Wildflower bed pt1

Cornflower Centaurea cyanus

A couple of years ago we proud to become the temporary home for some moles, I first realised this when the wheel of the lawnmower disappeared into one of their runs. This gave me the excuse to get rid of half the lawn (I hate lawns) and sow it as a wildflower bed. The total area I put aside is about 500sq feet (46 sq M) over the winter i removed as much of the grass as possible and roughly dug it over, I then applied a wildflower mix and left it......... big mistake! I ended up with a huge bed of thistles and nettles. So this year I reapplied a (better) seed mix and have been carefully removing most of the thistles as they appear.

Red Campion Silene diocia

So this year I have got a far better mix of flowers and these will self seed which will generate more flowers each year. I thing that I have learnt is that a small wild flower area needs to be managed, that might seem to be an oxymoron but in the wild certain wild flowers will dominate an area due to slight changes in environment, soil type etc, in a small area there isn't a balance, for instance if there is a high phosphate level in the soil this will encourage nettles.

So the bed is very much a work in progress, but already it is looking great with lots of colour and it is encouraging lots of insects and other wildlife into the garden, the moles however seem to have moved on.

These are pictures of a few of the flowers and grasses in bloom at the moment.

White Campion Silene latifolia

Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare

Timothy Phleum pratense

Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens

Festuca sp