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I planted a wildflower meadow three years ago. First year was great with lots of poppies daisies and cornflowers (photo 1 & 2) The last two years the daisies have dominated everything (photo 3) and very few copies or cornflowers despite reseeding some patches with them, what can I do to get a mixed meadow



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Hi Paul and welcome to GoY. I'm very impressed with your wildflower meadow! Unfortunately the daisies will always try to dominate, when you say you reseeded did you remove remove the daisies or simply reseed over them? You'll need to actually dig out and turn the soil over then reseed - good luck it is well worth doing!

1 Jul, 2015

 

Thanks - I did not dig they daisies up but used as strimmer to make several bared patches after cutting back in the late summer and then reseeded the patches.

I feared that would be the suggested answer - i.e. dig them up and start again. I fear it is too big a task to do that.

1 Jul, 2015

 

I think it looks great, even with just the daisies. Mg is right, poppies and cornflowers can't compete with daisies; the new seedlings are too tender. You don't have to dig up the whole lot; just a few places for only the poppies and/or cornflowers. After a little coddling, they'll be fine. Also, birds love the seeds too.

1 Jul, 2015

 

I think it looks amazing and more importantly helping lots of important insects and wild life . have you thought about getting a hive ? it would be awesome .

1 Jul, 2015

 

Bathgate has said what I was just going to say. And poppies germinate best on newly disturbed ground.(Think of the WW1 poppies) The seed from last year may well still be there but dormant. If you can get some Yellow Rattle too that will help as it is a grass parasite and weakens the competition from the grass to give all the flowers a better chance.
Some meadow cranesbill,Geranium pratense would make a nice blue addition to your meadow too.

1 Jul, 2015

 

Thanks to all. What Bathgate suggested is exactly what I did last year. I put yellow rattle in but that too has been swamped by the daisies. The problem is not the grass but the dominant daisies. I do not want to lose them all, just have a balance.

Should I mow at a certain time to keep the daisies down and let the others come up?

2 Jul, 2015

 

I just wouldn't fight nature as you wont win . the daisies are lovely and great for the earth .

2 Jul, 2015

 

I would pick up the idea of digging a few daisies out here and there and reseeding with poppies. I think your meadow is really lovely and if you do end up with just daisies, you will still be helping the bees and other insects, which is so vital in these days of meadows disappearing under concrete and bricks.

2 Jul, 2015

 

Wild poppies grow well as I said on newly disturbed ground. They may well appear the first year but when surrounding plants take over they all but disappear. I have seen other attempts to do this which often look great the first year but after that revert to what would naturally do well on that site. When they, and cornflowers too, were common in the countryside it was normally in cornfields which were ploughed over every year. Poppies are strange and touchy things. I planted lots for WW1 commemorations last year and only one appeared, and that was somewhere different from where I had sown any. Two popped up this year, one in the fuchsia bed and one in the veg plot. Don't want to discourage you but I'd not pin too much hope on keeping the meadow as it is in your photo, lovely as it was. You stand more chance with daisies and geranium pratense. Try some restharrow too.

2 Jul, 2015

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