St Andrews Park Wild Flower Meadow – Proposal for

St Andrews Park Wild Flower Meadow – Proposal for Creating a Small Scale Wildflower Meadow. Creating a wildflower meadow or area is all about creating the right condition for the wild flowers that naturally grow in your area. Unlike most of the work you would do in your own garden adding organic matter and improving the fertility of your soil a wildflower meadow requires lean and poor soil. The reason for this is that wildflowers need these impoverished soils to keep the competition from more rampant plants such as grass at bay. Wildflowers have declined over the last 100 years due to intensive feeding and cropping. Today some of the strong holds of wildflowers are such places as old railway lines and former wartime airfields. These areas have to be left unmanaged with no cropping or feeding and the wild flowers have managed to re-establish themselves. Establishing wildflowers in a park can be one of the hardest projects to achieve. From a design point of view it’s often difficult to marry two styles together, one from a structured park to the completely unstructured style of a wildflower area or meadow. However working with wildflowers can be one of the most rewarding projects in park management. The sheer diversity in plants and flowers, plus the added benefit of attracting wildlife such as numerous insects and birds surely makes for one of the most interesting areas in a local park. Were we live or what type of soil we have largely dictates what type of wildflowers we can grow. For example a park on a chalky thin soil will suit plants such as poppies whilst a clay loam soil will suit stronger plants more able to deal with competition such as vetches. Our first move should be the have a look around your area and see what grows naturally. Even if we live in a city centre often areas such as railway sidings or canal towpaths can provide you with this information. Most wildflowers are spotted by there flowers and so observations are best carried out over the spring months. Meadow mixes are made up of fine grasses and flowers that bloom in their second year. The best sowing times are early Spring, or late Summer to Autumn. However, most wildflower seeds will germinate during the summer months if we are able to keep them moist. We need to:  Ideally, scrape off the rich topsoil as it is full of weed seeds which will result in a lush growth that will swamp the wildflowers.  Create a fine seed bed in the subsoil and lightly sow the seed (mixing with barley meal, silver sand or sawdust helps to spread the seed evenly and helps you to see where you've been). Rake in thoroughly and firm down to ensure your seeds have a good contact with the soil. If we do sow in topsoil, we will have to keep on top of the weeds and thin out the grass periodically. Mow the area at least three times in the first year to a height of about 5cm. Remove the cuttings, as they will increase fertility. Treat the area as we would a lazy lawn i.e. cut when it looks untidy, approximately 4 times a year. In year two, when the meadow will start to flower, cut once (make sure your flowers have all set seed), this will usually be by mid September and again remove the cuttings to a compost heap. DON'T scatter your seed onto existing lawn/grass - it won't work. DON'T apply fertiliser to your meadow. We can use pure wildflower seed to create or enhance a perennial cottage border or butterfly patch. The flowers will persist and give a delightful cottage garden effect. Either sow the seed in seed trays and prick out as you would other perennials or sow directly into a weed free tilth, raking in and firming down the soil. Weed the area once we can recognise which are wildflowers and which are weeds.         Instant Wildflower Borders Cornfield annuals flower in their first year and create a stunning patch of colour. Unlike the meadow species, they thrive in fertile conditions, are ideal for gardens and also do well in large planters. Hand weed or spray out existing vegetation with a glyphosate based herbicide. Turn over and break up the soil to create a fine seed bed. Lightly sow the seed, rake in well and firm down to give a good seed/soil contact. Cut the area once the weed seed has ripened and fallen - usually August - September. A further late cut will help ensure a tidy appearance. Lightly turn over and rake the area the following Spring. This promotes germination in seeds that fell the previous year as these species need the soil to be disturbed annually. Shady Areas If there is rank growth you should, ideally, remove the topsoil. However, heavy shade often excludes the worst of the weeds. Clear any existing vegetation as before and create a fine seed bed. Sow, rake and firm in your seed as for the meadow areas. Pond Edges Wildflowers for pond edges establish easily if the area to be planted is damp or wet. These flowers germinate well in coir composts and can be subsequently planted out into areas cleared of existing vegetation. If sown directly onto the damp soil, keep the area free from competing plants to allow the seedlings to develop. Some species are very vigorous. Remember Some wildflower seeds can take a long time to get started and may germinate in later years when weather conditions are more favourable. Some seeds require winter chilling (e.g. cowslip) or high spring temperatures (e.g. poppy) to break their dormancy. If we get the soil conditions right at the outset, the rest will be easy. Some of the very best wildflower areas have been created on rubble topped with crushed chalk, crushed concrete and even motorway scrapings - generally the poorer the soil the better. Mixed Planting. Adding pot grown wildflowers will give you instant colour, greater variety, a source of natural seeding and an opportunity to ensure that the slower germinating species are present at an early stage. Pot plants also have a high rate of success and if allowed to set seed, tend to spread rapidly on clear ground as the ripe seed is falling exactly as it would in nature. Proposed Time Scale for Creation: 1. Nov 08-Jan 09 Consultation & Discussion (FOSAP) 2. Feb 09 Removal of turf and seed zone by mechanical means (BCC Parks) 3. 2nd week of Feb 09 first application of herbicide (BCC Parks) 4. 1st week of March 09 second application of herbicide (BCC Parks) 5. 4th week of March 09 sow seed mix (FOSAP & BCC Parks) Note: All the above operations are weather dependant and may cause the project to slip. Funding: The proposal by the parks manager is that funding for this project will come from Section 106 funds held by BCC, or alternatively the FOSAP may consider a grant application. Costs: 1. It is difficult to be an true cost of the project because of a number of external influences: a. Labour and machinery cost in 09 b. Seed mix costs in 09 2. Estimate is £1500-£1800 Possible Seed Mixes Cornfield Annuals Seed Mix The cornfield annuals mix comprises the following species:      Corn Chamomile - white Cornflower - blue Corn Cockle - mauve Corn Marigold - yellow Common Poppy - red This mix can be sown onto prepared soil any time from autumn through to early spring. According to the time sown and other soil conditions, a different balance of the species will result. Sow at a rate of between 1 and 2 grams per square metre. For a repeat show the following year, rotovate the plants in the autumn and, preferably, sow some extra seed as well. £8.80 per 100g Wild Flower Meadow mix 80% grasses and 20% wild flowers, usually sown at 4 grams per square metre, including the following species:                   Birdsfoot Trefoil Black Knapweed Common Sorrel Cowslip Field Scabious Hoary Plantain Lady's Bedstraw Selfheal Yellow Rattle Oxeye Daisy Meadow Buttercup Ribwort Plantain Wild Carrot Yarrow Crested Dogstail Slender Creeping Red Fescue Common Bent Smaller Cat's Tail £5.50 per 100g Pond edge seed mix 80% grasses & 20% wild flowers:                         Devils Bit Scabious Fleabane Gypsywort Hemp Agrimony Marsh/Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil Marsh Marigold Meadowsweet Purple Loosestrife Ragged Robin Skullcap Sneezewort Square Stemmed St. John's Wort Tufted Vetch Water Avens Wild Angelica Yellow Flag Iris Common Meadow Rue Common Bent Crested Dogstail Meadow Foxtail Quaking Grass Slender Creeping Red Fescue Sweet Vernal Grass Tufted Hair Grass Sow at 4 grams per m². £9.45 per 100g Proposed Location: Project Brief From BCC Senior Community Parks Manager Chris Hammond Email: chris.hammond@bristol.gov.uk