Converting garden to meadow

RiderOnTheStorm

anyone got any tips / experience of converting a garden into a wild-flower meadow?

My dad has a house on a 1/2 acre site (lawn both front and back, lots of mature trees, beds and shrubs) and cutting the grass is getting to be a chore. I thought if he converted the back garden (half of the 1/2 acre...or maybe convert just the back half of the back garden) into a wild flower meadow, he would have less grass to cut. I saw this article on tv a while back, where the gardner suggested it, and said you could use a lawnmower to cut a path through it to create a 'journey' ..... it sounded cool.

Would I have to take up all the grass? Can I buy wildflower seed on a large scale? how much seed do I need for 1/8 acre?

morgana

Have a look at this website http://http://www.allgowild.com/. They sell Irish wild flower mixes and seem, to have plenty of info up on how to grow them

eddiej

Hi,

Checkout www.wildflowers.ie

Desmo

RiderOnTheStorm wrote:

anyone got any tips / experience of converting a garden into a wild-flower meadow?

My dad has a house on a 1/2 acre site (lawn both front and back, lots of mature trees, beds and shrubs) and cutting the grass is getting to be a chore. I thought if he converted the back garden (half of the 1/2 acre...or maybe convert just the back half of the back garden) into a wild flower meadow, he would have less grass to cut. I saw this article on tv a while back, where the gardner suggested it, and said you could use a lawnmower to cut a path through it to create a 'journey' ..... it sounded cool.

Would I have to take up all the grass? Can I buy wildflower seed on a large scale? how much seed do I need for 1/8 acre?

If you do it either way (dig it up or leave it and let it go wild), you have to be
prepared to wait to let it mature. It will look awful for ages.

You can let teh grass grow and mow it a couple of times a year and remove all clippings; That will slowly convert it to a meadow. At first you will get tones of grass and docks and it will look awful but after a while, more and more weedy stuff will move in and make it look nicer. You can also introduce wildflowers mixes into parts by digging up small sections.
You have to mow it a couple of times a year to stop it becoming scrub (brambles etc.). One in June or JUly and then August or September or so.

You can neaten it up by mowing a path through it and by keeping the edge neat (by mowing). It is a great idea but you have to be patient and your dad may freak. Most people over the age of 50 will not see teh point and will worry what the neighboiurs think (I am just under 50 so am ok).

Desmo

RiderOnTheStorm

thanks for that folks. I will let y'all know how I get on.

although that may not be in the near future! lol

RiderOnTheStorm

....just wondering also, if I decide to hire a machine to cut the lawn out ... can I sell that grass/lawn? Its not great quality, but if I could sell it (even very cheaply!) it would cover the costs of converting. Maybe sell it on boards.ie ;-)

ps what is that machine called? I see it all the time on the gardening programmes! Alan Titchmarch must have shares in that company....lol

Occidental

The machines are called sod cutters. Value of removed turf will depend on quality of lawn and how well you take it up. Other option is to build a feature with it(small hill or bank), as it will rot down quite quickly.

I'd go with Desmo's cutting plan for a wild meadow. You're trying to get the ground as poor as possible, so you need to remove all grass when cutting. Wildflowers will move in, but we're talking years, not months. Otherwise pick some native wildflowers and sow in pockets. They'll selfseed and gradually spread across the garden.

AdrianR

Here's an article you might find useful:

http://www.enfo.ie/leaflets/as20.htm