Sowing:
It's best to purchase seeds from a specialist, as simple seed mixes contain many grasses and flowers, so-called wild field herbs like poppies or cornflowers, which only bloom in the first year. For sowing (best time March to May), approximately 5-10 grams of seed per square meter is sufficient. To ensure even sowing, you can mix the seeds with dry sand or sawdust. Since meadow flowers germinate in light, the seeds are only raked shallowly into the soil and then rolled. Keep the seeds well moist for the next 4-6 weeks to ensure rapid germination and establishment.
For small areas, it's also a lot of fun to collect seeds yourself. Many flowers grow along roadsides. This way, you're guaranteed to find native wild plants that don't have to adapt to the surrounding ecosystem.
Care
To ensure that your flower meadow blooms successfully for years, you should follow a few care tips.
When planning your lawn, consider paths. They will make maintenance easier later on; for example, the lawn is easier to mow if the vegetation isn't trampled down. Furthermore, the paths allow you to enjoy a close-up view of the flowers.
Avoid using fertilizer! This will allow the meadow to develop more species-rich vegetation.
It's sufficient to mow your lawn twice a year. Pay attention to the flowering times of your flowers; they should have a chance to seed. The best time to mow is late June and late August. The clippings should be left to dry on the lawn for two to three days and turned several times. This allows the seeds of the annual herbs to fall out.
Flower variety:
This requires patience, or you can resort to a trick the English like to use: "Flower meadows are like an extension of flowerbeds," as the saying goes. That's why many flower bulbs are planted in the meadow that bloom from spring onwards: snowdrops, cyclamen, crocuses, miniature daffodils, large-crowned daffodils, ornamental onions, gladiolas (but these cannot be mown in June), and autumn crocus. It takes at least three years for a stable plant community to form in the meadow. Then it's a case of waiting, drinking tea, and enjoying the fact that the meadow becomes more beautiful every year. So, creating a flower meadow requires more patience than work.
TEXT: Katja Hildebrandt/Victoria Wegner
