A complete guide to sowing and maintaining wildflower verges as a part of a sustainable Integrated Weed Management (IWM) approach to amenity weed control.
wildflowers & weed control
More and more we are getting asked about sustainable options for weed control especially in urban areas. Wildflower verges is a fantastic option to consider, so in this complete guide you’ll discover the many benefits wildflowers bring to all habitats, as well as being a better long-term solution. Roadside verges are the in most cases perfect for establishing and maintaining a wildflower area, they tend not to have a high footfall and the topsoil is usually nutrient deficient, so making it the perfect habitat for wildflowers to survive and thrive – and a fantastic visually display of nature at its very best!
But first the facts.
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- A study indicated that verges in the UK are home to over a staggering 700 wildflower species, put into context that is 45% of the UK’s total flora, also it is believed that verges in the UK have growing within them 29 of Britain’s wild orchid species.
- These species numbers are very impressive but if you think where they are situated, and what happens during the winter months with salt spreading and other general road use its easy to see how vulnerable they are to damage and ultimately being destroyed.
- Wildflowers attract wonderful pollinators such as Bees, moths, flies and even flower beetles, this then in time will see other insects and spiders and lager predators within this area creating a diverse and rich habitat.
- These verges create in some cases a link from one habitat to another which allows a diverse ranch of animals and creatures to move easily between these habitats, without such links populations of species can become isolated, the knock-on effect is that it can potentially weaken the species and make them genetically more vulnerable to any environmental incident or change.
Let’s get sowing?
Growing wildflowers on a highway verge, a garden, an Amenity space or a field, its easy right?
Sprinkle some seed and we have an instant wildflower meadow.
If only it was that simple!
Large areas populated with wildflowers not only look fantastic, they increase biodiversity and allow for decreased maintenance of Amenity areas, but establish a long-lasting meadow can be a very difficult task and a process must be followed to ensure success. This is why many such schemes fail after three or even one year after establishment. Seeds sown directly into grassland, incorrect seedbed preparation and lack of a maintenance plan are all factors that can lead to failure.
How to establish wildflowers
1. Seedbed preparation
The best time to sow wildflowers is either in the autumn (between August and October) or the spring (between February and May). Generally, autumn is preferable because there are fewer risks from weeds, but the seed bed preparation can start in the Autumn allowing for the ground to break down over winter.
2. Reduce Soil fertility
Highly fertile soil encourages excess vigour in grasses causing them to crowd out wildflowers, so if soil has been enriched with fertiliser, it may be too rich for growing a perennial wild meadow. There are ways to reduce the fertility of the soil, for more details contact our Specialist Advisory Manager.
3. Sowing the seeds
Pure wildflower seed mixtures of 100% mix need to be sown at a specified rate. After spreading the seed, rake the soil gently, then compact it by treading the seeds in. Larger areas may require mechanical spreaders either manually operated or tractor mounted. Getting the mix right is important, to discuss the bets option for you get in touch with our Specialist Advisory Manager via the contact form at the bottom of this page.
4. Establishing wildflowers
Several weeks after sowing, the seeds will begin to germinate. The growth of the different grasses and flowers will vary, the nurse grasses will appear within 7 – 10 days; the wildflowers may vary depending upon species – some may take only a few weeks, while others can take several months.
5. Maintenance
Keep flower meadows in good condition by going over the area with a strimmer at the end of the season, in September or October – after the plants have all finished flowering. Then leave for 5 days or so to ensure all viable seed has dropped. Follow up by removing the debris and then mowing the area, cutting down to 15cm in height, this allows enough standing grass to keep the seed covered.
Remembering that wildflowers prefer a nutrient deficient soil, on road side verges air pollution from the many vehicles passing by can increase the nitrogen content in the soil, this then creates nitrogen loving plants such as , brambles, nettles rough meadow grass to thrive and in turn out-compete other species, this is why we see huge swathes of nettles and brambles which, in effect strangle other rarer plants within the verge.
Another important factor is verges often get mown a subsequent number of times per year, in some cases this is essential for safety reasons on vision splays at road junctions, but leaving the arisings on the verge again increases the nutrient content, the arisings form a type of blanket and this in turn can prevent seed germination. Verges are often put to the mower or flail too early in the season, this does not give the plants time to be pollinated or sometimes before the seeds of the plants have had time to ripen, this leaves the seed unviable and unable to reproduce new plants. In this case we need to introduce a plant or alter the nutrient content of the soil, and an ideal plant for this is Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor).
Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor)
Yellow rattle is an annual plant that completes its lifecycle in a single year. Seeds germinate in early spring and tend to grow quickly, establishing roots that develop underground. These roots seek out roots from other plants such as grasses which they attach themselves to and begin to absorb nutrients and water from them which suppresses their growth. Yellow rattle has been referred to as “natures lawnmower”. Amazingly the yellow rattle can suppress grasses by up to 60%, this gives other plants a chance to establish and grow. To find out how and when to introduce Yellow rattle get in touch using the form below.
Fact: Yellow rattle is pollinated in the main by bumble bees but also other species of large bees. Following flowering the flowers are succeeded by large inflated looking seedpods. When these ripen the seeds contained within tend to rattle, hence the name, in years gone by farmers would use this rattling to determine when the hay in the fields was fit to cut.
planting into existing grassland
Create a wildflower border using plants into existing grassland
Transplanting young wildflower plants into grassland is a useful technique to enable the re-creation of rich flora, this is a fantastic way of thinning out progressive plants that can out-compete a wildflower meadow into another area to increase biodiversity and at no additional cost for seed. We can advise you on how and when to do this, get int touch below.
Preparation for planting
The area for planting should be closely mown prior to planting and the all arisings removed. A good point to note is that planting can be undertaken at any time throughout the year, the only stipulation is that the soil must be moist, but the Ideal planting time is August to October.
Using Bulbs
Planting bulbs in wildflower meadows, borders, or grassland
Bulbs are suitable for naturalising in conditions that are close to their natural habitat. What this generally means is that woodland types will thrive in the shade of most shrubs and small garden trees and wetland plants will thrive successfully in wet and boggy areas maybe around a pond or a natural or man-made lake. What type of bulb, and when to plant them will depend on the type of land you have. We can advise you on this via a consultation.
In Conclusion
We in Britain have lost large swathes of ancient meadows mainly since World War two with the need to intensify Agriculture to feed an ever-growing population but also due to urban expansion. We need to increase our wildflower meadows in particular a lot of species that once occupied meadows now live on verges and are becoming isolated to them.
Apart from the Biodiversity of wildflower verges and meadows the aesthetic beauty in a urban setting surely must help with wellbeing, I mean what’s not to like – wonderful flowers in an otherwise monochrome urban setting. The added benefit of no cyclical grass cutting and strimming, the chance for habitats to grow and species to thrive are all major reasons why we need to look seriously at how we integrate these verges and meadows into our Environment.
We need to look after nature or Nature can’t look after us
If you’d like to know more about how to integrate wildflowers into amenity weed control, whether you want us to walk you through the process or have us do it all for you, please contact our Specialist Advisory Manager using the form below who will talk you through the benefits, and help you incorporate it as part of a more sustainable Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategy.