Creating a Wildflower Meadow by Henry W. Art

Author:Henry W. Art
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Published: 1988-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Wildflower Meadow Maintenance

Once the wildflower meadow is established it is relatively easy to maintain. Mow the meadow once a year with a rotary mower, after the growing season is over and the seeds have set; otherwise the natural process of succession may eventually turn your field into a forest. Woody plants will be clipped off and eventually eliminated by mowing, but grasses and wildflowers will be relatively unaffected.

Meadows, grasslands, and prairies can also be maintained by periodic burning, which kills invading shrub and tree seedlings. Do not burn a meadow until after the second season, but then you can burn it every several years. Meadows are best burned in the dormant season on windless days, when the grass is dry but the soil is still wet and the humidity is sufficiently high to minimize any fire danger to surrounding areas. If the meadow grass is too thin to support the fire, dry straw can be scattered about and ignited. Be careful to observe local, state, and federal regulations concerning outdoor burning, in addition to the usual safety practices. Check with your local fire department about obtaining an outdoor burning permit.

In some suburbs there are ordinances dictating aesthetic standards for landscaping. If you live in such a community you might want to check with city hall before turning your front yard into a prairie. If there are prohibitions, you can always try to change the law to encourage landscaping with native plants. Native plants are rarely the “weeds” that these ordinances are trying to prohibit, and it is unlikely that your black-eyed Susans or wild bergamots are going to march through your neighbor’s Kentucky bluegrass.

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