Creating a wildflower mini-meadow
A sanctuary for wildlife and humans alike.
Just over five years ago we decided to lift the sad, dog-pee burnt lawn and replace it with gravel. It’s a decision I’ve never regretted because it helped me use my imagination in the garden. Moving away from the “lawn in the centre, surrounded by borders” design that all gardens seem to start out with.
I do however, miss the feeling of grass beneath my bare toes as I wander in my pyjamas on a warm spring morning. I miss lying on the grass, cloud-gazing or napping on lazy summer afternoons. Nothing feels as grounding as being able to really feel the earth beneath you, holding and supporting you. And somehow on gravel it just doesn’t feel the same.
So I’ve decided (perhaps against my better judgement) that it’s time to bring some grass back into the garden. I’m not much of a fan of the short and manicured look, plus we no longer have a lawnmower, so instead I’ve decided to create a wildflower mini-meadow.
The benefits of wildflowers for our wellbeing.
The most obvious benefit of growing wildflowers is that they provide vital food and shelter for pollinators, including bees. But there are many other benefits to our health and wellbeing as humans too.
Attracting birds and other wildlife.
It brings me great joy to watch the birds coming into my garden and the numbers of visitors I have has increased significantly since I added a small pond and let the area around it go wild. I love having birds in the garden. The sound of birdsong never fails to lift my spirits and just their presence brings out my nurturing side. I love to top up the feeders and find myself feeling quite attached to these little extra family members.
Engaging the senses.
One of the best ways to calm a busy mind is to connect with the senses. In a wildflower meadow there is a bit of everything. Colour and shapes for the eyes. Scent for the nose. The swishing sound of grasses blowing in the breeze, or the delicate rattle of dried seed pods. The plants themselves can be very tactile too, encouraging us to feel the coolness of the grass beneath our feet, or trail our fingers through the delicate, dancing blooms.
Permission to let go.
If you’re anything like me, the garden is your pride and joy and you put a lot of time and effort into making sure it looks good. The beauty of wildflowers is in the name. It’s their wildness that gives them their appeal. The way they just do their thing with minimal effort or involvement from us. A wildflower meadow is a space within the garden where there are no (or at least not as many) jobs to do. It’s somewhere to leave the to do list behind and just be.
Connecting to Mother Nature.
Without a doubt, the thing I’m most excited to do when the wildflower meadow is in bloom is to immerse myself in it. I want to lie amongst the flowers, meditate, read, sleep, practice yoga or pilates. I want to feel connected to the nature around me , a reminder that I’m a tiny part of something so much bigger than myself.
Healing properties.
Many plants have their own healing properties and can be turned into teas, tinctures and balms. Although that feels like a post for another day.
From dream to reality.
The wildflower mini-meadow will be situated at the back of my garden, on a little patch (3m x 3.5m) that gets the sun from around 7am until mid-afternoon during the summertime. At the minute there is an arbour style seat on one side, the perfect place to drink my morning cup of tea, and a small wildlife area complete with pond and bug hotel on the other.
The meadow will be created in two sections. Along the back fence I plan on creating a tall wildflower border. This will give some structure and height to the space as well as providing a place for wildlife to hide. The rest of the space will be a variety of low growing wildflowers and grasses. I know you can buy ready made mixes very easily online or in garden centres, but I really don’t love yellow flowers in my garden, so after some research I’ve decided to create my own seed mixes, in mostly white and purple tones.
Taller wildflowers, grasses and perennials:
- Tall grasses such as stipa
- Verbena
- Poppies (Mother of Pearl mix)
- Cornflowers (a gorgeous mix called Classic Magic)
- Scabious (Cutting Garden mix)
- Nigella
- Agastache
- Mallow white musk
- Honesty (for the seed pods more than the flowers)
Grasses and low flowering wildflowers:
- Slender creeping red fescue
- Sweet vernal grass
- Smooth stalked meadow grass
- Crested dogs tail
- Red clover
- White clover
- Wild thyme
- Wild marjoram
- Ragged robin
- Oxeye daisy
- Germander speedwell
- Lawn camomile
It’s too early to sow just yet but this week the prep work started in earnest. The first task was to lift a very large amount of gravel. This was heavy, back-breaking work but on a chilly but bright February morning it was the perfect way to stay warm and get the body moving. It was also a good reminder that I’m not keeping up with my commitment to myself to do pilates. The goal was never about how my body looks and all about how it feels, being able to do these tasks without pain.
Of course I can’t say yet how my meadow will turn out but I’ll be sure to share some updates as soon as I can. I’d love to know if you have a wildflower patch in your own garden? Or if not are you planning on creating one?
Wishing you a wonderful week.
Claire x
What a lovely coincidence. Thank you for sharing this. As the fence in our rented property is being replaced, my tiny patch has been destroyed in the process. I was sad for a millisecond but then...I took it as a sign. A sign to finally create that little wildflower meadow I've always wanted. Your article is so timely. Looking forward to seeing how yours will progress :)
Lovely post - well done on the gravel! I just picked up one of my books yesterday and it said to plant august time so I'm a little confused about what I can do now/ soon. There'll be the seeds left over from nature last year but it would be good to plant more... hmmm...