Turning 1/4 acre into a wild garden

Harry Palmr · 23-06-2019 9:29am

Yep I mentioned somewhere (!) that Waterford Council seems to have a no spray and reduced mowing policy this year along the ring road - the grass verge outside GrowHQ has been left entirely. I'm guessing Micheal Kelly had a word with them to leave it. I'll post a picture next time I'm over there.

Lisha · 23-06-2019 9:29am

https://www.beebombsireland.com/shop-1

I found this a nice easy resource for someone like me who hasntva clue about gardening. A nice way to get the kids involved too.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 23-06-2019 9:50am

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Yep I mentioned somewhere (!) that Waterford Council seems to have a no spray and reduced mowing policy this year along the ring road - the grass verge outside GrowHQ has been left entirely. I'm guessing Micheal Kelly had a word with them to leave it. I'll post a picture next time I'm over there.

Same here. Yet the local newshound seems to have missed the point

https://www.talkofthetown.ie/uncut-grass-on-key-routes-around-dundalk-has-town-looking-unsightly/.

finla · 23-06-2019 10:25am

Driving home yesterday evening and was saddened to see Wicklow county council out cutting the central median of the N11. Can't see why, if anything the longer grass would make it a safer drive at night as it would block the blinding lights from oncoming traffic.
Meanwhile, kudos to Wexford county council for the mass of ox-eye daisies on the Clough roundabout! Looks amazing.

NIMAN · 23-06-2019 10:14pm

How do you start an area like this on an existing grass area?

Do you have to get rid of the grass completely?

Graces7 · 24-06-2019 7:46am

NIMAN wrote: »

How do you start an area like this on an existing grass area?

Do you have to get rid of the grass completely?

Interesting question.. Depends on the grass? My back patch was sheer grass last year when it had been grazed but this year all kinds of wild flowers are up and glorious. But we are surrunded with them.. maybe just scattering seeds of flowers will work? It has done here . They are superbly hardy and vigorous our wild flowers. Let the grass grow and add wild seed.

Roen · 24-06-2019 8:07am

NIMAN wrote: »

How do you start an area like this on an existing grass area?

Do you have to get rid of the grass completely?

One recommendation I had was the following.

Spray the area at the end of summer. When everything has died off you plough the soil.
Wait til the start of spring, spray again.
Plant at the end of spring.

Might go against the spirit of the thread to be lashing round up about but apparently you'll get good results.

I wonder would covering everything for a month do, then plough, then cover again in spring and plant after that.

magicbastarder · 24-06-2019 8:59am

if it were me; let the grass grow long, cut it and remove it. this helps reduce the fertility of the soil, which is important in creating a meadow.
you can get meadow seed mixes, and if you do get one, keep an eye out for yellow rattle in the mix, which is partially parasitic on grass roots so helps reduce the vigor of the grass.

i can see in some 'managed' lawns near me where they pay people to mow the lawns and take the clippings away, but obviously nothing else is done, so the soil is probably exhausted. one being our next door neighbour; the lawn is maybe 10 or 20% grass by now, but if it's left unmown for a week or two, is a riot of cats ears flowers. there's a similar story with other neighbours and various other flowers around here.

RiderOnTheStorm · 24-06-2019 10:23am

Have my own conversion project going too.

Had chickens, got rid of them (became too much work ... thats anoth story). So let their area go wild. Wanted a wildflower / meadow for bees, nature and not another lawn to cut! I didn't do anything to the plot, but the birds had it worn back to bare earth.

This is what it looked like first summer after chickens .....

Lots of uneaten seeds have grown. You cant see but there are some wild cabbage, poppy and wheat. Most eye catching is sunflowers and clover.

This is what it looks like today...

No sign of sunflowers, but hopefully they will appear later. I have strategically planted plugs of various sorts (yellow rattle, bergamot, gooseberry shrub, etc) and they are still there, but cant be seen in pic. .... Just giant daisy... Dont know where they came from! Still lots of clover in there. Bees love that. Great to hear buzz whenever I go in there.

Graces7 · 24-06-2019 2:30pm

The ditches by the lanes here are a glory of Royal Fern .. we were to the shore early today down a boreen rarely used now and the whole lane is lined with them.. Planning to propagate them which looks easy enough and line the drive and pathways..

They have a fascinating history and medical uses

http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/...n,%20Royal

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 24-06-2019 3:17pm

RiderOnTheStorm wrote: »

Have my own conversion project going too.

No sign of sunflowers, but hopefully they will appear later. I have strategically planted plugs of various sorts (yellow rattle, bergamot, gooseberry shrub, etc) and they are still there, but cant be seen in pic. .... Just giant daisy... Dont know where they came from! Still lots of clover in there. Bees love that. Great to hear buzz whenever I go in there.

Excellent. That is the natural wildness needed and a good mix of plants. Too many people see a particular plant in the area, collect seed and end up with just another monoculture. My only suggestion would be to perhaps cut the daisies before they seed and completely take over and smother everything. The seeds from last year should come - even if not until next year.

lordgoat · 24-06-2019 6:11pm

There is no need to spray with roundup. Cover the area for a few months. Spraying for wildflowers is the lazy way out. It's too late for this year anyway, so relax plan for next year.

Cracking photos Rider!

RiderOnTheStorm · 24-06-2019 6:54pm

Yea, not the flowers I had hope for, but thats the 'wild' part of wildflower I guess. Still ... very easy on the eye, and looks great in large numbers.

Srameen: thx, will do that. Good tip.

lordgoat: photos.... Only just re-discovered how to post them here! Caution: Side effects of gardening may make you more technical!

NIMAN · 24-06-2019 8:30pm

I see these yokes called BeeBombs for sale.
Apparently just throw them at your ar$e and that's you done, wild garden will come?

https://www.beebombs.com/

magicbastarder · 24-06-2019 8:44pm

i always assumed seed bombs were designed to be thrown into derelict sites from outside; they're an expensive and inconsistent way to seed a site if you've full access to it.

secman · 24-06-2019 8:46pm

Our percolation bed is our wild meadow

Pretzill · 24-06-2019 8:56pm

The yellow flag irises are putting all else to shame in our wild spot at the moment. Loving all the photos!

NIMAN · 24-06-2019 9:00pm

I've noticed a few areas in Derry recently that used to be mown down completely by the council, have only been cut at the edges, with a lot left uncut and to grow wild.

Not sure if its a policy or if they are just taking the easy way out?

magicbastarder · 24-06-2019 10:25pm

they started doing it on the big open grass area in the middle of ballymun a couple of years ago (i.e. leaving it unmown). most of that grass area is under a building site now though.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 24-06-2019 10:27pm

NIMAN wrote: »

Not sure if its a policy or if they are just taking the easy way out?

Same here and I think it's a bit of both. Stick a sign "Left uncut for the bees" and the Tidy Towns judges may be placated.

Graces7 · 25-06-2019 6:06am

sdp wrote: »

Beautiful Grace7

Thank you. What I am doing here is not planting a wild flower garden, but rather running a wild flower refuge! The island is incredibly rich in local wild flowers, and thankfully the verges and abandoned fields have reverted to their former glory. If they ever decide to manicure the verges?

Hence the aim to bring in some of the plants; dog daisies almost on the tarmac that will get destroyed by a car or tractor.... the Royal Fern that would get mowed if they trimmed the hedges.

I do not have the money or the physical strength to make a new garden and it would look out of place here but nurturing what we still have is different. Conservation which is what wild gardening is about.. Just been down the lane and my drive is a microcosm of the true wild flower life here. Just a narrow track between wide beds of varied gentle wild flowers that have been here for generations

There are three very old gnarled fuchsia bushes here that are alive with bees. A wonderful sound. And my small flower garden too..

Summer!

looksee · 25-06-2019 9:13am

NIMAN wrote: »

I've noticed a few areas in Derry recently that used to be mown down completely by the council, have only been cut at the edges, with a lot left uncut and to grow wild.

Not sure if its a policy or if they are just taking the easy way out?

This is called an All Ireland Pollinator Plan so presumably it includes the North, a lot of councils have signed up to it https://pollinators.ie/

Graces7 · 25-06-2019 11:13am

looksee wrote: »

This is called an All Ireland Pollinator Plan so presumably it includes the North, a lot of councils have signed up to it https://pollinators.ie/

Good work.

also saves on exhaust fumes from mowers so extra good work!

Thud · 27-06-2019 1:29pm

secman wrote: »

Our percolation bed is our wild meadow

What mix did you sow on it?

Graces7 · 27-06-2019 4:58pm

My wild flower driveway is looking totally superb in this glorious weather.. Sat by the gate knitting today just revelling in the gold and purple and white and green glory of it. The cats and I have worn a narrow path through the thigh high growth.. YAY!

Varta · 28-06-2019 11:25pm

What a night for the garden. Balmy and intoxicating. Scented stock, Honeysuckle, Jasmine and, of course, wild flowers. So many scents that you don't get throughout the day. And then the two big discoveries (for me anyway), Black Elder... smells of herbs and citrus, and Sunflower... that childhood smell of rubber ducks and Cabbage Patch dolls - both have to be right up close. It's great to be alive!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 29-06-2019 9:22am

Varta wrote: »

What a night for the garden. Balmy and intoxicating. Scented stock, Honeysuckle, Jasmine and, of course, wild flowers. So many scents that you don't get throughout the day. And then the two big discoveries (for me anyway), Black Elder... smells of herbs and citrus, and Sunflower... that childhood smell of rubber ducks and Cabbage Patch dolls - both have to be right up close. It's great to be alive!

The night scented plants are usually those that have evolved to be pollenated by moths.

This is a group of valuable pollinators often forgotten when people are creating 'bee friendly' wild flower areas.

Turning 1/4 acre into a wild garden

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