Wildflower meadow OR buffet for deer?
akgildea
9 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (14)
akgildea
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Question about starting a new shrub garden in a meadow
Comments (5)Sounds like Deer Heaven to me. I did this in the area around my leach field, but moved before it matured. I had all the trees and shrubs caged in wire or tree tubes and it wasn't a pretty sight. Hard to find things that the deer won't eat, but I was trying calycanthus, lindera, assorted cornus, sambucus and spirea (in case everything else got eaten!) plus the white oaks, the nyssa sylvatica and a sourwood....See MoreMeadow making
Comments (24)I'm also starting a meadow. I have a natural field with grass paths through it that I mow. There are already some wild flowers growing there, but I wanted to have more. My SIL wanted to plant a cover crop for deer so although I may have done things a little differently, this is what we (he LOL) did: Weed-whacked the grasses, etc. down to the ground Raked the entire area numerous times Roto-tilled it numerous times Scattered seed Let mother nature take her course I'll let you all know how it turns out. My SIL already has a meadow. I don't know how she prepped the site, but I know she added seeds to it every year until it was established. She does not weed it. She depends on the flowers blooming at different times to camouflage and compete with the weeds. Then I came across this method posted here. My area was much too large for this method, but I think it's about the easiest, fastest way I've heard of. INSTANT BEDS Posted by donn_ 7a, GSB, LI, NY (My Page) on Tue, Mar 28, 06 at 19:01 Need quick bedspace for your new babies? Here's a surefire way to build them quickly, using nothing but lawn and cardboard. Groundlevel beds: Cut the lawn/sod about 6-8" deep, in sections you can handle easily. In the space you dug the sod from, lay out sheets of cardboard. Soak the cardboard. Flip the sod chunks upside down, so the grass side is on the cardboard. You now have a new bed, which can be planted into immediately, with a little compost added to the back fill. Elevated beds: Find a part of the yard that could use a new woodchip path (alongside a bed is a good spot, because it doesn't have to be mowed or edged, because there won't be any grass to grow into your bed). Dig out the same sod chunks outlined above. Lay out the cardboard where you want the new bed, and soak it down. Flip the sod chunks same as above. It's ready to plant. Put down some landscape fabric where you dug out the sod, and cover it with 6-8" of woodchips. You now have a weedfree path that will make compost at it's bottom, which you can harvest every year. Just rake back the top, shovel the bottom into adjacent beds, rake the top back into the bottom, and put a new layer on top. The primary benefits of instant beds are that you don't need layers of greens and browns like with lasagna beds, and they don't shrink down like lasagna beds. Nancy in Wisconsin...See MoreIndigenous Meadow Above my Country Cottage - photo heavy
Comments (16)Up around Tulsa the highways are not sprayed and only mowed after the wildflowers go to seed. Miles and miles of wildflowers bloom along the highways. I cannot vouch for the how it looks on the off roads - dirt roads - but at least you see the Tulsa area officials taking a stand for Nature. They are more progressive thinking up there. Over on the West side of Stillwater the same is true to a lesser extent, but only because of the university faculty and students. The local yo-calls don't seem that "into" the local Wildlife or preservation that I have ever seen, other than shooting it and making trails with their three wheels and other rec vehicles. The land on the west side and an area on the south side of Stillwater belongs to Okla State. They have a large experimental garden there that is open to the public. They also have lots of experimental sites dotted around in Payne county where they grow new crops, varieties of fruit, fruit trees, herbs & flowers. Once a year the plants are sold to the public. Too pricey for me, but all proceeds do go back to the school's horticultural or agricultural studies. On the west side is where Lake Karl Blackwell is located, which I believe was built by students many many years ago and is operated by the University. Loblolly pines were planted there about 30 years ago. There are little log cabins that can be rented and some are perpetually leased, so the families keep them for generations. My kids and I spent one Fourth of July at one of the cabins with a friend and her family. They were small, spacious and VERY NICE. In the spring the wildflowers along the highway are quite pretty. They were almost all seeded by university students. One year they seeded the median with Oxeye Daisies and for more than two miles they filled the grassy median. Sure beat just old Bermuda grass. It was lovely. But down this way...not the same story. As for the farmers and ranchers who leas that land....uh...well. They spray with herbicide. They use chemical fertilizers and they us pesticides. On the days they spray, I keep all the animals inside and you cannot go outside else you might choke to death on it. I am serious. Yes, I have called the authorities concerning my complaint about the herbicide and etc. I told them how it killed off all my wildflowers and even my herb garden. They smiled and told me, "Hey lady. This is farm country. What do you expect the farmers to do? They have to do what they have to do to make a living, and if that means spraying, then they spray. And I seriously doubt you would find any lawyer who would be willing to take your case, and if they did, it would end up costing you more than you lost." He was right. However, I have put the word out with lots of the locals about what I am doing out here, especially the owner of the local feedstore in town, (who is the one you call when you want to know ANYTHING around here), so I am sure Jim has told the local men about me and my "funny ways a doin' things". This town is like Mulberry USA, except that instead of going to the barber shop, they all meet over at Jim's feedstore and stand around jawing about "important stuff". I talked to the new guy who leases that land about the herbicides. He said 'Why sure little lady!" with a big cheesy grin and then 2 days later he sprayed anyway. However, this year he didn't spray herbicides and he left a wide span of wild vegetation between where he plowed and sprayed fertilizers and planted his crops and our 2 stretches of fence that borders his field, so I am HOPING he is being considerate. At least I will act like that is why he did that. Probably just left those areas to prevent erosion, but whatever. It works for me! As one of the locals sages here likes to to tell me, "Things here is the way they always has been, and there ain't no a'changin" how they is, don'tcha see?" And that is the truth. :) Have a good one whoever you do. ~Annie...See MorePlanting new Meadow in Mid Atlantic
Comments (3)Greetings, Glad to hear that you are moving away from mowing. You are doing the right thing by getting rid of invasive plants first. If this were my project, I would do it this way. 1. Establish the area that is being planted. Flag any good natives that you do not wish to kill. 2. Spray everything with glyphosate (Round-Up). I know people are against herbicides sometimes, but consider that this could potentially be the last time that the area will ever need to be sprayed. Ever. Plus, applying herbicide to an area a couple times is a lot better for the environment than using gas to mow it every week. 3. If you start spraying now, you should get a good kill by fall. I would spray a couple times at least to get a good kill. Make sure all the tough bad guys really are dead. Hand pulling weeds work, but is way too labor intensive unless you have a lot of free time. Save your energy for weed control the first year after planting. 4. At the end of Fall, work up the soil lightly. Not a deep till as it will only stir up weed seeds. if you can work it about 2-3 inches it would be more than enough. Some areas may not till easily. Just rough up the soil if you can't till it. 5. As winter sets in, you will want to plant your seeds. Mix the seeds with a sawdust or tree shavings (sold at farm supply stores. Hamster bedding or sand also works). Spread it evenly over the planting area. The sawdust acts as an aid to help show you what is planted and to promote even coverage. 6. The winter snow and freezing-thawing periods will work the seed into the ground. They will come up without fail in Spring. Trust me, I have done this with a number of areas on my property and it works very well with everything except some of the grasses. For more info on this google "Frost Seeding Prairie" 7. In the first year you will have a lot of weeds come up with your seeds. Do not panic. This is natural. Keep the meadow to about 6" Most of the flowers will not get taller than that the first year. The best time to cut weeds back is when they are blooming. You can also pull them out if you have time. Do this until Fall. The second year you should not have to do anything except spot treat weedy areas by trimming, pulling, or reseeding. Meadows require mowing once a year once established. This is done in early Spring before they start growing. Mow it to the ground (as low as possible). If possible, remove all clippings with a bagger or a rake. Removing the clippings allows the sun to heat the soil and thus heat it quicker. This in turns promotes meadow plants over invasive cool season plants. It also usually results in a better looking meadow. Some people suggest leaving some of lain last years growth up for nesting material for birds, but the choice is up to you. As for seed...why not collect your own? Fall is a great time of year to collect seed. I usually collect as much as I can on my own and then buy whatever else I want to plant. Seed companies usually charge quite a bit for meadow seed, but if you want to go on the cheap, figure out a list of low-growing plants that you like and then just buy those in bulk. I don't like to spend a lot of seed, so here is a short list of awesome plants that do not cost very much and are easy to get established. Black Eyed Susan Yellow Coneflower Purple Coneflower Lanceleaf Coreopsis False Sunflower Little Bluestem Indiangrass (taller, more aggressive, but very pretty. don't plant too much) Brown Eyed Susan Smooth Penstemon Butterflyweed Cupplant (best flower for birds)...See MoreLynda Waldrep
9 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agowisconsitom
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPlant4wildlife
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agowisconsitom
9 years agoPlant4wildlife
9 years agowisconsitom
9 years agoPlant4wildlife
9 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
9 years agowisconsitom
9 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDES10 Native Wildflowers With Unique Foliage
When the flowers fade, these leaves keep the garden looking good
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES10 Deer-Resistant Native Flowers to Plant This Fall
Learn about natives that embrace some kinds of wildlife but resist grazing deer
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNHow to Design a Meadow Garden Everyone Will Love
Petite grasses or sedges plus flowers make for a manageable landscape that welcomes wildlife
Full StoryGROUND COVERSGive Your Lawn a Taste of the Wild
Consider the joys of an irregularly trimmed meadow lawn: It’s ecofriendly, visually interesting and still good for romping
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Thalictrum Dioicum Thrives in Dry Shade
Plant early meadow-rue in eastern U.S. woodland gardens for its tolerance of dry sites and shade
Full StoryMY HOUZZMy Houzz: Classic Garden Style for a 1745 Connecticut Farmhouse
A boxwood maze, a sweet wildflower garden and lush plantings surround a designer’s East Coast home
Full StoryGARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIESGreat Design Plant: Blanket Flower Brings Year-Round Cheer
It's irresistible to wildlife, but this wildflower's drought tolerance, copious blooms and versatility draw human fans too
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Wild Lupine Dresses Up Rocky Gardens
Spiky blue flowers and a high tolerance for poor soil make this plant ideal for tough sites
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Black-Eyed Susan
Plant seeds this fall for rich swaths of golden blooms in the garden come summer
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Achillea Millefolium for Dry California Gardens
Yarrow attracts painted ladies and scares off garden thugs in native habitats and vegetable gardens
Full Story
dbarron