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Gardening

Wild flower garden

(16 Posts)
Grany Wed 03-Jun-20 10:44:11

I sown a row of wild flower seed now packed with blooms. Tall blue flowers that the bees love, several bees ? all day. Now yellow marigolds flowering and poppies too. Quite a selection. I like all the variety, I am doing my bit for conservation, climate change. As there are now fewer wild flower meadows.

janeainsworth Wed 03-Jun-20 11:08:58

That’s lovely, Grany. When did you sow the seeds?
Wild flowers do survive in some places though. We went out on our bikes yesterday & saw a mass of phlox and pink campion on the banks of the River Coquet.

Grany Wed 03-Jun-20 11:21:28

I sowed them mid March janeainsworth Like your photo. Very pleased with the many varieties that bloomed. Yes there are few hedge rows and places that's good, but not as many of the wild flower meadows.

b1zzle Wed 03-Jun-20 11:25:21

Well done Grany! A round of applause please from all the bees!

EllanVannin Wed 03-Jun-20 11:43:50

I love to see wild flowers in a garden and yours are lovely Grany. I keep meaning to buy some wildflower seeds for the edges near the fence, so must remember.

When my Ceanothus shrub was in full bloom the whole shrub was humming like a telephone mast with the amount of bees.
I couldn't sit near it grin

Hoping for the same when the bottlebrush flowers in the next couple of weeks.

Fennel Wed 03-Jun-20 12:08:30

This year we have foxgloves and a few other wild flowers which I can't identify at the front of our house. We didn't plant them and they weren't there last year, maybe they only flower every 2 years?
This is only the second year in our house.
Jane I love phlox - my Grandpa was a keen gardener and he grew them. Lucky you living near the Coquet, my parents lived in that area in their retirement.

tanith Wed 03-Jun-20 12:25:46

Such lovely pics, our council do a great job of laying down wild flower mats in our local green spaces they look so pretty then the other day I saw and elderly man with a large bunch he’d picked ? I’m too much of a woose to challenge him.

mrswoo Wed 03-Jun-20 13:50:59

I sowed some wildflower seeds in about mid- March but they seem to be coming up blind - lots of leaves but no flowers. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will suddenly bloom like yours grany
We visited Darlington last summer (we were actually staying in Barnard Castle...)and were inspired to sow wild flowers after seeing their beautiful municipal flower beds. They were a riot of wild flowers and so much nicer than the usual council flower beds. I hope they've done the same this year.

BlueBelle Wed 03-Jun-20 14:20:54

My back garden fence backs onto an alleyway (traffic used) unbeknown to me some of my garden escaped my clutches and this is my little alleyway garden which I ve don’t absolutely nothing to

J52 Wed 03-Jun-20 14:55:44

Lovely wildflowers Grany they obviously are very happy there.
I love your alleyway BlueBelle . I have Self sown Valerian growing all along my drive it’s so pretty. I adore all the flowers that have grown from previous annuals, in the cracks of my paving. I can’t bear to tidy them away.

Callistemon Wed 03-Jun-20 15:11:17

That's lovely, Grany.

I didn't realise that poppies and cornfowers like tilled soil and will not grow in a naturalised lawn, so mine have failed so far.

However, I do have ox eye daisies, fox and cubs and other various plants which the bees seem to like, and this rain may help as it's in an area which is difficult to water.

Millie22 Wed 03-Jun-20 15:14:19

I'm still waiting for any wildflowers to appear from the seeds I planted weeks ago. All I've got is long grass and a few daisies.

Grany Wed 03-Jun-20 16:21:45

Thank you ladies yes I have been lucky that all the flower seed has grown and flowered. It's only a small garden a border of these wild flowers and a small lawn.

Grany Wed 03-Jun-20 16:30:31

I watered the seeds regularly and pulled up any grass gives them a better chance.

janeainsworth Wed 03-Jun-20 18:05:23

Mrswoo it may be that your soil is too rich - wild flowers apparently do better in poorer soils (no offence Grany wink)

Grany Wed 03-Jun-20 18:34:20

That's Correct janeainsworth Poorer soil is better for wild flowers Haven't lived here long So soil wasn't enriched before seed sown Mrswoo