Our property hadn't been mowed in over a decade when we got it three years ago, and we've slowly been reclaiming the landscape. There's a big partially shaded area that I'd like to stop mowing, so I'm going to try and start a meadow. The catch is that we have tons of wild snowdrops and crocus so I don't want to till up or smother the lawn!
My plan is to wait until the flowers are done then mow the area as short as possible, rake it aggressively to expose soil, and then scatter a mixture of wildflower seeds and compost.
In addition to being shaded, there's a lot of moss in the lawn. Do I need to do anything about that, or can I leave it alone?
I have a native meadow seed mixture, and I am prepared to water if we need to but it's usually pretty wet here. I'm thinking compost instead of sand because I have a lot of it already, and the native soil is mostly clay so adding some nutrients may help?
by nefariousmango
3 Comments
Image is of our backyard now (March) with lots of snowdrops and crocus in the lawn.
You’ll get best results from taking and such but I got decent results from simply scattering seed packets. Idk why people say germination rate for dropping seeds like that is 1% mine was like 50%.
Scalp the sod. Bring in compost/manure. Avoid generic wild flower seed mixes and look for seeds and plants that are native to your region. Don’t forget native grasses! Some seeds need a hard freeze so they won’t grow till next year. Plugs are good but can be pricey. You may need to be out there on hands and knees pulling weeds, invasives. When you are ready to seed, mix with sand and if you can, use a broadcast spreader.