How to enhance a wildflower meadow

This video will explain how your existing meadow can be managed to extend the range of wildflower and meadow species. Tips include the use of Yellow Rattle seed, value of plant plugs and importance of proper aftercare. The video also gives practical examples where this has been successful achieved, such as Great Dixter.

[@stevemiller7949]

Now more than ever, this is the knowledge that is needed and must be spread all over the world to help preserve the environment.🙂🙂❤️

[@earthentonespublication2073]

fabulous, very useful video and inspiring. Something I am really hoping to do. Also love the little Daschund trotting past on its own in the background!

[@ArtGardens]

Love the deatiled explaination from FErgus and what I ralso eally enjoyed was the small Daschund suddenly appearing behind him. I wonder if this was filmed when Christhopher Lloyd was still alive. Awww.......

[@Woodyjims-shack]

Great video thanks.

[@cawstongreenway]

Really useful, thank-you.

[@irishelk3]

But how have meadows survived for millions of years without human intervention?

[@NickSBailey]

Is a meadow a completely natural habitat or formed alongside us as we felled forests and farmed. The closest thing before us was probably when a large tree died and created open spaces and that would have been temporary, or where the soil is too thin to support larger plants. Some ancient annuals and perennials just adapted well to the conditions we created and that became more long term. But to create a meadow isn't simple because we're working backwards we have to create the ideal conditions.

[@MrPluckacre]

They haven't !!! Thats partly why we are in the shit.

[@aliciagrisendi820]

Hervibores made their job.

[@casper1240]

My meadow is full of plantains and old ryegrass i cut the grass last august and sowed some yellow rattle but not many have appeared this year ?

[@freddieayre-smith3720]

I suppose the start of the whole process seems quite unnatural: harrowing land; and mowing but these processes either weren't necessary in the first place or mimic nature's processes. Wild grazing animals would move through and humble grasses and the soil would be disturbed in their wake which created the right conditions for germination. I wonder if there's a way of preparing a site, or maintaining one appropriately that isn't so disruptive to the soil structures that we've recently learnt so much about. Any knowledge or advice would be much appreciated.

[@wemuk5170]

There is. Go to Joel Ashton but that’s a very expensive way which I chose. Get only bulbs and 9cm plants to plant them on your lawn. There is no herbicide. Just drop them in and since they are quite strong contenders, grasses that are by nature aggressive, especially mine since I live next to Epping Forest, will not always prevail. Most people fail when starting a meadow. Either because they don’t have the patience to sow yellow rattle for a year to weaken grasses necessarily, long before starting a wildflower meadow or because they did not use established 9cm plants. Any other way, Joel Ashton said, is impossible. Choose to (1) establish yellow rattle first for a year before sowing wildflowers, or choose (2) established 9cm plug plants to place into cut down lawn. Hope that helps.

[@danjackson4149]

are there any alternatives to yellow rattle that are also semi-parasitic on coarse grasses?