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Wildflower Meadows Online edition: ISSN 2009-6852 National Biodiversity Data Series No. 13. Print edition: ISSN 2009-6844 How-to-guide Creation and management of a wildfl ower meadow All-Ireland Pollinator Plan e I m 2015-2020 r t p n l e e m C a e t n a t a D t i y o t i n s c r o e o iv rd d i io n B at l ed na by tio th Na e www.biodiversityireland.ie/pollinator-plan How-to-guide 4 “How can I create a What is a wildflower wildflower meadow for meadow? A wildfower meadow is many things to many pollinators?” people. To some, a wildfower meadow is a brightly This is the Pollinator Plan’s most frequently asked coloured feld made up of annual species such as question. If we want to ensure our pollinators poppies and cornfowers (left photo, below). These are there when we need them, providing enough were the “weeds” of cereals such as barley. With food (fowers) is key. Planting a native wildfower selective herbicides and improved seed cleaning meadow can help, but creating a sustainable, practices these species have declined. pollinator friendly meadow is more complex than most people realise. That is why the experts at Other people have in mind the traditional Irish EcoSeeds have collaborated with the Pollinator hay meadow (right photo, below). In the last 50 Plan to help produce this How-to-Guide. It will help years the practice of hay making has declined you plan for and carry out your wildfower project. dramatically and has been replaced with cutting for silage. In Ireland this has led to pollinator declines because silage felds have very little “food” (fowers) Who is this guide for? when compared to hay meadows. Traditional hay This How-to-Guide is aimed at Councils, local meadows are very good for pollinators, but because community groups, gardeners or businesses that they contain more grass and subtle, perennial want to create a wildfower meadow. It is NOT fowers, they are less colourful than annual mixes. written specifcally for farmland or for creating wildfower margins on agricultural land. For more information, farmers should consult: perennial annual mix http://www.ceh.ac.uk/book-habitat- mix creation-and-management-pollinators Info Box: Even though it’s less colourful, planting a perennial Does planting a wildfower meadow seem like too big a job? Check out our other guidance wildfower meadow is more cost effective and a documents for less complex actions you much better source of food for pollinators than can take to help create food and shelter for pollinators: www.biodiversityireland.ie/ continually planting annuals pollinator-plan 2 The job isn’t done once the Key points for creating 4seed is planted….be prepared wildfl ower meadows to manage your meadow All wildf ower meadows need management in the Where your wildfl ower seed years after sowing. This usually involves cutting comes from matters! the area once a year and removing the cuttings. 1If you decide to plant a wildf ower meadow This requires specialised equipment so be sure to using commercially bought seed, it is very important consider management details before purchasing to use ONLY native species collected and grown on seed mixes. the island of Ireland. Don’t forget to provide Make sure sowing wildfl ower fl owers in spring time! 5Planting a wildf ower meadow will mostly seed is appropriate for your 2 provide food for pollinators in the summer time. But site making sure f owers are blooming in spring is still If your site already has good pollinator friendly critical. To ensure pollinators have food before your plant species, sowing wildf ower seed will be costly wildf ower meadow blooms, plant early f owering and unnecessary. Instead, enhance your natural trees or shrubs (e.g. Willow) in hedgerows or in wildf ower meadow through reduced mowing, other nearby sites. and consider plug planting of additional species. If your site has only amenity grasses and few other f owers, then consider sowing a native commercial wildf ower seed mix. DO For the best results, plan Buy local provenance, native carefully and properly wildf ower seed 3 First consider creating a natural prepare your site wildf ower meadow instead of Wildf ower seed can be costly, so it’s important to sowing. Mow once in autumn & remove cuttings to reduce soil properly prepare your site before sowing seed. You fertility & allow wildf owers to also want to be sure the seed you buy is appropriate grow naturally for your site. Check to make sure your seed mix is actually pollinator friendly DON’T Purchase non-native seed from supermarkets, garden centres or online Sow commercial seed on an existing species-rich grassland NEVER plant invasive species 3 Important considerations for planning your wildflower meadow Before diving into your wildfower project, there are a couple of key points to consider. First, what site will you use? Second, what type of wildfower meadow do you want to create, and what management will it require in the future? Asking these questons early in your project is key to creatng a sustainable, pollinator friendly wildfower meadow. It will also save you from wastng money, resources and tme! If your site has only amenity/agricultural grass and a A. Choosing a site few other common fowering species, then consider sowing a native wildfower seed mix. When choosing a site for your wildfower meadow, it is important to make sure you don’t destroy Once you’ve identifed your site, you should existing valuable pollinator habitat. Make sure your consult with your seed supplier for advice. This is site isn’t already species-rich before sowing any particularly important if it is a large site so that you commercial wildfower seed. Try using a good do not waste money. In selecting the correct seed wildfower/grass guide to identify what species are mix, it is important to consider your soil type and already present on the site. If it is already rich in whether the site is wet or dry and sunny or shady. fowers and is visited by insects you should consider Knowing your site’s management history is also management options rather than sowing: helpful. For example, if a site has not been cut for • Manage the area with a cutting/grazing regime years it may have large seed bank. This will make it designed to increase wildfower diversity more diffcult to establish wildfowers as they will • Consider planting wildfower plugs and/or have to compete with more vigorous species such adding yellow rattle (see www.ecoseeds.co.uk) as docks etc. In that case it would be especially to increase the site’s value for pollinators. For important to ensure good site preparation to remove more information on growing wildfower plugs weeds and weed seeds before sowing. to enhance meadows see our How-to-Guide on collecting and using pollinator friendly wildfower seed. Species-rich grasslands- inappropriate sites for sowing commercial wildflower seed 4 B. Seed selection Choosing a seed mix that matches your site is very important. Some plant species can survive across a wide range of conditions and so are common to many seed mixtures (e.g. Selfheal), whereas others will only grow in certain soils. REMEMBER: Always be sure that commercial wildfower seed mixes are comprised of native species collected and grown on the island of Ireland. Examples of suppliers that meet these specifcations include EcoSeeds, Design by Nature and Irish Seed Savers. There are three main types of seed mixes: annuals, perennials, and annual/perennial mixtures. annual & perennial annual mix perennial mix mix See the tables and pictures on the following pages for a further description of each type. Use this information to help choose the best type of mix for your wildfower project. What is so special about Yellow Rattle? Yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) often occurs naturally in older wildfower meadows. This plant parasitises the roots of a wide range of meadow plants, particularly grasses. Yellow rattle can be added after a wildfower meadow has established, to help keep down grasses and encourage other wildfowers. Yellow rattle is an annual species. There must be grasses present in order to sow it. FertilisersInfo promote Box: grass and weed growth. Do not use them on a site where you want wildfowers to grow! Bear in mind that your site may be experiencing fertiliser run off from adjacent areas. 5 EcoSeeds One Year Hi-Colour mix Type 1: Annual mixes Annual seed mixes are comprised of annual species that complete their life cycle in one year. That is - they grow, fower and set seed in this time. There is a common misconception that annuals will keep coming back year after year, but this is not the case. Advantages Annual mixes are typically more colourful and striking than perennial mixes. Annuals are not as economical as perennials because seed has to be purchased and re-sown each year. They also aren’t as sustainable because the habitat only lasts for one year. While Disadvantages certain annual species are good, as a mix they provide less pollen and nectar for pollinators than perennials. Annual mixes can be planted in spring and autumn. Autumn-sown mixes tend to get more Sowing poppies as they are helped to germinate by the winter frost. Spring-sown mixes tend to favour Corn marigold so yellow is the dominant colour. Overall lifespan One year Recommended for: Areas where you want an immediate impact If you want annuals to come back each year, the meadow will have to be cut and the ground will need to be disturbed (rotovated) at the end of the season.
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