Nature and Gardening

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All things green, outdoors, and nature-y. Whether it's animals in their natural habitat, hiking trails and mountains, or planting a little garden for yourself (and everything in between), you can talk about it here.

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Tips for starting a wildflower meadow? (self.greenspace)

submitted 1 week ago by JohnDumpling to c/greenspace

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Hey people! I'm located in western Slovakia (Central Europe) and would like to start a wildflower meadow sometime during the end of March or even the start of April. It is going to replace the lawn in the middle of our plot. It is in a sunny place and no chemicals have been used for ~3 years, although the ground is not super ideal for it (not nutrient-poor). My question is: will the seeds be able to germinate if I just go over the space with a verticutter? Should I try to remove the lawn fully (i. e. using a hoe)? Cover it with cardboard to let the lawn die? I have read the excellent Wild Your Garden book by The Butterfly Brothers, and they recommend rotovating. But that seems like a lot of work. What was your experience or what species would be suitable? I'm all ears!

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[–] Perhapsjustsniffit@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago

But Jerusalem artichokes are also very invasive in many places and take over environments and choke out native species. This affects the entire environment in the area. From the plants to the bugs to the animals and the people, the water, soil nutrients, so many things. Why not plant native species. Include a few low native bushes to help the birds. Plant according to the soils and environment. It could be just about the pretty flowers or it could be about establishing a diverse ecosystem supported by your choice of plants at the beginning.