Hi Chris, remember my back garden meadow I want to create? I spread the seeds at the beginning of April and the last two weeks I have taken photos of the progress. I am still not sure what flowers will come out so it will be fun to see how the whole area will develop. I can recognise marigolds and that’s about it! Oh yes – I also see clover and a few weeds, but thats all in the nature of a wild meadow. I really want to see some dandelion and milk thistle. These are great medicinal plants … and it would be nice to have a meadow of useful and beneficial flowers. Right now, I don’t know the difference between the grass, flowers and weeds. The first two weeks they just shot up, but week 2 there was little change.
The Day I Started
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Week 2 – 14 April
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Week 3 – 21 April
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You can see patches of lawn that have always been there, so hopefully this will fill out and become a colourful carpet of flowers and new grass.
It is a kind of “wait and see” experiment that will be fun to watch grow.
Can you identify some of my seedings?
13 replies on “Meadow update”
I use plugs to start my meadow plants. I don’t have the patience to start from seed. I have a whole yard of dandelions that you are welcome too, though they are going to seed now.
Thats a good idea for the areas that look abit thin. Hmm… thanks for that tip!
I sowed my coastal meadow mix 3 weeks ago and it is as bare as it was when I started! The birds can’t possibly have eaten all the seed – must be the cold. So it is definitely a case of wait and wait and wait…….
Awe…. I know that mice & birds are the first seed thiefs! Maybe spring is a better time for your area! Good luck.
Good luck with your project! I look forward to seeing how it progresses. As for ID’ing seedlings, I have to be honest, at that size, I can hardly tell a weed from a hybrid a wildflower LOL. The good thing about weeds, you can weed them. The bad thing about weeds… you have to weed them LOL. I love meadows and I am excited about yours!
Thanks guys! I am seeing a growth spurt now with the recent rains. Will keep you updated! 🙂
Just today, I drove by a planted meadow. It was very nice. You will love yours! And I bet it will be a real butterfly magnet, too!
The anticipation is always fun! Thistle is so beautiful – fun to photograph! Look forward to seeing how your meadow develops.
Thanks Cat! I can see a huge chane this week. Will get photos when the rain stops! 🙂
If you want milk thistle, it is rather beautiful and easy to ID. Grows HUGE, it mugged me. And I see a mass of seedlings coming up again. Planted itself in the gravel path.
http://elephantseyegarden.blogspot.com/2011/06/striped-mice-and-thistles.html
I was disappointed that mine turned out be not indigenous at all.
Oh wow – thanks for this. If that is milk thistle – I’m all for it! 🙂 I am not a fussy gardener, but it must not have spikes!!
Exciting! Knowing which are desirable seedlings and which are young weeds is the tough part. It’s hard enough ID’ing seedlings that are live in front of my face, but by photo? Very difficult. Any chance there are some sunflowers in there? Some of those look like sunflower seedlings.
Hi Alan – I kinda want to leave the weeds if they are pretty and practical. Dandelion I hardly see anymore, so they will be welcome and are medicinally useful too. Sunflowers?? Hmmm… no. I do have lots of heads that I have saved for seeding. Can’t wait to grow them again. 🙂