Growing your own wildflower meadow is an exciting project, but it pays to understand what you’re attempting to create before you start. There are essentially two different types of meadow: the annual cornfield, and the wildflower meadow. They’re both completely different.
ANNUAL CORNFIELD FLOWERS are the opportunist hardy annuals that traditionally grew throughout ploughed wheat and barley fields. They rely on the soil being turned over every year and there’s no need to remove your topsoil to get started. Just prepare an area of bare soil by weeding, then raking it to a fine crumbly texture. Sow the seed in rows (as this helps you identify any weeds that emerge). Keep the soil moist. Cornfield annuals are ideal for a quick blast of summer colour. They support bees and hoverflies and will self sow, but for best results you’ll need to sow again every year.
THE WILDFLOWER MEADOW is based on traditional grassy haymeadows. Once grazed by livestock in winter and scythed in autumn to make hay, around 99% of this habitat has been lost since the 1930s, with only fragments remaining. The wildflowers that grow here are a mix of annuals and perennials that support butterflies, bees and farmland birds. Typically these meadow plants perform best on poor soil; in rich soil the grasses will thrive and outcompete the flowers.
You can leave your existing lawn to grow long and see which wildflowers emerge, but for a wider range of plantlife it’s best to start your meadow from scratch. Remove the top 7.5-15cm (3-6in) of topsoil, lay black plastic to smother perennial weeds for a few months, then dig and rake to a fine tilth. In autumn or spring, sow a haymeadow mix (adding sand so you can see where you’ve sown) at a rate of about 5g seed per square metre. You may need to net it to keep the birds off, and water until the seedlings have established.
To manage your meadow in future years, don’t mow from April to August or September. Then, cut the meadow seedheads back in dry weather using a strimmer or shears, leave them in situ for a week to release their seed, then rake off the stems for composting. Mow a couple of times in autumn, and weed out nettles, dock and thistles, which will take over if left.