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Flowers that would look good when left go wild?

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  • 04-08-2016 3:17pm
    #1
    Spirogyra
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,184 ✭✭✭


    Hi I'm just wondering whether anyone can recommend any flowers that would look good in a 'bed'? When left go fairly wild? Its for an elderly parent and I just want low maintenance? Saw a square in the city last year ,pretty much wasteland but there had been clusters of flowers set and although 'wild' looking ,they were beautiful. Can anyone suggest please ? Thanks S


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    #2
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,453 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Are you thinking of a wild flower meadow? That is grasses with things like corn marigolds, poppies, meadow sweet, and a good few others. You can buy packets of wild flower meadow seeds. The idea is to let them go to seed at the end of the season then mow them/strim them so that they reseed themselves.


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    #3
    Spirogyra
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,184 ✭✭✭Spirogyra


    looksee wrote: »
    Are you thinking of a wild flower meadow? That is grasses with things like corn marigolds, poppies, meadow sweet, and a good few others. You can buy packets of wild flower meadow seeds. The idea is to let them go to seed at the end of the season then mow them/strim them so that they reseed themselves.
    Thanks lookandsee ,that's probably it. Would I be better waiting until the spring? Is it too late now?


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    #4
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,453 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Well the seeds usually scatter themselves at the end of the summer, and grow the following spring, so that would probably be the best solution. You would need to dig out scutch and bindweed, and remove any established thistles or dandelions - or you could spray it now to clear it then sow it in maybe September. Both scutch and bindweed grow from tiny bits of root, so you will need to carefully dig out any bits of the thickish white root that you can find.

    You may not get much of a meadow in the first year, the pattern of cutting for hay and the new flowers self-seeding was what made the meadows originally.


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    #5
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    I find "wildflowers" as sold in packets are generally the tyoes of flowers that need the soil rotated every year to regerminate. Poppies, cornflowers etc. You get one good year, and then next year it's grass.

    In my experience, shrubs can get a bit unruly unless you are careful picking them out... But a border planted with some of the strong filler plants, like geranium johnsons blue, will fill out, flower like crazy all summer and just be more vigourous than any weeds around.


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