); the only plants that are still green seem to be the birdsfoot trefoil and whatever it is that has the large, spear-shaped leaves.

I think the general advice is to cut wild flower patches down in August/September when the seed heads have formed, wait a few days for the seeds to drop, then rake it all up.

I've generally read that you should chop by mid to late August, but I'm not sure whether to wait for the trefoil to go to seed...