Creating Your Own Wildflower Meadow

If you have picked up one of our seed packets, we have provided you with enough seed mixture to cover an area of 1 metre squared. Follow this step by step guide to creating your very own patch of wildflowers…..the bees will thank you for it!!

To increase your chances of establishing a successful wildflower meadow, it is highly recommended that you sow in Early Spring (March/April).

Step 1: Choose somewhere to create your patch. Ideally you need to have a bit of bare ground that gets plenty of sunshine throughout the day, isn’t too fertile and isn’t too weedy. Wildflowers LOVE poor soils that most other plants wouldn’t dream of growing in! Mark out the outline of a 1M squared area using sand, an old hose pipe or some twine/string.

Step 2: If your chosen patch of ground is grassy, it is best to remove the grass beforehand. Grab your shovel and gradually lift the grass and any weeds from your patch, try not to leave any behind to rot down as this can risk returning extra nutrients back to the soil. Remember…. wildflowers love poor soil!

Step 3: When you have a bare patch of ground, dig it over with a garden fork and rake the soil level and to a fine crumbly texture. Then with your wellies on, tread over the ground to firm up the surface.

Step 4: Split the contents of your seed packet in half and mix one half with some fine dry sand (Roughly 1 part seed to 2 parts sand). This helps you see where you are spreading the seed more clearly. Using a tablespoon, scatter the seed and sand mixture over half the patch. Repeat this with the remaining seed, covering the other half of your patch.

Step 5: Tread all over the area again to ensure good contact between the seed mix and the soil, there is no need to rake it in or to cover the seed with soil. Give your newly sown seeds a good shower of water with your watering can. Remember to water regularly in dry weather!

Step 6….Wait for nature to do its thing! Ensure that your patch is well watered as it gets established. Don’t be discouraged if your patch doesn’t suddenly burst into life! It takes a little while for the flowers and grasses to germinate and get going so don’t give up! It will get better with each year. As and when perennial weeds pop up, such as dandelion, dock etc, you can dig these out by hand to give your wildflower seedlings a better chance.


Maintaining your Wildflower Meadow

Year 1
In the first year of sowing, it may take a little while for your wildflowers and grasses to get going. This is perfectly normal and is because most are perennial, that is they come back year after year, and can be slow to establish and some won’t even flower in the first year! What you might see however is some of the existing annual weeds which have laid dormant in the soil come through. This can shade out your meadow seedlings and an easy way to remedy this is to either chop back the weedy growth with shears or mow over your patch. Mowing may sound drastic but it’s quite important in the first year, you should aim to mow or cut back growth in your patch regularly to around 40mm to 60mm. Be sure to remove the cuttings- these can be composted! Doing this ensures that annual weeds are kept under control and provides your slower developing species with time to catch up with fast growers!

Year 2 and onwards
Your meadow should be left to develop from spring into late summer to allow it to flower and provide pollinators with a rich habitat and source of food. In Late July or August, after your meadow has flowered you should take what’s traditionally known as a “hay cut”. Cut back your meadow to around 50mm and leave the cuttings, also known as “arisings”, to dry out and shed seed on your patch, this takes up to 7 days. After which you can remove the arisings and pop them in your compost. Any regrowth can be cut back again in late autumn and in the following spring if needed.

The seed mix that we have provided was kindly donated by West Sussex County Council. It is a general mix of flowers and grasses developed by Emorsgate Seeds that can be used on various soil types.

Some of the species that might pop up in your patch are as follows:


Wild Flowers: Yarrow, Agrimony, Kidney Vetch, Betony, Common Knapweed, Greater Knapweed, Wild Carrot, Hedge Bedstraw, Meadow Crane’s-bill, Field Scabious, Oxeye Daisy, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Black Medick, Wild Marjoram, Wild Parsnip, Salad Burnet, Cowslip, Selfheal, Meadow Buttercup, Common Sorrel, Pepper Saxifrage, Bladder Campion, Upright Hedge-parsley, Tufted Vetch.

Wild Grasses: Common Bent, Crested Dogstail, Red Fescue, Smaller Cat’s-tail, Smooth-stalked Meadow-grass.

We would love to see photographs of your wildflower patch, please send them in to thewildflowertrail@gmail.com so that we can share them on the trail website (please ensure proper consent).

Ormonde Way Flower Verge, Shoreham

Local residents at Ormonde Way, Shoreham have planted up 5 areas of wildflowers along the grass verge bordering Brighton Road and Ormonde Way. Now in their 2nd year, the beds are establishing well and have a good mixture of poppies, cornflowers and oxeye daisies among other wildflowers!

What initially was an attempt by local residents to discourage parking on the verges, has now flourished into a little patch of heaven for pollinators and now provides visual interest for residents.

A good time to visit is during the summer when the flowers are in full flow, accessibility is good as it is located in a residential area with paved walkways.

Rosedene and “Forest of Rosedene”, Worthing

Residents Richard and Merry from Downlands Avenue, Worthing, have dedicated two sites to supporting nature in their local community.

“Rosedene” is a 30m2 front garden at 39 Downlands Avenue, consciously planted with Vipers Bugloss, with other wildflowers emerging from the natural seed bank present in the ground. Ground is concrete overlaid with 100mm shingle, this provides a very dry, well draining, low in nutrient substrate perfect for established wildflowers favouring drier conditions . Plants are cut down only when seeds have dropped and replenished the seed bank in the ground. Accessibility wise, the garden is open to the pavement with no steps, so viewing this site is possible anytime during daylight hours. There is a seat available for visitors who need to sit down. The Vipers Bugloss flowers from May to August. Richard and Merry have installed a pond to catch rainwater from gutters via a water butt to support the water catchment of the garden. A public noticeboard is present which is used as a vehicle for posting information about nature.

 


“Forest of Rosedene” is a substantial plot of around 100m2 comprising of a mini forest area richly planted with various seedlings and seeds, including Elm Trees, Apple Trees and Cow Parsley. There is a good mixture of plants flowering at different times of the year and visitors are able to see various species of bees, moths and butterflies. Richard and Mary act as stewards of this precious piece of land for the benefit of wildlife. Future plans for the site include finalising a management plan and turning the forest into a trust.

This is a closed site and so visits are strictly by arrangement only. Please contact Richard at richard.battson@cooptel.net for more information.

 

West Worthing Railway Station

The community wildflower patch at West Worthing Station is a relatively new area of planting totalling around 1M2 . It has been adopted by the Friends of West Worthing Station , with support from South East Communities Rail Partnership. The friends group have recently sown a seed mixture from the Friends of The Earth, plus an assortment of cornflowers and poppies. The group are hoping for a good display of wildflowers soon and are looking forward to develop the patch in the future. The volunteer group is an approved station partner, supported by the Southeast Communities Rail Partnership. Watch this space for more updates in the future!

The community flower patch can be viewed from a public access ramp to the south east side of the main entrance.

Goring Road Community Road Verge

Worthing Climate Action Network (WCAN) in collaboration with XR Worthing began a ‘Wilding Worthing’ petition to mark No Mow May in Spring last year, asking Adur & Worthing Councils and West Sussex County Council to stop mowing road verges so often and instead allow the wildflowers and grasses to grow. When the petition reached 1000 signatures last June it was presented to Worthing Council where it was accepted. Negotiations began with West Sussex Highways with the first trial Community Road Verge in Worthing being established on Goring Road.

The site is comprised of several grassy verges along Goring Road between the Goring Shops and Shaftesbury Avenue, pedestrian accessibility is good due to the adjacent pavement. No seed has been sown at this site as it is hoped that the natural seedbank present in the soil will have the chance to establish with the reduced cutting regime. Already species such as Common Mallow, Birds Foot Trefoil, Ribwort Plantain and Daisies can be seen flourishing.

There will be only one cut a year to be undertaken in September. Volunteers will take away the grass cuttings in order to help keep the ground infertile, providing the best conditions for the wildflowers to thrive. Other verges are now being planned across the area.

For more information please contact WCAN Worthing Climate Action | Facebook .

Lancing Railway Station

Lancing Railway Station on Sompting Road and South Street, is home to two areas of planting maintained by the community group Keep Lancing Lovely. Established in 2014, Keep Lancing Lovely have 100+ volunteers from the local community engaging in many different projects to improve the appearance and environment of their local areas. In 2017 they were able to plant up two areas (totalling approximately 10M2) at the north side of the station with a selection of wildflowers, herbs and green manure plants like Phacelia. This has provided both habitat and forage plants for many different species of butterflies, bees and other insects. The rather rare Long Tailed Blue butterfly has been spotted in recent years. Area One is a brick built deep bed and Area Two is a fenced in area near the level crossing at the station.

The areas are easily accessed by the public as the beds are situated on the outside boundary of the station grounds. There is a colourful display all year so there should be something to see most seasons.

Keep Lancing Lovely are formal “Station Partners” with GTR/Southern Trains at Lancing Railway Station where they promote public and sustainable transport, the local environment and their own projects. To learn more about the work that they do and to explore volunteering opportunities visit their website Keep Lancing Lovely – volunteers boosting the West Sussex village (weebly.com) and their Facebook page (Keep Lancing Lovely | Facebook .

Heene Cemetery Flowering Plants List

At Heene Cemetery, volunteers carry out extensive monitoring of the species that can be found there. Below is a comprehensive list, supplied by the Friends of Heene Cemetery, of all the flowering plants that have been recorded there to date.

American Willowherb
Annual Meadow-grass
Ash
Atlantic Ivy
Barren Brome
Bay
Beaked Hawk’s-beard
Bittersweet or Woody- Nightshade
Black Medick
Bladder Campion
Borage
Bramble
Bristly Ox tongue
Broad-leaved Dock
Broad-leaved Willowherb
Butterfly Bush
Carnation
Cat’s-ear
Cleavers or Goosegrass
Cock’s-foot
Columbine
Common Bent
Common Bird’s-foot- trefoil
Common Comfrey
Common Dog-violet
Common Ivy
Common Mouse-ear
Common Nettle
Common or Black- Knapweed
Common Poppy
Common Ragwort
Common Soft-brome
Common Sorrel
Common Spotted Orchid
Common Toadflax
Common Vetch
Corn Marigold
Cornflower
Cotoneaster sp.
Crab Apple
Creeping Bent
Creeping Cinquefoil
Creeping Thistle
Crested Dog’s-tail
Cultivated Daffodil
Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill

Daisy
Dandelion
Deadly Nightshade
Dog-rose
Early Dog-violet
Elder
Enchanter’s- nightshade
English Elm
Evergreen or Holm Oak
False Oat-Grass
False-brome
Feverfew
Field Bindweed
Field Forget-me-not
Field Maple
Field Wood-rush
Flax
Fool’s Parsley
Fox-and-cubs or Orange-Hawkweed
Foxglove
Garden Grape Hyacinth
Garden Privet
Garden Strawberry
Garlic Mustard
Germander Speedwell
Glaucous Sedge
Goat Willow
Great Willowherb
Greater Bird’s-foot- trefoil
Greater Plantain
Grey Sedge
Hairy Tare
Hawthorn
Hazel
Heath False-brome (Tor Grass)
Hedge Bindweed
Hedge Woundwort
Herb Robert
Himalayan Honeysuckle or- Flowering Nutmeg
Hoary Willowherb
Hogweed
Holly
Honeysuckle
Hybrid Bluebell (H. non-scripta x hispanica)

Indian Strawberry
Ivy-leaved Speedwell
Lady’s Bedstraw
Lady’s Mantle
Large-leaved Lime
Lesser Celandine
Lesser Yellow Trefoil
Lords-and-Ladies or -Cuckoo Pint
Love-in-a-mist
Marjoram
Meadow Buttercup
Meadow Crane’s-bill
Mexican Fleabane
Michaelmas Daisy
Montbretia (C. aurea x pottsii)
Musk Mallow
Nipplewort
Oxeye Daisy
Pedunculate Oak
Pendulous Sedge
Perennial Rye-grass
Perforate St John’s Wort
Prickly Lettuce
Prickly Sow-thistle
Primrose
Purple Toadflax
Quaking Grass
Ragged-Robin
Red Campion
Red Clover
Red Dead-nettle
Red Fescue
Red Valerian
Ribwort Plantain
Rose Campion
Rosebay Willowherb
Rough Meadow-grass
Scarlet Pimpernel
Selfheal
Sheep’s-fescue
Short-fruited Willowherb
Silver Birch
Smooth Hawk’s-beard
Smooth Sow-thistle
Sneezewort
Spear Thistle

Spindle Tree
Spring Crocus Square-stalked St John’s -Wort
Square-stemmed -Willowherb
Stinking Iris
Summer Snowflake
Sycamore
Thale Cress
Three-cornered Garlic or -Leek
Thyme-leaved Speedwell
Trailing Bellflower
Tutsan
Viper’s-bugloss
Wall Barley
Wall Lettuce
Water Figwort
Wavy Bitter-cress
White Campion
White Clover
White Comfrey
White Stonecrop
Wild Carrot
Wild Onion or Crow Garlic
Wild Teasel
Wood Avens or Herb-Bennet
Wood Dock
Wood Forget-me-not
Yarrow
Yorkshire-fog

Breathing Spaces @ The Barnyard, Dankton Lane, Sompting

Breathing Spaces operate a range of community activities and guided wildflower walks at Dankton Barnyard, Dankton Lane in Sompting. Here they have access to a small pre-established wildflower meadow rich in Knapweed, Wild Carrot, Golden rod, Yarrow, Scabious, St John’s Wort, Teasel, Corn Marigold, Toadflax, Hedge Parsley, Hogweed, Eupatorium and many more! The flowers are left to reseed and are not cut back so they are left for the benefit of wildlife.

At Dankton Lane, Breathing Spaces have permission to pick the wildflowers to add to their community supported bouquet scheme. As part of the management of the site they have been clearing invasive weeds such as brambles, thistles, nettles and hogweed, to make way for easier access and to allow reseeding with collected seed from the site.

Visits to the barnyard is by appointment only as the gate is locked, but there are plans to arrange wildflower walks there in the summer. It is also possible to view the site over the gate, which is on a footpath accessible from Herbert road Sompting . Please contact Breathing Spaces for more details Home (breathingspaces.co)

Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden

Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden (CAWG) is located on Cortis Avenue, off of Carnegie Road in Broadwater. It comprises an area approximately the size of a football pitch and is divided into a number of wildlife habitats, including a wildflower meadow (annual and perennial meadow), a herb garden, flowering hedgerows, heritage apple trees, a shady wildflower border, 2 ponds, soft fruit and edible hedgerows for birds, and a compost area. The site was adopted in 2011 for use as a wildlife garden and is currently held on license from Worthing Homes.

Prior to its transformation into a refuge for wildlife, the site was a disused playing field prone to fly tipping. Since 2011, volunteers have undertaken extensive work initially to remove 20 skips of rubbish and to plant up trees and hedgerows. In 2016 an area of rough grass was cleared to create a flower meadow, which has to be weeded annually to remove couch grass, bindweed and plantain. In 2019 a beehive was added to the site, managed by volunteers. A composting toilet was installed in 2019/20, completed just before lockdown. Additional hedgerow with butterfly food plants has also been put in recently by volunteers.

The site is locked to protect from fly-tipping and vandalism. Under normal circumstances the site is open every Wednesday morning 10am – 12.30pm. Visitors are always welcome.  The garden is open for occasional visits by appointment at other times. An annual Open Day (taking place on a Saturday) is held in the summer. 

Currently due to Covid restrictions the garden is not open to the public at present, and volunteers are attending within government rules to undertake limited maintenance.

The site is flat with grass paths although some paths are uneven. There are no hard surface paths beyond the entrance drive. There is disability access to a composting toilet. Visually impaired visitors would need to be accompanied. Some paths are suitable for all-terrain wheelchairs.

There is something flowering all year round. The main meadow flowers from May to October and the mix of species varies year by year as volunteers rely on a mixture of self-seeding and annual sowing to keep the meadow vibrant for wildlife.

The site is particularly rich in butterflies and cinnabar moths. Taking advantage of the rich wildlife in the garden, volunteers run supervised bug hunts and pond dipping at the Open Day. Visits by parents and children on Wednesday mornings are encouraged, especially in the holidays. The garden is often used by parents home schooling their children, and by local playgroups and childminders.

The site is dependent on water capture to keep the pond filled and to water vulnerable plants. Despite doubling water storage, for the last 3 years the garden has run out of water by July, and some of the plants and flowers suffer due to water stress. 

When the garden reopens to the public, the regular volunteer session is Wednesday morning.  There are currently 8 regular volunteers – who are happy to welcome one or two others. Due to the nature of the site there are a limited range of tasks to be completed each week.

To get in touch please visit Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden | Facebook