How to Plant a Wildflower Mini-Meadow
This year National Gardening Week wants everyone to go wild by planting wildflower
mini meadows throughout Britain. The mini meadows don’t need to be square; they can
be planted in raised beds, pots, window boxes or in an unused patch of your garden.
Find a place for your mini-meadow
Your wildflowers will thrive best in a relatively poor soil and a sunny spot. Please be
mindful that wildflowers should only be planted on land belonging to you or with the
land owner’s full permission.
Where to plant your mini-meadow
1. A clear space of bare soil approximately 1m x 1m
2. A window box or flower pot
Things to consider before planting your mini-meadow
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Pick somewhere that receives at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day.
Chose a spot sheltered from the wind; pollinating insects will linger longer
around plants in calmer weather.
Make sure the area you decide on is well-drained and as weed free as possible.
How to prepare the ground for your mini-meadow
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Dig out any weeds and other vegetation and rake the soil level. Allow three to
four weeks for the soil to settle and for any weeds to germinate. Spray or hoe
these off before sowing.
On very fertile soils it may be an advantage to remove the top soil.
Don't incorporate manure or fertiliser as high fertility encourages excessive
vigour in unwanted weeds and grasses that then crowd out the wildflowers.
How to sow your mini-meadow
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If the soil is particularly dry, soak with water 24 hours prior to sowing.
Large areas can be sown by hand quite easily, but it is important to get an even
distribution.
Rake or roll the seed lightly into the soil - there is no need to bury it, just ensure
that it is not loose on the surface.
There should be no need to water, provided the ground was damp prior to
sowing. However, if the surface of the soil dries before the seeds germinate,
water the area with a sprinkler or a watering can with a rose on the end to give a
fine spray.
How to maintain your mini-meadow
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A wildflower area doesn't require any additional watering or feeding.
Keep an eye out for weeds; if they become problematic, try to weed them out by
hand as soon as possible.
Mowing or cutting is best done in dry weather and left for a few days for seeds
to be shed for next year before removing and composting the ‘hay’. Cut the
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flowers in late August or September to discourage coarse grasses and allow the
flowers to prosper.
Leave un-mown from February to September.
What to expect
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The annual wildflowers in your mix will flower within 3 months of sowing but the
biennials and perennials are only likely to start flowering the following year.
Be aware that the annuals such as common poppy and cornflower rarely persist
in the established meadow.
Make the most of your new wildflower area
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Create a bug hotel near your wildflower area to provide homes for overwintering
insects.
Save seeds for next year – there is no reason not to collect ripe seed pods and
gather seeds for future years; wildflower seed is expensive.
Flowers in your seed mix
Leucanthemum vulgare (ox-eye daisy) - Perennial
Digitalis purpurea (common foxglove) - Biennial
Malva sylvestris (common mallow) - Perennial
Anthemis arvensis (corn chamomile) - Annual
Centaurea cyanus (cornflower) - Annual
Dipsacus fullonum (common teasel) - Biennial
Papaver rhoeas (common poppy) - Annual
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) - Perennial
Linaria vulgaris (common toadflax) - Perennial
Lychnis flos-cuculi (ragged robin) - Perennial
Polemonium caeruleum (Jacob’s ladder) - Perennial
Insects your wildflowers will support
Common poppy: Bees, hoverflies especially
Cornflower: Bees, butterflies, hoverflies