Top meadow lawn mistakes and problems + mini meadow lawn update

[@penelopehammerton2907]

Great video Alexandra, you always get such knowledgeable people to speak to us. I always feel better informed after one of your videos. Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You're so welcome!

[@stevef1264]

Great to see Joel on your channel Alexandra you certainly picked the right guy for advice on wildlife meadows. I recommend his channel to everyone

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It's excellent, isn't it? I love the timelapses.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Hey Stephen, I really appreciate your kind comments - it was great to do this with Alexandra and I am looking forward to more. Hope you are well - best wishes, Joel

[@irairod5160]

FABULOUS! I love all of your videos, but this one--exulting the importance of planting natives--particularly appeals to my heart! The advice where I garden (east coast of the USA, mid-Atlantic, zone 7) is to aim for 70% natives. I have a very small townhouse backyard and it was all lawn with a skinny border of invasive species (nandina and liriope). I dug up those two and have been slowly replacing them with deeper borders of native perennials and shrubs, and I'm probably closer to 80% natives now, which leaves room for me to grow some non-natives that I love, like white-pink-red Cosmos, and the tall and airy Verbena bonariensis. They just make me smile, and attract birds and bees, so I feel it's a good compromise! I have space for 1 and only 1 small tree, so I'm planting an Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) this fall. A serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) would've been a better selection (in terms of wildlife support) but since I only get the one tree and have to love it just as much as the birds and other pollinators do, I went with the one ***I*** find most appealing. I've also planted Carex pensylvanica to leave a patch of grass for a (future) dog to roll in. It gives the look of "lawn" but it's supportive of native insects and, as long as one can tolerate "tufts" rather than a completely flat and low grass, it rarely, if ever, needs mowing. I'm also growing the plant that attracts the highest diversity of pollinators in my area, Mountain Mint, in large pots because it is a garden thug and I don't have space for it to spread as much as it would love to. It brings insects I had never seen in my life! Gardening has saved me from falling into despair during these lockdown and social isolation times, and I'm so grateful to have a little patch of soil to work on. Planting is an act of hopefulness, isn't it? Thank you for yet another incredibly inspiring (and educational) video.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Planting is indeed an act of hopefulness and it sounds as if you have been doing a great job. Interesting grass recommendation.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Hi there - thank you so much for your kind words - it's so good to hear that you are doing the same and are aware of the importance of these habitats. There is a video on my channel showing a few of the different meadows created in both back gardens, front gardens and larger acre sites :) Thank you for your support - best wishes, Joel

[@irairod5160]

@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thank you! Will watch those videos today!

[@ec9401]

This is amazing! I have been doing the same in my yard here in the northeast US zone 6a - and I too was amazed by the pollinators on my mountain mint! And the beach plum!

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

@@ec9401 So glad you enjoyed this - planting in this way, with wildlife in mind, certainly brings it's rewards :) Best wishes, Joel

[@paulinewqi]

Love a meadow of wilderness.....wildflowers, wildlife etc....am not a fan of manicured lawn... Thanks so much to your guest J.Ashton, he shares very valuable and exciting information on starting a meadow.... Thanks so much for this video...enjoyed every minute of it.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Hi Pauline - thanks so much for your kind words :) I do hope that the video encourages more and more people to garden with wildlife in mind, and appreciate that wild doesn't necessarily mean messy! I really enjoyed the interview with Alexandra - best wishes to you and yours, Joel

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@emkn1479]

We have a huge expanse of weedy, rough grass that was used for pasture briefly decades ago, but is never used otherwise, being on a slight slope. Last year we decided not to mow everything but a path around the exterior. So many asters and other wildflowers were already there, just waiting to come into bloom. It was lovely watching the grasses sway and seeing all the wildlife visit. I’ve been weeding out any invasive thugs I see while also planting spring bulbs and scarifying areas for seed sowing. This past fall I put down a bucket full of collected and purchased wildflower seeds in an effort to diversify what’s there. It’s far from picture perfect but it brings us joy, cuts down on needless mowing, and will be an enjoyable experimental project for years to come. I listened to a podcast by Margaret Roach (A Way To Garden) and was inspired to do as she did, and just stop mowing and let areas grow. We are in a rural area so even when our field looks a bit tattered, it’s right at home.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That sounds beautiful. How wonderful to have asters pop up.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

This is wonderful to read Emily - well done you! Best wishes - Joel

[@emmalouie1663]

I think the answer of not disturbing the bees is pretty simple. Section out the lawn into areas, quadrants or zones and convert one section at a time that way the bees can keep moving around the yard. I would go out there and rip up sections of lawn by hand and plant it. It would take a while but it would convert eventually.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's an interesting thought, thank you.

[@bredear]

I have always ignored your channel because I thought it was about boring roses and hostas. Then I saw your videos about meadow gardens, native plants, insects and I just love it! Thank you!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! I can safely say that I have never even mentioned hostas, except in conjunction with 'eaten by slugs and snails'.

[@joycee5493]

I’m so happy to hear that he does not advocate for chemical use. I love the idea of Using plants that are somewhat larger than plugs. Once those plants are established, they’ll spread and produce their own seed. Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@debradykstra8703]

Love how your questions always get right to the heart of the matter for those of us learning new garden skills. 💚🌞🌱

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@SIC647]

Oh! It's you! I have followed your blog for many years. I didn't know your had a YT channel. I am so happy that this showed up in my recommendations.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@lesliekendall5668]

I wonder what Joel would say about how I'm establishing a cottage garden over my front lawn and that was to lay down cardboard (then soaked with the hose) with mulch on top to kill the grass underneath. Then when I was ready to sow wildflower seeds I covered the area with compost first. Then planting the perennials I move away a bit of the compost and mulch, stab holes in the rotting cardboard, and plant the perennial in the compost and mulch hole. This technique is used alot in the US and can be an instant change of a lawn area. I learned the technique from the permaculture guy in Australia, Geoff something.

[@conniekeshet]

I once watched a video on planting native plants. There was a statistic on how many more creatures are found using the natives compared to imported plants. The gardener had done a whole survey counting bugs... and i cannt remember but there was no comparison. Bugs and creatures love native plants!!

[@Cpicky]

I watched a program from JC Raulston Arboretum titled Non Traditional Pollinator Plants by the director Mark Worthington. It can still be found and is extremely informative. I admire Middle Size Garden as she is always exploring and trying new things. When it doesn’t work she is quick to admit it and look for solutions.

[@conniekeshet]

@@Cpicky il do a search for it. Yes i love the middle sized garden, she covers so many topics and seems to have wonderful gardeners of all kinds on.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, yes, native plants are so important. Although here in the UK, the RHS did some research that showed that much of our wildlife is quite well adapted to a wide range of plants and flowers, so their recommendation for borders is to combine both native and non-native plants. But for meadow lawns and wilder areas, then native is certainly best.

[@Cpicky]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Yes, that is what Mark Wethington’s studies indicated. Natives are wonderful but careful selection and diversity are extremely important.

[@DeborahChapin]

I've been using two other ideas over the past two or three years that have worked really well. I let my grasses grow long, but then I set pots into the area and leave the pots in place the pots then make the area below it baren and you can then plant into it a good size plant a gallon size plant and that plant will thrive. You can also put a large pot in a place then move the pot the following year and you've created a nice barren spot and you can move it around. It doesn't disturb all of the other things around it and it is a slow process, but I do think it works really well. For an area that I wanted to build a new border I lay a black plastic down and let that over winter. The wildlife use it as cover for a warm spot in the sun during the winter but then in the spring, the grass is completely killed in those spots. It hasn't disturbed anything around it, and I can dig into it and the earth worms have had a heyday.

[@annmorrow7369]

I reported to you my failed attempt to have a very small wildflower garden. We are using the method of smothering the grass with cardboard. We don't have any wildlife living in the ground in our high desert zone 6 lawn in the US. I will let you know how it turns out for me. Really liked this video. Gave very good information for so many different situations. Thank you for all you bring to us and our gardens.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Hi Ann - from your message can I assume that you're either in Arizona or pretty close-by? I am not sure whether you have considered it already but Yellow Rattle would be a great addition to the lawn, do see Alliance of Native Seedkeepers as they may well be able to help:) Best of luck and so glad you enjoyed this - best wishes, Joel

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@annmorrow7369]

I am actually in Idaho. The yellow rattle might work. I will check on it. Thanks.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

@@annmorrow7369 I was nearly correct! ;) Good luck with it all Ann.

[@peterl.104]

After watching about a dozen videos from this Channel, I finally subscribed! I was hesitant because I want to focus on native California plants, but there is lots of good info in all these videos and I can’t believe they are weekly. So much work and commitment!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! And apart from very plant specific information, I think many of the general principles of gardening and garden design work across a wide range of climates. (I have just taken two weeks off, but I usually do manage weekly, except in December!)

[@emptynestgardens9057]

Last year I took alot of lawn clippings from mowing and started piling them up in a section I plan to turn into wildflowers only. I'm hoping the no dig approach and continue to mulch with grass will work. 🤞

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

The lawn clippings will enrich the soil, so you will be able to plant annual wildflowers that like a fairly rich soil, such as poppies and cornflowers, so pretty. But if you're aiming to create a perennial meadow, many of those plants prefer quite poor soil. The No Dig approach is great.

[@emptynestgardens9057]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden ahhh ok thank you so much that's what I will aim for then. 😉☺️ Hurry up Spring! Still a good foot of snow on the ground and more on the way here 🇨🇦

[@coolwater55]

Thank you so much Alexandra! A topic so needed! Lots of Wildflower and native plants abound in our area. However, a lawn is also full of beneficial bugs, insects, worms etc.. we get lots of birds enjoying our lawned areas. Not big lawn. But critical for the children and grandchildren to run barefoot! Playing games, a kiddie pool and safe for feet. It’s hard to play soccer with children in a wildflower meadow. So some lawn in necessary. However, so agree that every yard big or small, should incorporate native/wildflowers in any area if possible- pots or corners of the yard. We’re currently helping our grown children develop their 3 acres. First it was quite wooded, so leaving sufficient healthy trees a must! Then ridding of the alders that grow like 50’ weeds out here. A family of Elk, deer, coyote, a few bears also traipse through often. Pictures can be provided! They’ve got a good size meadow area, but heavy with dandelion/and tons of broom/blackberries! We have our work cut out, but the guys do the big work, daughter and I starting veggie garden and hope to get wildflower area going too. We’ve had unusually cold Spring weather, but it’s coming around now.

[@yvonnehall544]

Real professional advice...that's what set you apart...So we can become more knowledgeable in this gardening skill we love so much. ...Think i'm going to try the container wild life. Something new for my brain and happiness...love your video . Thanks always

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Thank you Yvonne - there are several videos on my channel regarding planting pots for pollinators and smaller meadow areas - I hope that they are helpful to you, it's always best to click the "videos" section at the top of the channel page as that's where you'll see the library of videos available. Best wishes, and thank you - Joel

[@nativesedibles2454]

THANK YOU !! LOVED THIS VIDEO!!! By far the best video I've seen on creating a mini meadow the pollinators and I thank you! So clear great advice💗

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful! thank you.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Thank you so much for your kind words - I really enjoyed speaking with Alexandra and am so glad you found this helpful. Best wishes to you and yours - Joel

[@sherrybrown4340]

Thank you so much. I’ve been planning to turn over most of our woodland “lawn” to a wildflower meadow.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Wonderful!

[@dwoodbury]

I have been working to wild my lawn into a wildflower meadow for the past few years, and like you, I found that very few of the broadcasted wildflower seeds took root through the established grass. Then last year I purchased several potted, native wildflowers from the local Audubon Society (asters, penstemon, bellflowers...} and had so much success because they already had established roots and stems; I found them mush more able to compete with grass left over from the old lawn, and also last year, even if I grew native wildflowers from seed, I let them establish in small pots away from the competition of the grass, and then when I plant them in the meadow I've had them really establish successfully.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Excellent, and it's also helpful for other commenters to see that the local Audubon Societies may be able to help - finding potted native wildflowers is quite difficult in many areas.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Perfect advice David - I am so glad you enjoyed this and in particular it's so good to read your comment and the testimony to your lawn's success. Best wishes, Joel

[@folee_edge]

Goodness - meadow lawns are absolutely gorgeous ❤️❤️

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

They are!

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

I have to agree 😊

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

In Central Texas, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has led in this effort. In Spring, we have traffic jams along highways as people stop to see fields of blue bonnets, possibly.our most beautiful wildflower. Farmers love them because as lupines they enrich the soil, which definitely needs enriching. Most of it is decomposed limestone, which lavender loves, but doesn't grow food. It is against the law to pick bluebonnets on public land. Garden Centers do sell them, and many of us have them in our gardens. Just beautiful.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That sounds beautiful!

[@scottishtomte]

I'm trying the yellow rattle method on part of a field previously mulch-mown but not fertilised. At first I just wanted lazier grass that I could mow once a year, with more wildflowers being a bonus. In late autumn 2021 I sowed 50g of seeds (off eBay) on about 200 sq.m, in small scrapes spaced on a grid about 50cm apart. In 2022 I was able to harvest 120g of seed from the resulting plants and expand the sowing on the same grid layout. This year I can see the 2022 sowing as patches and the 2021 sowing as a veritable carpet. I hope the yellow rattle has established, time will tell.

[@chamrongnature]

Thanks you !!! Great to see your channel, and thats really important your sharing.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Glad you enjoyed this - it's the best way to help wildlife, by starting in your own backyard 🙂

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Such an informative talk and so encouraging. I would love to change the lawn into a meadow field, I would feel so posh, you have no idea. I think if you can achieve a mixed border of seeds you have achieved much. I hope I am correct in thinking, we can always sow seeds amongst the established plants which could aid germination. This is really a challenge but some gardeners seem to have been most successful. I am all for it, in for a penny in for a pound, let's do it!! So much better than moving, even though I must say I enjoy moving the lawn, it's like going to the hair salon for a cut and style. How about knee high sweet peas they can lean on the taller plants to help them along. Thank you for all the good information. Go well till next time.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Thank you for your support with this - there are several videos on my channel regarding meadows that you may enjoy - one in particular regarding "meadows I have created" - I hope they all prove helpful and interesting. Best wishes to you - Joel

[@bluesky7226]

Very informative! Thank you both!💝

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

You are very welcome - am so glad you enjoyed this episode. Best wishes to you and yours, Joel

[@janereel1903]

As always, a very informative video. I've enjoyed your own chronicles on your wildflower meadow.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! I'd gone a bit quiet on it and a few people were asking, so I thought I should sort out what I need to do for the next year.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Thank you Jane - I am so glad that this has received such a good response and that more and more people are considering wildlife when gardening - there are lots of videos to help in this on my channel - best wishes to you and yours - Joel

[@charlottalindgren8484]

I did just as you did and let my lawn grow up into a meadow. Now, after three years, it's one of the best things I've done. Large numbers of butterflies, bumblebees and not least birds love the meadow. What I also noticed is that the meadow is lush even in dry summers when the neighbors' lawns are brown and desert like. Good tips for planting slightly larger plants.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

A testament to wildflower meadows if ever I heard one :) I couldn't agree more, of course! Best wishes - Joel

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Interesting, and one of the other interviewees on the Middlesized Garden who's a professional gardener noted that her longer grass areas withstood drought better than the short mown ones.

[@Bow-to-the-absurd]

Top tips for wildflower meadow. As much sunlight as possible, open area, No shade

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Great tip!

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Absolutely! Couldn't agree more 🙂

[@pamelacorsi]

Great information, as always.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you think so!

[@mums_homestead]

Fab video Alexandra, have been pondering a wild flower meadow in my new garden and the information shared here has been really helpful. :)

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

This is so good to hear :) There are lots of helpful videos on my channel if you need any more information on starting your own meadow, wherever in the world you may be - best wishes, Joel

[@mums_homestead]

@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshtonWill check them out, thanks Joel:)

[@janeelliott6772]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Glad you enjoyed this Jane - it was great to speak with Alexandra. Best wishes, Joel

[@adrabruzzese7610]

Thank you Alexandra for another great informative video.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@sweetpeasandyarrowaranchdi8327]

I sort of tried it last year out of necessity. We have a half acre grass lawn with a row of elm trees in front of our house. We had such a bad drought, we couldn't water the grass anymore, so I just quit mowing it. It looked so bad, I mowed the edges. Then we had black locust trees coming up every where. They are covered in thorns, so I do not want them. I had to go around with loppers and cut them down. We've also had a puppy a year for 3 years and they have dug some holes out there. I'm planning on putting bulbs in the holes😂. We live in high desert/grassland zone 5. There are not any native wild flowers that will come up in a lawn. I would have to strip the whole thing and plant native grasses with the native flowers. We have things like rocky mountain penstemon, lupines and desert flowers, that I don't know the names of. We are trying to restore our ranchlands that we acquired recently to accommodate all the plants and wildlife first, then our cattle. So hoping that makes up for it. 😂

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You have quite a job, but so worthwhile!

[@itsmewende]

He had me at..."put your mower away". I heard years ago not to cut the grass lower then 3 inches, that advice was to shade out the sun from the weeds. I mow around the fresh clover come spring, here in the states where I am I rarely even see a honey bee anymore, really sad.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That is sad. We've had some huge drops in bee populations over here too, but I think many people are increasingly aware of how dangerous the loss of pollinators could be for our food chains, so there's a lot of work to try to remedy it.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

So glad you enjoyed this Wende - there are many videos on my channel to help further if you need advice/tips and I'm happy to answer questions there - best wishes to you and yours, Joel

[@itsmewende]

@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I'm going to go and check it out, thanks for the reply. Best to you and yours as well.

[@itsmewende]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden ...I agree, people are starting to think about it. I think the pandemic helped to get a lot of new gardeners going. Over here you couldn't buy seeds for a while if you weren't a farmer. I had already gotten mine months earlier, I'm sure once those people ate what they grew, they'll keep it up.

[@Lyndseyde]

I used to feel so sad when the gardeners would mow away all the lovely flowers in the lawn at my flat. Thankfully I have my own little garden now so I can let them grow 🙂

[@alexandros1973]

Great video again Alexandra! I do have my own experience from transforming a lawn into a meadow and I did it last year. I was very successful the first year because there were many flowers already in the grass. I also planted a lot of native plants that I had grown from seeds collected the year before and I planted them at the end of the summer, mostly oxeye daisies, so I expect improvement this year 🤞 I thing that I was successful partly because that part of the lawn was not frequently cut even before I decide to turn it into a meadow.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It will probably look even more lovely this year.

[@melissamybubbles6139]

Thank you for this idea video. Hmm. In a new Colorado development, the only things coming up in the lawn are spurge, dandelions and crabgrass. I wish cute wildflowers presented themselves in the lawn. I guess you could desire dandelions but the HOA doesn't. I've thought about trying to add in blue eyed grass, which is a wild mini member of the iris family from nearby states. Claytonia is a spring bulb native to the American east coast, but I'm not sure if that would count out west.

[@laurenmoran9516]

If you're looking to transition away from grass, yarrow and clover are two really excellent and resilient ground cover plants that also have cute flowers!

[@BeautifulOaks]

Thank you for revisiting your mini meadow and with Joel’s interesting thoughts. I look forward to seeing your Saturday video posts. My mini meadow isn’t taking either with the red clover; they are still sporadic. Because we have been given water restrictions in our region, I’m thinking to cut out small patches of grass and transplant some potted California poppies as Joel suggested in your video. I will try to start other low growing native seeds for variety in the other empty patches. As for your mini meadow and it’s cute looking bees (but I too, would not want to disturb them in their busy season), would replacing the grass with a shorter grass sporadically planted with wildflowers in between bring a better outcome? I think what confuses me in the front design is the attempt of wildflowers contained in a structured layout. Really fitting mini or large meadows have some grass and openness to transition into that scene. That’s why I wonder if replacing the grass with 1) all together short blanket of wildflowers or, 2) shorter grass patches or mid sized ornamental grass with wildflowers in the empty areas ( during the bee’s dormant season). I’m hoping you find a solution you will enjoy. Best wishes!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I think you make very good points - whether a wildflower patch works in a structured garden design is an issue. However, I'm also going to try mowing round the edge to make the differences more deliberate (after the spring bulbs). If it doesn't look a bit better this year, I'll have to decide how to go forward.

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Thank you Beronica - there are several videos regarding meadows and including a nectar lawn with clover that are on the channel, you might find them interesting. So glad you enjoyed this episode - best wishes, Joel

[@BeautifulOaks]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I look forward to seeing your garden ideas.

[@rebeccaslater1398]

Great - thankyou

[@flowerfairy1950]

I somehow think letting our grass grow here in Australia (outside of the Cities) would be frowned upon due to threat of bushfires. Also unlike the UK, I have never seen the bulk boxes of wildflower seeds (or plugs or 9cm pots of wildflowers). People in UK have such a large choice etc

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Interesting - so I googled it and came across all sorts of terrifying advice as to what to do when caught in a grass fire. But yes, apparently grass over 10cm is more of a fire hazard than grass under that height, so I imagine wildflower type meadows may be discouraged or forbidden.

[@oldauntzibby4395]

I live in the western US and have to mow large areas around my ranch buildings and house as a firebreak and so we can see rattlesnakes, and not step on them. I still leave some areas unmowed and mostly ungrazed (just deer that jump the fences, no cattle) to give habitat for ground nesting birds and insects. I'll use your advice to try to get more wildflowers growing in those areas. I'll have to collect seed and grow my own, I think. Very little at the commercial greenhouses.

[@BeautifulOaks]

Hi Alexandra, I checked out the book you recommended by Jack Wallington, Wild About Weeds and I was reminded that Sweet violet (Viola odorata) is a lovely, tidy and evergreen plant that could look great in your front garden as a replacement for the lawn. I have had some experience with it being hardy in the dry months (once established), cheerful in late winter and undemanding of attention. Maybe it could work well for you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's a good idea. We are battling on with the lawn at the moment, but I don't think it's going in the right direction.

[@BeautifulOaks]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I am confident you will triumph.

[@SIC647]

I would like to add that you *do* need to mow the meadow that once a year. I have advised several people who had just stopped mowing altogether, and were confused when the meadow started to grow bushes and small trees. Forests are cool biotopes too. But if you want to keep your meadow, you need to be the "big grass eating animal on the steppe" once a year, or else nature will make the area a forest.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Great point!

[@jenni4claire]

Best thing I've done in 30 years in my present garden is create a wildflower meadow and it cost virtually nothing. I nudge people to try it all the time.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's encouraging!

[@ellydavis2066]

Question. I'm finally going to convert my front lawn into meadow. It's partly shade and I've found a good mix of mostly perennial - I know I have to play the waiting game. The mix starts to flower in May (a couple of the species). Can I plant early bulbs in the ground too? Will they take all the nutrients or will the wildflowers just engulf and starve the bulbs? Was thinking of snowdrops, crocuses?.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

yes, you can plant bulbs and they won't compete with the wildflowers as wildflowers need very little and are happy on quite poor soils. Go for bulbs which spread (naturalise), native ones and/or 'wild' versions of daffodils and tulips.

[@ellydavis2066]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Thank you for taking the time to respond. Can't wait to get started.

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Another story from Texas. This time it's about William C Welch form Texas A & M Extension. The Smithsonian called him and his group "The Texas Rose Rustlers." The.went around Texas and Louisiana collecting cuttings from old roses from cemeteries and, with permission, from gardens. They wanted to rescue old roses with fragrance and the robustness to live without fertilizers. They reintroduced them into commerce largely through the Texas Rose Emporium. Roses without pesticides

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

What a lovely story.

[@mikeadamson6696]

Hi Alexandra , as always great presentation , however my question is realted to Alastroemerias, can you provide the name of the nursery which specialises in these flowers as I need to contact them directly Regards Mike

[@folee_edge]

Thanks!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@conniekeshet]

Wow what a good laugh. You started out with youre early unimpressive start. In his videos he is so simple and its done. Wow! You really got him to talk about differing ways.

[@wemuk5170]

I have a tiny garden of just 16 feet by 32 feet (max) with no trees with just ivy & weeds overload to be all removed in an imminent garden clearance. There after, HOW MANY 9cm potted plants would I need to buy from Hazelwood, to create my garden meadow? Please can anyone help advise?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I think it would be a good idea to go to Joel Ashton's channel, and you could ask him there, as he knows more than I do. It's kzbin.info I think that if your area is being cleared, then you could use seeds - his advice about using 9cm potted plants was because if you have lawn, the lawn grasses are very dominant and seeds don't often grow there. But if you have empty soil, then wildflower seeds should grow well, and there is advice on how much seed to use per square foot on most packets. But Joel will know more about it or will have a good video on it.

[@wemuk5170]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden 🙏🙏🙏😊

[@danathomas9763]

Enjoyed your video…I do have a question. Do you rake up your cuttings after using the scythe in late summer?

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Hi Dana - absolutely you should! The cuttings will otherwise "rot down" and add more nutrient to the soil - the cuttings can be left to dry in another area and are perfect for hibernating creatures if you have the space :) Hope that's helpful - best wishes, Joel

[@stevieb6173]

no disrespect at all meant , I love your channel, but I do get sick and tired of landscapers and the like saying don't cut your lawn , some people actually really love a well manicured lawn and it really does set the borders off, you can leave a patch and mow a path through it but if you do that where you have existing borders they get lost , it's got to be well thought out and it needs to fit with your plan , but as always fantastic video and thankyou very much

[@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton]

Hi Stevie - I absolutely understand, here in the UK there's not many landscapers that recommend not cutting the lawn and most seem to prefer spick-and-span, not all lawns have to be tall or left to grow straggly by any means, a nectar lawn with clover and other low growing species still allows access to borders. To define the borders most of my clients mow a strip around and in front of the borders which looks neat and purposeful - either way, a nectar filled border can bring so many benefits for pollinators and a garden full of butterflies will bring so many rewards too :) I am really glad you enjoyed the episode - best wishes to you and yours, Joel

[@1Thedairy]

I agree with you as we decided to leave our lawn to grow wild but just didn’t work for us. Firstly the grandchildren had nowhere to play and kick a ball and secondly it looked awful after the flowering period in Sept. If you have a lot of land I think it looks great but not for me. I have plenty of pollinating plants in my borders which my neighbours bees love.