Meadow Monoculture

We took the grandchildren to a local garden attraction over the weekend. A grand time they had of it. 

I was a bit surprised though to find the wildflower meadow areas they had were pretty limited and - to be honest - rather disappointing. They were more knapweed fields than wildflower meadows! 

I'm a fan of Knapweed generally - it's a pretty plant and invaluable later summer nectar source - but not to this degree! Part of the knack of meadow management is to continually improve diversity, and it's pretty simple to see what's gone wrong here and how to put it right.

I'd think the annual hay cut has been done too late, probably for several years. Regularly cutting in late August allows the Knapweed to set seed, which has led to this. It's not a terribly long lived perennial, so needs to regularly regenerate.

We recommend cutting if not in sections over time, then at slightly different times each year, starting in late July.  This encourages both early and late flowering species. Oh - and, of course, always remove cuttings. 

You can target specific flowers too. One of our meadow areas has lovely cowslips, which we encourage by taking an earlier cut than elsewhere. It's a good example of how wildflower meadows are actually artificial constructs, and how active management can dramatically change the look of them. 

Anyway, back back to Knapweed central. Oversowing with Yellow Rattle once cut is going to help too. Rhinanthus minor will reduce the vigour of the grass, which will help floral diversity, but will also act on Centaurea nigra. 

This kind of management tweak will have a rapid impact. Keeping the sward nice and open allows plants like this Pyramidal orchid - a first in our meadow - a chance to appear. A while ago we sowed one of our harvested mixes in this area; several of them include orchid seed but we don't advertise it as orchid germination is rather hit and miss!