So propagated in recent years "return to nature" is also manifested by the growing interest in the so-called flower meadows.Thanks to this trend, the flower meadow is one of the most fashionable alternatives to the lawn and other arrangements in gardens and green areas, especially in Western Europe.Apart from colors and species richness, the flower meadow has little to do with typical meadows.
Proper meadows are perennial grasslands composed of various species of grasses and flowering plants. Despite strong mutual competition, different species of annuals, biennials and perennials can grow side by side in perfect harmony, while the flower meadow is made up of annuals. In order for the flower meadow to remain decorative throughout the summer, long-flowering species are selected for it.
There are ready-made mixtures available on the market, but because they are sometimes unreliable (if they are not a product of a specialized company), you may be tempted to prepare a mixture yourself. Its main components are our native cultivated weeds: Chrysanthemum segetum, field poppy, Papaver rhoeas, tripleurospermum inodorum, tripleurospermum inodorum, Anthemis arvensis, Centaurea cyanus, cornflower, Centaurea cyanus, green vetch Vicia grandiflora, and vetch Vicia grandiflora.
From species of foreign origin suitable for the meadow include, among others Californian poppy Eschscholtzia californica, summer sweetheart Adonis aestivalis or Ammi majus. These species grow best in light and rather poor soils.The use of more fertile or moist soils for them will significantly worsen their flowering, and even prevent their growth as a result of competition from other plants. A well-chosen position means that the maintenance of the meadow does not require much effort: it is not weeded, watered or fertilized.
During your project, did you meet back to creating flower meadows in gardens? Flower meadow is a great alternative to lawns, which, as you know, need to be mowed, watered or fertilized regularly. In the case of meadows, maintenance activities are kept to a minimum, which saves time and money. In addition, it introduces natural biodiversity and is an interesting and effective element in the garden. All this means that meadows are gaining more and more popularity and more and more often they are hosted in public areas and gardens.
Preparing the ground for the meadow
For this to happen, we need to pay more attention to preparing the soil before sowing the seeds.It consists in digging and raking the soil, but most of all in thorough weeding. The loosened soil is sown with a mixture of seeds in the amount of 2-3 (even up to 5) g per 1 m² and gently raking.
To facilitate even sowing, you can divide the plot into 1 m² squares, by marking them, for example, with sand poured from a wide-mouth bottle.Native species are sown in April, as soon as the soil warms up and the plot is cultivable.Mixtures with thermophilic species are better sown at the end of April. It is worth observing the appearance of emerging plants - it will help us to set up a meadow next year.
In autumn, after the end of flowering, the over-bloomed plants are mowed, leaving the mowed shoots on the bed for several days.This will allow the last seeds to be sown and the meadow self-renewing next year.If we then notice some forays among the emerging plants, it is worth sowing the seeds of the missing species.
