My fledgling wildflower corner...

[Herbsandveg]

I’m currently trying to develop a little corner wildlife border in my garden, and wondered if anyone might be able to give me some advice.

I dug the area over last autumn, and while the soil isn’t perfect, I’d have thought it was probably good enough to raise a few wildflowers in there along with a few Lisymachia Punctatas and some Foxgloves at the back.

Whilst I probably rushed into it a little bit, I nonetheless did a bit of reading up on things beforehand, and I’ve sown a bit of grass seed in there to fill things out along with a bit of Yellow Rattle to keep it (the grass) in check.

There’s a few poppies that I’m hoping to bring through along with a general wildflower mix, and I sowed some Calendula seeds for an extra bit of colour and almost guaranteed reliability from these marvellous little plants that I find so wonderfully endearing, and amongst my favourite of favourite favourite plants.

Now, to the problems: When I sowed the seeds I placed some nylon mesh over the border and added a very rough ‘grid’ of canes (which were pretty much just looking for a bit of work over the winter) in an effort to deter the local cats, foxes and other local mammals from defecating all over my little fledgling corner plot. This seemed like a fairly goodish idea at the time, but is causing problems now that I hadn’t bargained for at the time in that the few seeds to have germinated now have their leaves through the mesh holes. Unless I want the seedling to be ripped and shredded when I pull the mesh off the border, I’m going to have to cut around each plant to ensure they stay intact, and free from any damage that might ensue.

In addition to the error detailed above, I’ve also allowed the leaves from the trees in my garden to sit on top of the mesh, and whilst I thought this might protect any little seedlings over the winter, it has only really served to cover them up and block the light out, so I’m not sure of the wisdom of that move now. Bearing in mind the fact that I only actually sowed the seeds in late October, and made the silly little mistakes listed above, I’m probably looking at starting from scratch again this year, which will presumably mean a dearth of colour this season, if there be any colour at all apart from the trusty Calendulas and, possibly, a poppy or two or three.

I suppose there’s the half chance that things might work out a little bit better than I imagine, but at the moment it’s not looking all that hopeful, so any advice that you could give me would be, as ever, very gratefully received.

……………..

[Rudi13]

I would probably remove the mesh as soon as possible (and the leaves), even if it damages the few seedlings already growing. You can sow most things again in late March/early April. The Lysimachia is a bit invasive if you have rich and moist soil, just a little warning.
What grasses have you sown (some meadow grasses will take over quickly such as Yorkshire fog)? The Yellow rattle will germinate in spring and probably needs some grass already growing to attach its roots to, but it might just work out if it can find some grass growing.
You can also sow a few wildflowers in a greenhouse or cold frame (if you have them) and grow them on as plug plants which you can plant straight into the wildflower area in spring. This way you can fill the space much quicker than waiting for the seeds to germinate.

[Herbsandveg]

I would probably remove the mesh as soon as possible (and the leaves), even if it damages the few seedlings already growing. You can sow most things again in late March/early April. The Lysimachia is a bit invasive if you have rich and moist soil, just a little warning.
What grasses have you sown (some meadow grasses will take over quickly such as Yorkshire fog)? The Yellow rattle will germinate in spring and probably needs some grass already growing to attach its roots to, but it might just work out if it can find some grass growing.
You can also sow a few wildflowers in a greenhouse or cold frame (if you have them) and grow them on as plug plants which you can plant straight into the wildflower area in spring. This way you can fill the space much quicker than waiting for the seeds to germinate.

Apologies for the late reply, but many thanks for all the advice in there, Rudi. I found that really helpful, and I'll take note of what you said.

I only just sowed the Yellow Rattle with the wildflower seeds, so I'll try to sow a little bit more grass seed in the spring.

I was heartened by your advice that it's probably still OK to sow some more flower seed I the spring, too, as I got it in my head that everything had to be seen in the previous autumn to really have much of a chance of a good display the following year. I'm more encouraged now, so thanks very much for that!

[Scarlet]

There is plenty of time to resow. Autumn sown seeds will get a head start but seeds such as foxgloves can be down in a tray in January, put in a propagator and potted up ready to plant out in March/mat. It's not likely they will flower this year but you can certainly catch up by starting thing off undercover.
Leaves will stop young seedlings growing, they will act like a mulch. So the bed needs to be clear. Poppies, calendula can all be sown in March.
Don't forget to take some photos

[Rudi13]

@Herbsandveg: You are welcome. Hope it all grows well this year and post some photos of your wildflower area here if you have time :-)

[cheops]

It always heartens me to read someone somewhere is growing a wildflower area no matter how small or big. It's a beautiful display as nature intended and bees butterflies and other insects will find another little area they can populate. I wish you well with your project Herbsandveg and you will succeed with advice and trial and error. There's not much I can add but reflecting on your nylon mesh out of interest I would like to add that with cornflowers that can fall over and be unsightly a good tip is to have wire netting held above young cornflower plants with canes which will allow the plants to grow up through the wire mesh to the effect they will stand tall and proud and hide the mesh below.

[Herbsandveg]

It always heartens me to read someone somewhere is growing a wildflower area no matter how small or big. It's a beautiful display as nature intended and bees butterflies and other insects will find another little area they can populate. I wish you well with your project Herbsandveg and you will succeed with advice and trial and error. There's not much I can add but reflecting on your nylon mesh out of interest I would like to add that with cornflowers that can fall over and be unsightly a good tip is to have wire netting held above young cornflower plants with canes which will allow the plants to grow up through the wire mesh to the effect they will stand tall and proud and hide the mesh below.

Many thanks for you advice and encouragement, Cheops, and apologies for the late reply. I'll certainly take your advice, and I'll post some photos of the progress as things start to grow. I'm also hoping to house a Bumblebee colony in the garden, too, so the two should go together pretty nicely once it all really gets going. I hope so, anyway...

[Rudi13]

If you plant the right flowers wild bumlebees will come for free :-). You don`t need to buy one of these expensive bumblebee colonies. They only last a few months anyway before they die off (apart from new queens). But for children they might be fun to watch for a season.