Creating a native wildflower mini-meadow

[nereo]

I’m converting about 600 ft2 (55 m2)at the edge of our property into a native wildflower mini-meadow. I won’t know how successful this project is for about a year whether it’s wildly(flower) successful or just a patch of weeds.

Follow along if you like, it’s going to be a slow journey.

A few things I know upfront:

• Technically it’s more even my property, but isn’t cared for
  
  
• There are utilities underneath - a gas line, sewer line and electrical.  So our original thoughts of planting deeper-rooting trees or shrubs were no-gos. So it was either grass or flowers, and I’m trying to get rid of grass
  
  
• From late spring thru early fall it gets 8+ hours of direct sun. In July it’s closer to 12 hours. Drainage is also an issue, as heavy rains will flood that spot.
  
  
• I’m determined to spend less than $100 on this project, and less than 12 hours of my time over the next year.
  
  
• There’s a decent chance some heavy equipment will need to drive over this spot in the late fall to do foundation work on my house. Another reason why we didn’t want to spend lots of time or money, and chose something we think can recover from being driven over by a small bulldozer.
  

[nereo]

Background

Technically this project started in April, when some conifers that sat on the property line toppled over during a late season snow storm. Onto the power lines. Where they sat for a week because the storm was such a state-wide disaster.

As they weren’t my trees or responsibility it took almost two months to get them cut up and carted off… leaving the 600 sqft patch mostly devoid of all vegetation.

Not wanting “yet more grass” we hatched this plan, figuring it would be interesting to look at and a boost to our nearby garden beds ~50ft away.

[Dancin'Dog]

Sounds like a nice little project.  Keeping the weeds at bay and ending up with something reasonably pleasing isn't always as simple as we'd hope.  I've found luck seems to be a bit of a factor for us. 


We have had good luck with a chartreuse creeping groundcover.  I can't remember the name of it but will look it up and post a pic of it in a few days, after we return home.  It has grown well for us and adds a nice splash of color.  We have taller plants mixed in with it.  It spreads pretty quickly, but I wouldn't call it invasive.

[McStache]

Following along. I'm trying to minimize grass in my life, and am contemplating meadow-ing a patch out back

[uniwelder]

A friend of mine had 3 big dying pine trees cut down in front of his house a few years ago.  Everything was chipped in place and there was an enormous pile that he spread out over an area maybe 1,000-1,500 sq ft.  It stayed as mulch that year, then he spread a bag of wildflower seeds over it.  It looked really messy for another year, then started filling in more densely with the wildflowers.  Now its actually quite attractive most of the time!  There's usually something blooming at any given point.

Another story---- My wife and I had a half assed garden bed for veggies.  It was about 1,200 sq ft.  We were getting married and DIY'd almost our entire wedding.  In the spring, we tilled the garden area and spread an annual mix of flower seed.  The morning of our wedding in late summer, a few friends went out to pick and make arrangements.  Definitely not the same thing as OP is planning, but if this might not be permanent, it would be a good idea to include some annuals so you at least have abundant flowers the first year.

[Sibley]

Look for a local native plant/conservation group, they may have advice on plant choice or possibly even plant sources. If there's an Issak Walton in your area, they may be a good starting point.

[tygertygertyger]

Here to follow along!

We bought a property with a "prairie" taking up about 1/3 the back of our suburban lot. It's beautiful but after living here for a few years now (and not doing much with it), we really need to get in there and do some clean up...

Looking forward to your updates.

[aloevera1]

OMG I dislike the culture of grass based lawns so much. I'd love to convert every lawn I see into a meadow. Kudos for embarking on this journey!

Your options would depend on the local climate so I echo the suggestions of talking to the local conservation groups and/or gardening enthusiasts. They are usually happy to share the knowledge.

Personally, I love clover. I am actually excited to see clover taking hold in my lawn. It's pretty, great for pollinators and does give off the meadow vibe.

Resisting tall and unruly weeds is hard though. Although, they are also "natural" to the area, I don't want to have tall grass in my backyard because of other issues it causes. Namely, it creates a great environment for voles that go and destroy my garden (human vs. nature classic here).

Are you planning to dig out the sod? Or are you thinking to allow other plants compete with the grass?

[uniwelder]

Are you planning to dig out the sod? Or are you thinking to allow other plants compete with the grass?

My understanding is that all signs of grass must be cleared out, as it will outcompete wildflowers.

[nereo]

Progress So Far

(If this seems like we didn’t have a firm plan to start…)

April we lost the conifers, which we hated. So that is a net win.

Early June workers came to cut up the tree still on my lawn and grind up the stump. That’s when we discovered the buried utilities. To half-ass their job to completion they flush-cut the stumps, hauled the larger chunks of wood away and called it a day. Lots of twigs, pinecones and needles left behind.

Late June. Wanting to avoid the area turning into more grass, we came up with the wildflower patch idea. The city yard crew tends to randomly toss grass seed anywhere there’s bare earth alongside roads, so I hammered four stakes into the ground and “roped off” the patch. Hand wrote a “do not seed” sign. It sat like this for about a month.

Mid July. Well the ‘best’ time to plant wildflower seeds seems to be late fall or very early spring. But I’m impatient, and I really didn’t like seeing it transition to grass. I’ve read site prep is the most important aspect, so I spent half an hour raking the pine needles, pine cones and twigs away. Then another half hour pulling all remaining plants. Result: a bare patch of sun-soaked earth. Basically square zero.

Late July:  sowed some native wildflower seeds (1/2 #). Yes, not the ideal time, but I missed the early spring and have read conflicting reports about whether this was just fine or a waste of $. At $20 for some seeds from my local university extension it seemed like “why not”. So I did.


August;  a few things sprouted, much of it grass but some definitely not. Each time I mowed the lawn I took 5-10 minutes to weed any obvious grasses from the patch, but that was about it. Pretty wet summer so that’s good… I think?


Early Sept: holy crap I’ve got some wild flowers. Not many, but a few varieties. I’m still kinda disappointed by the overall coverage … it still looks like a mostly dirt patch with some plants popping up here and there. I think I’ll spend another $20 and toss in some annuals after the first hard frost (likely in October).


[pictures to follow in a few days. Or maybe weeks.]

[bacchi]

Can you seed with some native grasses too? Or you meant no grasses?

[Sibley]

nereo, I think you're underestimating the potential of what you do have sprouting. I would expect that next spring it you may see a lot more growing. And remember, these plants will self-seed. Don't "clean up" this area over winter. Just leave all the stalks, etc. Keep pulling the grass sprouts and give it more time.

[jeninco]

Can you seed with some native grasses too? Or you meant no grasses?

I was wondering this: typically, prairie is some grasses (around here it's clumping grasses), some flowering stuff, some sedges...

[RetiredAt63]

A lot of your wildflower seeds may be waiting for spring to germinate - they may need winter to break dormancy.  If you ever get trillium seeds (but they need shade and you have sun), they take a minimum of 2 winters and as many as 6 before they germinate.

I've seen areas left alone - they ended up being 90% goldenrod, with various other things tucked in.  Just to let you know.  Dryer areas seem to end up with sweet white clover and ragweed and burdock and thistles.

And where you and I are is climax forest.  So you are not going to have a meadow long term unless you maintain it.  The perennials and early stage succession bushes and trees will move in.  Live another 50 years and you will have a forest again.  Of course the first trees may be aspen and birch, which are very nice trees, if a bit short lived.

Succession - pioneer annuals -> mixed pioneer annuals and perennials -> shade tolerant annuals and perennials and pioneer trees and bushes - > full canopy trees with shade tolerant understory.

Do we get pictures next spring?

[Frugal Lizard]

Have you ruled out a nurse crop?

page 12 of this guideline gives a number of nurse crop options.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://trcaca.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2022/02/01124117/Seed-Mix-Guidelines-Update_January-19-2022.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwit_8Cfyc-IAxWlpIkEHUdJDCgQFnoECBMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0sebj2jFr2Z7kCdHOkfi4H

And for the super frugal, now is a good time to go out and collected some local seed. The pollinator super foods are sunflowers, milkweeds, asters and goldenrods. And a number of the species have set seeds or will shortly and you can mark the plants.

Some native plant folks are wary of Canada goldenrod - too aggressive and common milkweed (same) but I personally would rather have beat'em-back plants than bare earth.

[nereo]

Can you seed with some native grasses too? Or you meant no grasses?

I could, but so far I haven’t. I might in the future. Typically I research -> plan -> execute, but here I basically did it backwards, knowing full well it would be a learning experience.

My initial thinking was to pull all large clumps of grass at least through the first spring to give the wildflowers time to get established. I still think that’s a good course, but in time some other grasses may be added.

Resources!
In my area there’s the Native Seed project. I’ve leaned on them for recommendations, and had some of the original seeds from them. Speaking of which… I wrote down what I sowed back in July but somehow lost that list.
There’s also a university extension and MOFGA that has some good info.

And for the super frugal, now is a good time to go out and collected some local seed. The pollinator super foods are sunflowers, milkweeds, asters and goldenrods. And a number of the species have set seeds or will shortly and you can mark the plants.

Good thinking! My biggest hurdle here is I want to avoid invasives, and I haven’t been paying close enough attention to what’s gone to seed. Much harder to ID the plant when the flowers are gone. Still, I should be able to get a few things from my local farm/education center that also has big pollinator gardens.

A lot of your wildflower seeds may be waiting for spring to germinate - they may need winter to break dormancy.  If you ever get trillium seeds (but they need shade and you have sun), they take a minimum of 2 winters and as many as 6 before they germinate.

I've seen areas left alone - they ended up being 90% goldenrod, with various other things tucked in.  Just to let you know.  Dryer areas seem to end up with sweet white clover and ragweed and burdock and thistles.

And where you and I are is climax forest.  So you are not going to have a meadow long term unless you maintain it.  The perennials and early stage succession bushes and trees will move in.  Live another 50 years and you will have a forest again.  Of course the first trees may be aspen and birch, which are very nice trees, if a bit short lived.

Succession - pioneer annuals -> mixed pioneer annuals and perennials -> shade tolerant annuals and perennials and pioneer trees and bushes - > full canopy trees with shade tolerant understory.

Do we get pictures next spring?

You are most likely correct. I’ve been reading about the annuals around here that need a hard freeze to germinate.
Beardtongues in particular. So I’m just wondering how many of those seeds remain and didn’t get carried away by mice or rain. Probably still a bunch.

Yes, if we keep this patch we will put some effort to maintaining it and preventing a monoculture. It’s next to a road do it won’t ever go back to forest, and with buried utilities we really can’t have anything with tap roots.

Yes, pictures eventually…

[Sibley]

Tap roots are not created equal. A giant tree with a tap root isn't going to work, but a native perrinnal (spelling, ugh)? That tap root is a very different thing and quite likely will be just fine.

[nereo]

Most large perennials cannot go here. Full stop. Anything that is a tree (tap root or no), lilacs, rhododendrons, arborvitae, hydrangeas, forsythia, etc are all no-gos here.

[RetiredAt63]

Most large perennials cannot go here. Full stop. Anything that is a tree (tap root or no), lilacs, rhododendrons, arborvitae, hydrangeas, forsythia, etc are all no-gos here.

Basically like my last house's front lawn, which was the septic system's leach field.  And also at the edge had a pipe from the sump pump to the ditch and the underground electric wires from the street to the house.  So I ripped out anything with deep roots that the previous owners had planted on it.

[Fru-Gal]

I did something like this (with their permission) to my neighbor’s street side yard. It turned out great.

[Sibley]

Most large perennials cannot go here. Full stop. Anything that is a tree (tap root or no), lilacs, rhododendrons, arborvitae, hydrangeas, forsythia, etc are all no-gos here.

I think we have a terminology issue here.

Shrubs, bushes, and trees are what you can't plant it sounds like. Some information: https://www.thespruce.com/the-difference-between-trees-and-shrubs-3269804#

Perennials and annuals are generally what you can plant. Some information: https://www.gardenheights.com/single-post/2018/03/30/whats-the-difference-between-perennial-and-annual-plants

In general, the gardening, plant nursery, etc world uses a standard set of definitions. Based on your comment above, you are not using the same set of definitions. You'll have a much easier time in general if you learn the basic definitions and use those.

So, I repeat: the tap root on a native perennial might be just fine for your situation. Because the tap root on milkweed is not the same thing as an oak tree's tap root. Since I don't know the specifics of the utilities you're dealing with, yeah the milkweed might be an issue. But it's much less likely to be an issue than the oak.

[nereo]

So, I repeat: the tap root on a native perennial might be just fine for your situation. Because the tap root on milkweed is not the same thing as an oak tree's tap root. Since I don't know the specifics of the utilities you're dealing with, yeah the milkweed might be an issue. But it's much less likely to be an issue than the oak.

No, it is not a terminology issue. There are multiple kinds of things including the “no go@ category previously discussed.

I cannot plant large perennials here. Really any perennial that’s more than a foot high
I cannot plant species with deep tap roots, milkweed certainly included
No trees
No shrubs
No invasives
No (interest) in grasses

[Sibley]

Ok, so you are pretty severely limited. Why the heck didn't they bury those utilities deeper? That seems like poor execution to me. Plus, it's also possible running a big lawn mower over it could be problematic.

Given that you have already seeded and some things did grow, I still vote to just keep pulling grass out. See what germinates over the winter.

[Frugal Lizard]

There are some fun sedges, nodding onion and prairie smoke are polite natives as well as wild strawberries that are short, robust and great for wildlife.

[gavint]

Burn it!  Burn it all!

Actual prairie, either shortgrass or tallgrass, is a fire-adapted ecosystem, and all the plants in it are tuned in to that.  If it doesn't burn, cool-season grasses, usually European imports, will take over, as well as weeds, often non-native.  The prairies were actively managed with prescribed burns by the first-nations, and were much larger because of that than they otherwise would have been.   This kind of management is being brought back in many prairie remnants, they even do one in High Park in downtown Toronto.  Cool habitat.

You can do it without fire, it just takes active weeding to keep the habitat going.  How are you with grass ID? 

Here to follow along!

We bought a property with a "prairie" taking up about 1/3 the back of our suburban lot. It's beautiful but after living here for a few years now (and not doing much with it), we really need to get in there and do some clean up...

Looking forward to your updates.