Suitable wildflowers to compete with grass

taxusbaccata

Hi all,

I am planning to plant a wildflower area and will remove the topsoil for this area to eliminate fertile competitive grass.

What I was wondering for other grass meadow areas is can I plant some taller species that will be tall enough to get above the grass? eg. foxglove, yarrow etc

Thanks for any advice.

Day Lewin

Hmm...using relatively poor soil will usually be good for grassland flowers. But "planting" grassland flowers into established grassland is fraught with difficulty.

Your best plan - seriously - is to take a close look at what grows naturally in the neighbourhood (assuming there IS any native grassland still showing bio-diversity)
I mean, yarrow is found in many roadside verges, as are Cowslips, Birdsfoot trefoil, Lady's-bedstraw. Foxglove doesn't really compete with grass. Poppies love newly-turned earth.

It is possible to install new plants by inserting plugs of soil with seedlings, but it is a long, frustrating business with a high failure rate.

Best bet is to start on a policy of low-maintenance - no weedkiller, no fertiliser, and frequent mowing with removal of all the clippings.
Then come late summer you can rake up a few bald patches and scatter in some seed like yellow rattle, and red and white campions, orange hawkweed.

I've seen many, many attempts at a "wildflower meadow" - some successful, some not - and take it from me, the main ingredient for all of them is Patience.

PS don't remove ALL the grass: many wild plants need the micro-organisms that are in the roots of grasses in order to flourish. (Bee orchids, Yellow rattle) Aim for a plant "community".

oliviablond

I planted false indigo (baptisia australis) in a spot that's full sun now and will be in shade later for the same reason. You need to get a second opinion though in case I wrong. I know it's tolerating full sun (absolutely no shade) just fine but not sure how much shade it can take. Hope I was right. I really like that plant. The foliage is pretty even when it's not flowering.