Meadow Prep - (From This To This)


Many hours of digging and tilling and the meadow area is ready. I'm waiting for the bloody bindweed to appear and then spray it off. It's the only way, those roots are everywhere, more so following the rotovating which cuts them into a million pieces all ready to sprout and continue the cycle. Once they're dealt with I'll sow. I'm aiming for about two weeks time, three weeks later than in previous years, which makes sense on many fronts, primarily to give me time  to deal with the bindweed, but also to enable the meadow to 'peak' a little later and continue through to October.


I've decided to sow Pictorial Meadows Classic Mix again. It didn't perform as well last year than the previous which I put down almost entirely to oversowing.  That's it above in June, poppies are the star of the show.


Later into July and things gradually turn gold.

Comments

  1. What gardener can think of enough curses to adequately describe bindweed? I'm glad you have a plan to control it, even though it requires more work. Those lovely meadow shots make a great incentive to put in the effort. Best wishes!

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    1. Thanks VW. The meadow shots provide an incentive. I completely oversowed last year which left things smothering each other later in the season. I'll stick to the recommended 2 to 3 grams (seed) per square metre this year.

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  2. You have bindweed but I have ground elder - hideous stuff! That has to be the best wild flower meadow I've seen, I've made a note of the mix and hope to use it a later date. Thank you, Sharon.
    May I ask a question which no one has been able to answer? We're looking at the Quercy area to buy, a mere stones throw from you, and one of our favourite 'fruit' is rhubarb but I've heard rumours that it's too far south to grow. Is this true?

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    1. Hi Sharon. I've heard that about rhubarb but remain unconvinced. Seems Rosie below has the answer.

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  3. We've got rhubarb in Belves, Dordogneshire. I heard the other day that it was one of the things, like swede, that was all there was to eat in the war, so no self-respecting Frenchman grew it. No idea if that's true, but it's certainly not common.

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  4. Thank you so much - my husband was beginning to panic - no homemade rhubarb jam for breakfast! Sharon

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  5. Bindweed is an absolute b****r Rob :( I noticed the other day that it's already coming through at the allotment. Good luck with the battle. What spray do you use? I love that June redness in the meadow.

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    1. Hi Anna. Glycosphate. The June poppies are a treat. Later on, Coreopsis and rudbekia come to the fore, though last year the ammi majus swamped it all too much when it went 'over'.

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