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| Flower meadow, image courtesy of americanmeadows.com |
Sigh.
I think if we ever have this at the farm, and there is a chair next to it, I'd never leave. I saw this online and loved the explosion of color. Along those lines, I have a question for you flower gardeners out there...how DOES one go about doing this? Do you have to just clear an entire section of grass out? It sort of looks random. But I wonder if in the Winter it's just a big patch of dirt and you have to keep it weeded constantly? Not sure I could do this just being there sporadically during the week. Maybe in the rainy season, ha.
Enjoy the day.
Be inspired!
that is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? Thanks!!
DeleteThat is lovely, looks like Cosmos and Sunflowers.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize Cosmos got that big, thanks, that is what they look like huh? Thanks!!
Deletethat's what i'm trying to do with a patch. like you, i'm not sure how to keep it going. we'll see :)
ReplyDeletewould love for this to work. i'll share what i learn.
Thank you, it always looks so pretty in the pictures but we don't know how they got there, ha,
DeleteWhat a gorgeous sight! I love cosmos - they are so light and airy and their pastel shades so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI think with your mostly weekend living at the farm, a wildflower meadow would be the best option for now. Great information at these Texas sites:
http://www.wildseedfarms.com/home.php
Located in Fredericksburg, Texas. Click on the “Digital Catalog” towards the bottom of the page. It has information on what, when, and how to plant wildflowers.
The Texas A&M site has instructions and pictures on planting wildflowers:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/growing/howtoplant.html
The Texas Dept. of Transportation also has wildflower planting info:
http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/maintenance/wildflower-program/planting-wildflowers.html
Once you get your wildflower meadow established, it will return year after year with minimal maintenance.
You can also plant bulbs in your meadow or flower beds. The Southern Bulb Company, located in Texas, has bulbs which thrive in warm climates. There are spring and fall blooming varieties. I have ordered from them and have received great bulbs and service.
http://www.southernbulbs.com/
You guys always inspire me!
Happy Gardening!
Texas Rose
Well, first of all, thank you always for such great comments you leave. You always find or have great info. I will be looking at those links in detail. Speaking of bulbs, I had been thinking about that, I'm guessing it's too late now to plant them, but I need to plan for this Fall to plant the Spring bulbs.
DeleteThanks again, very much!!!
I had a neighbor do this (NY state). He tilled the area, in his case it was a wavering line about four feet wide, planted the seed, and sat back. The next year it was beginning to get scraggly, weeds and some reseeding of wildflowers (annuals). And so on. I guess you would have to re-till and re-seed every year. But then you are in the southwest, so not sure how it would go there. Native plants and grasses will eventually prevail...
ReplyDeleteNative plants and grasses always prevail don't they, ha. I wondered how scraggly it would get. Maybe we could start in a small patch and see what it comes out like. :-) Thanks!!
DeleteGreat idea. I have been doing a bit of research on this myself. There are loads of clips on youtube, a lot for a british meadow but also some for planting a wildflower meadow in Texas. Gotta love youtube, what the hell did we do before the internet? Oh yes, take a trip to the library. I do like this age of instant knowledge!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about that. I do love youtube but I didn't think about searching for wildflower meadows. Thanks. Instant knowledge, it is kind of crazy to think of a time before all this huh? I do still love books but dang, instant info is darn good!!
DeleteI bought a packet of assorted wildflower seeds that were geared to my area (oklahoma). Followed the directions in an area that had recently had shrubs removed. It looked fabulous until mid August. Supposedly it reseda itself if you leave it alone, but it looks pathetic towards the end of summer. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI wondered about the "after"....we never see those photos when we see these do we? Ha. Thank you for the info (and reality check, LOL).
Delete1st Man,
ReplyDeleteTo plant the flowers in the front of the house we removed the grass (root and all) then mixed some of our compost with the soil, mixed all kinds of seeds in a bowl and then just sprinkled them randomly, covered the seeds and watered. We also sprinkled Epsom salt around the flowers in the soil once they started growing.
Hmmm, that's a neat technique. I bet it's pretty. I'll have to remember epsom salt. Hadn't heard that, thanks!!
DeleteYou can pick the spot for your bed ( I've learned to make it bigger than I think I want). Cover the entire area with newsprint or cardboard or both and leave it over the winter. It should kill all vegetation and seeds underneath and it's biodegradable. Come late winter or early Spring once chance of frost is done, mix your seeds into some soil and broadcast over the area. Sunflowers are the easiest thing to grow and you could place then in specific locations (at the north side mostly) cover with soil and let them grow. After it seeds you can mow or weedwack and leave the dead vegetation where it falls...it will mulch good stuff into the soil and hopfully keep the weeds down.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea is to grow a wildflower meadow and mow 3-4 foot paths through it approaching a focal point like a small pergola and a bench or something. I don't have the space, but this is what I'd do if I could...or do both! :) It's really pretty easy.
I'm pretty new to gardening. For awhile I was worried that I'd do soething wrong, but I fainnnly have realized it doesn't work that way...now I research, design and execute...then I learn a ton and it's all good no matter what. Gardening is for the spirit, for Mother Earth, for fun...there's no wrong way to garden. EXCEPT if you use pesticides or chemicals...it poisons the pollinators and the earth you are trying to grow in...jes sayin'.
what a great comment. Thank you!! You have given us some great info. Love the idea of a meadow with paths mowed through that. We could definitely do that.
DeleteYour last paragraph though is very profound! Thank you for that!
Really gorgeous cosmos and sunflowers! A good sight to wake up on mornings!
ReplyDelete