(Just a disclaimer: the shrub in the centre is a buddleja globosa not davidii which is invasive here. I planted it before I had a plan for this space. Not planning on removing it since I use it for cutting, but don’t worry I am adding tons of native shrubs!)
I posted a year ago about my plans for a diverse, mostly native meadow in the neglected “back 40” of my rental that was full of invasives. Figured I would pass along a one year update!
Highlights: I did end up with a diverse mix of native annuals and perennials. Only two of many plugs/potted plants didn’t survive. Many of the cuttings (snowberry, red osier dogwood, osoberry) I stuck into the ground in winter grew on. I had lots of blooms from fireweed and goldenrod (nativars), yellow monkeyflower, blue-eyed grass, pearly everlasting, henderson’s checkermallow, harebells, lance-leaf selfheal, grand collomia, entire-leaved gumweed, and autumn sneezeweed and few smaller/fewer blooms from Douglas’ meadowfoam, globe gilia, small flowered blue eyed Mary, clarkia amoena, and Lewis’ flax. The invasives are well controlled thanks to hand weeding intensively as well as applying glysophate to regrowth.
Lows: Some species I direct sowed didn’t show at all, including some annuals I was eager to see like sea blush. I filled in gaps with non-native late season annuals (cosmos, nasturtiums, marigolds, orach) and the display was dominated by these, as many of the native perennials that grew from seed like nodding onion, camas, beach daisy, and yarrow didn’t flower this year.
I attribute the spotty germination to my late site prep; in September I chop and dropped the invasives, covered with cardboard and a few inches of topsoil, and within a few weeks broadcast all my seeds on the surface. I suspect the cardboard layer caused the topsoil to crust in between rains, and prevented roots from getting very deep. If I had to prep a site with cardboard in late fall again, I would wait to seed in early spring.
This year I’m broadcasting a ton more seeds and starting a bunch of perennials in jugs. I’m really excited to try winter sowing for the first time and will be trying 34 species!
Going forward I am going to add plants a lot more methodically. In particular I really hope to get the grass/sedge/rush matrix locked down so there’s better year round structure. The species will be prairie woodrush, molate red fescue, roemer’s fescue, tufted hairgrass, junegrass, slender hairgrass, and California oat grass.
by quartzkrystal
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