Hi Anthony, thank you for your question.
A wildflower meadow is a great addition to any garden or lawn. It is relatively low maintenance, and they will establish in poor soils where the nutrient content isn’t the best.
If the area is in partial/dappled shade, you could look into trying our SIMPLY: Wildflowers, Flowering Meadow or Bees & Pollinators mixes.
If the area is very shady, you could look into our wildflower mix specifically for shaded areas, Shaded Area Wildflowers. This mix consists of annual and perennial wildflowers and grasses that will tolerate damp and shaded areas.
Autumn is an ideal time to sow wildflowers as the seeds need to undergo the process of stratification (a freeze) to kick start their germination. In March / April time, make sure there is sufficient material to mow – your wildflowers/grasses should be at a height of 10cm. If your wildflowers are at this height, mow to 7cm no later than mid-April, to help encourage perennial species to spread.
Here is our step by step guide on how to prep and sow a wildflower meadow.
1. Remove any existing grass, plants or flora from the area where you plan to sow your wildflower seed. Failure to do this will produce poor results
2. Further, remove the top 5-10cm to reduce soil fertility
3. Allow the area to cultivate for several weeks, and remove any weeds that may pop in the area during this time
4. Do not be tempted to add topsoil, compost or fertiliser to the area - wildflowers prefer low nutrient conditions
5. After the cultivation period ensure to remove stones or any other debris and rake the area to create a fine, friable and level seedbed
6. Scatter the seed at a rate of 5g per m2
7. Rake the seed so that it is in amongst the soil
8. Water the just-sown wildflower seed well
If sowing in drought conditions, water is required to keep the area moist in the first 6 weeks after sowing.
We do have a few blog posts on our website that go into more detail on sowing wildflowers and wildflower management. Here are some links you may like to check out:
https://thegrasspeople.com/establish-wildflower-meadow/ https://thegrasspeople.com/manage-wildflower-meadow