80
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SPRING
2016
wild
whimsically
Beyondbeingbeautiful,
wildflowershave thepower tonour-
ish the land.Afterall,whenyoucare forapieceof land,youwant
todo the right thingby it.Whetheryouhaveanareaof lawn ina
typical home landscapeora sectionofopen field, establishinga
‘wildflower meadow’ will reward youwith a stunningarray of
colour, lessmowingandmorewildlife. Bothannualandperennial
meadows caneasilybegrown frommixedwild flower seeds or
byusingwildflowerplugplants.Seedsare themost cost effective
option, particularly forannualmeadowsor forplantingup large
areas. Annual wild flowers bloom in their first season, givinga
vivid colour display from lateSpringonwards beforedyingand
settingseed in latesummer,earlyautumn.Seedssuchascornflow-
ers,poppiesandcorncocklearebeautifullyeffectivescattered in
rich fertile soil bedsandborders tocreateacolourfulmeadow.
Perennial wild flower seeds formeadows consist of grasses and
flowers, and thrivebest onpoor soilswhere thegrasswon’t out-
compete thewild flowers. Thesemeadowsaremost successful in
large areas and take several years to establish properly and
flower.Most perennial wild flowermixtures containahigh level
of grass seedandaregenerallyunsuitable for small gardenuse,
often turning intoaweedy-lookingmessaftera fewyears!
Ed. Note: Kodie Orr has a truly Green Thumb. If you need any type of helpwith
your gardens this season, contact Kodie:
Creatingawildflowermeadow takesperseverance. Startout small inan
areawithplentyof sunlight andgooddrainage. Chooseaspot youcan
“control”–whereyoucaneasilywater, ifnecessary, toget theplants
established. Awildflowermeadow is less labour intensive thana lawnand it
costs less tomaintainBUT it isnotmaintenance-freeso, don’texpect instant
beautywithnowork.
Plantwildflowersnative toyourarea. Dosome researchandspeakwitha
knowledgeableexpert atoneof our local greenhouses.
Springplanting ismostcommon–afterall dangerof frost ispast.
Prepareyoursoil byhandorby rototilling. Till onlyasdeepasnecessary to
removeold roots.Wildflowersgrowbest insoilsof low fertilitywhere
nitrogen levelsare low.
Whenyou’re ready tosow, chooseanearlywindlessdayand followdirections
carefully.Most seedmixturescontainannual andperennialwildflowers. An-
nualssproutquickly, grow fast, are the first tobloomand live foronlyone
growingseason. Perennialscomebackeveryyear from thesame roots.
During theseason, youmightdecide topullweedsor just let themgo. but the
look ismeant tobenaturalistic, notmanicured. Onceayear, at theendof the
growingseason, afterseedshave formed, youshouldmow theentirearea,
withyourmoweron itshighest setting.
|E|
Formorewildflower growing tips go to
(CanadianWildlife Federation)
Awildflowermeadow is romantically beautiful,
but not maintenance-free—it is less labour
intensive than a lawn, requires littlewater and
it will cost less tomaintain. Think of it as a
window opening onto nature—you’ll see a lot
morewildlife as your tough and hardy
wildflowermeadowmatures, birds, butterflies,
and small animalswill be attracted to your
scent-filledwild garden.
ESCARPMENT
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