Things have certainly moved on since this project started. We now have a fence (except for the field gate which should arrive this week). The lime tree in the picture has had its canopy raised so I can walk under it. This should create a dappled shade enabling wild flowers to grow under the tree. In the recent exceptionally hot spell (34c) it also provided one of the coolest parts of our garden!
The major and exhausting job has been cutting the existing grass and scarification to expose the soil prior to seeding.
The grass was first cut as short as possible. Even then there remained a lot of thatch as these fields have been a sheep meadow for several hundred years. Then my little scarifier has done the work to cut into the thatch and pull it up.
The thatch then needs to be raked up.
Without the right machine this is very much a manual job and quite exhausting it is too!
The thatch is beginning to loosen up so that when we seed the seed can make contact with the soil and hopefully germinate.
Interestingly although we have only brought about 26m into the field we do seem much closer to the pond. This pond was the fish pond for the rectory next door. It is therefore at least 300 years old and could have been a medieval fish pond. The level is maintained by a small weir on the stream which runs along the edge of the field.
So far I have scarified the whole field in one direction. Now I need to do the same in the other direction!
Right from the start we decided to get some mature trees. A visit to Majestic Trees and we now have three trees on order. A Liquidambar styraciflua
A Fagus sylvatica ‘Tricolour’ and
a Crataegus laevigata ‘Paul’s Scarlet’. These trees will be planted in October when we should expect more rain. As you can see from the pictures they are on extensive watering systems.
Lastly we now have brought the meadow seed. We were fortunate to have a long established wild flower seed supplier near us called Naturescape. Discussions with them certainly helped us choose the seed. We have gone for three different seed mixes:
The ditch which forms the ha-ha at the edge of the garden is always going to be damp and we have gone for Wetland Meadow Mixture:
| Latin Name | English Name | Mix Composition |
| Achillea millefolium | Yarrow | 2.50% |
| Centaurea nigra | Common Knapweed | 9% |
| Filipendula ulmaria | Meadowsweet | 8% |
| Lathyrus pratensis | Meadow Vetchling | 3% |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | Oxeye Daisy | 7% |
| Lotus corniculatus | Birdsfoot Trefoil | 4% |
| Lotus pedunculatus | Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil | 4% |
| Lychnis flos-cuculi | Ragged Robin | 2% |
| Ononis repens | Common Restharrow | 2% |
| Plantago lanceolata | Ribwort Plantain | 4% |
| Primula veris | Cowslip | 3% |
| Prunella vulgaris | Self Heal | 8% |
| Ranunculus acris | Meadow Buttercup | 9% |
| Rhinanthus minor | Yellow Rattle | 10% |
| Rumex acetosa | Common Sorrel | 8% |
| Sanguisorba officinalis | Great Burnet | 2% |
| Serratula tinctoria | Sawwort | 1% |
| Stachys officinalis | Betony | 2.50% |
| Succisa pratensis | Devilsbit Scabious | 3.50% |
| Tragopogon pratensis | Goatsbeard | 2% |
| Trifolium pratense | Wild Red Clover | 3% |
| Vicia cracca | Tufted Vetch | 3% |
The areas under the Lime tree and the Horse Chestnut tree will always be dry and we have been advised that a Hedgerow Meadow Mixture would work well there:
| Latin Name | English Name | Mix Composition |
| Achillea millefolium | Yarrow | 3% |
| Agrimonia eupatoria | Common Agrimony | 4% |
| Alliaria petiolata | Garlic Mustard | 7% |
| Centaurea nigra | Common Knapweed | 6% |
| Digitalis purpurea | Wild Foxglove | 3% |
| Filipendula ulmaria | Meadowsweet | 4% |
| Galium mollugo | Hedge Bedstraw | 4% |
| Geranium pyrenaicum | Hedgerow Cranesbill | 1% |
| Geum urbanum | Wood Avens | 5% |
| Hypericum perforatum | Common St. John’s Wort | 2% |
| Knautia arvensis | Field Scabious | 4% |
| Lathyrus pratensis | Meadow Vetchling | 3% |
| Leontodon autumnalis | Autumn Hawkbit | 2% |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | Oxeye Daisy | 5% |
| Malva moschata | Musk Mallow | 5% |
| Malva sylvestris | Common Mallow | 4% |
| Prunella vulgaris | Self Heal | 5% |
| Silene alba | White Campion | 5% |
| Silene dioica | Red Campion | 7% |
| Silene vulgaris | Bladder Campion | 2% |
| Stachys sylvatica | Hedge Woundwort | 6% |
| Torilis japonica | Upright Hedge Parsley | 4% |
| Verbascum nigrum | Dark Mullein | 3% |
| Vicia cracca | Tufted Vetch | 5% |
| Vicia sylvatica | Wood Vetch | 1% |
And for the bulk of the field a Summer Flowering Butterfly & Bee Meadow Mixture:
| Latin Name | English Name | Mix Composition |
| Achillea millefolium | Yarrow | 3% |
| Anthyllis vulneraria | Kidney Vetch | 3% |
| Campanula glomerata | Clustered Bellflower | 1% |
| Campanula trachelium | Nettle Leaved Bellflower | 1% |
| Centaurea nigra | Common Knapweed | 8% |
| Centaurea scabiosa | Greater Knapweed | 5% |
| Daucus carota | Wild Carrot | 4% |
| Echium vulgare | Viper’s Bugloss | 4% |
| Galium verum | Lady’s Bedstraw | 8% |
| Geranium pratense | Meadow Cranesbill | 2% |
| Hypericum perforatum | Common St. John’s Wort | 3% |
| Knautia arvensis | Field Scabious | 5% |
| Lathyrus pratensis | Meadow Vetchling | 3% |
| Linaria vulgaris | Common Toadflax | 1% |
| Lotus corniculatus | Birdsfoot Trefoil | 7% |
| Lythrum salicaria | Purple Loosestrife | 2% |
| Origanum vulgare | Wild Marjoram | 2% |
| Prunella vulgaris | Self Heal | 10% |
| Rhinanthus minor | Yellow Rattle | 7% |
| Scabiosa columbaria | Small Scabious | 4% |
| Stachys officinalis | Betony | 4% |
| Stachys sylvatica | Hedge Woundwort | 3% |
| Succisa pratensis | Devilsbit Scabious | 2% |
| Trifolium pratense | Wild Red Clover | 3% |
| Verbascum nigrum | Dark Mullein | 2% |
| Vicia cracca | Tufted Vetch | 3% |
In addition we added some seed of Cowslips, Oxeye Daisy, Greater Hawbit, Salard Burnet and Pignut. We will probably seed the area around the end of August.
One unexpected benefit of the meadow is it gives us another view into our garden.
Glebe House Garden 