How hard is it to get a lush wildflower garden?
I have a fairly steep fill slope along our road frontage and it makes me nervous watching my husband mow it. We've talked about terracing the slope, but that is a project for a different year. (I want to focus on landscaping around our house this year.) I'm debating on planting the slope with wildflowers. Sowing seed sounds easy enough, but will that really give me a lush wildflower garden as seen in these pictures? If I can get flowers to grow nice and lush like this without obvious weeds popping through, I will skip the terracing and mark a project off my to-do list. :) Are the photos below representative of what an average DIYer can do?
Comments (7)
Related Discussions
My garden is looking lush - pics
Comments (9)Thanks - I have enjoyed the pics of both of your gardens and wanted to join in. howelbama- I saw these arches on this forum last year and ran right out and got some cattle panels. I have pole beans on some and cucumbers on some. rabbits nipped down many of the pole beans early, some have re started and I have added more transplants. I also lost most of the first batch of cukes to vine borers who were out early this year, so I have just transplanted in new ones this week. They were not quite this bare on the first of July last year. There is also a couple of morning glories on each arch, so if the beans and cukes dont make it again, at least something will be there. Chicago- I am on the other side of the state, about an hour from the Twin Cities....See MoreLush Garden Dreams In A Sterile Master Community
Comments (4)If you want to enjoy the birds, bees and butterflies then put some effort into incorporating some native plants as part of your design. And remember if you want a sea of texture and color, then that equals less lawn and more shrubs, perennials and especially annuals. And when you choose shrubs then consider shrubs that flower in both spring and summer so that you have more year round color. Then consider shrubs that have good fall color for that third season. For the fourth season, mix a few evergreen shrubs as well. How is the moisture level overall? That needs to be consider. Georgia clay is actually very moisture retentive when properly mulched to help it from escaping in the top layer. Here is a link that might be useful: Georgia Native Plant Society...See MoreHow to plant a wildflower garden (or meadow)
Comments (1)By no success do you mean the plants died or that seeds did not germinate. Do you want Tennessee native plants or do you just want a colourful meadow? The easiest way is to buy plants, growing from seed is more complicated. Prepare the bed as you would for perennials: remove weeds and grass (search this forum for lasagna method or newspaper method), dig in some compost, cover with 2"-3" of mulch. Then select plants that suit your sun and soil and plant. This is not a good time of year to plant, better to plant when cooler in spring or fall but you can prepare the bed now. Tell us about your soil, soil moisture and how much sun the area gets, what size the bed will be and how tall you want the flowers to get and we may be able to give you more assistance....See MoreHow and what to add for a lush wildlife friendly landscape
Comments (22)Since you have such a long space between your house and the back fence, I'd suggest putting in at least one fast-growing shade tree somewhere where it won't hurt anything much if it falls during a storm. My first thought looking at that is "it needs shade trees." After all, hummers & birds need a place to nest. I like Yaardvark's idea, but I'd bring the shade trees more toward the front so humans and animals can benefit from them. Research deer-resistant plants, because you're likely to have some out there. Also, include a water feature, maybe under one of the shade trees, so wildlife will have water during dry spells. Some animals won't drink from moving water, so keep that in mine, and shallow places with rocks for bees, butterflies & dragonflies....See More
Becky
3 years agoEmbothrium
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
Christopher CNC
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoSowing seeds is just one part of installing and maintaining a meadow planting. The how and what are all site, location and what is growing there now dependent. In general it would be a 3 year process to have a solid flower no 'weeds', relatively stable planting maintained by a timed mowing schedule and some weeding.
If your husband is already bush hogging the slope, it would be simple enough to train it over to a flowering hog lawn that he mows less often. Yes there are plenty weed flowers that will grow just fine mixed in with grass. Half the country is prairie - or was - full of flowers.
Making prairies and meadows is very much garden making and requires active management. Once established they can be very easy to maintain. Yes it can be done. It will just take more thought, input and acceptance of natural processes than you might hope.
Wild flower seed is very easy to come by online from many reputable seed sellers that can be chosen quite specifically for your site conditions and climate zone. And I will say if you fill your apron with appropriate flower seeds and sow them on that slope, there will be more flowers on it than there were before even if it isn't the catalog quality photo every day of the growing season.
I came upon this flowering hog lawn a couple weeks ago.
houseatthelake
3 years agokitasei2
3 years ago
Embothrium