Wildflowers in topsoil

fizzypish

Hi,

I planted wildflowers over the percolation area (went great last year and starting up again recently) and in a mound/barrow of subsoil round the back (sown last autumn and no activity yet). We have a big heap of top soil that I will spread around some low patches in the surrounding field. I had an idea to get some yellow rattle and some wildflower mixes and sow them in while the soil is being moved in the hopes of creating some more wildflower patches. Is there any point in doing this? I know wildflowers prefer poorer soil. I'm hoping the yellow rattle will hamstring the grass enough to give the flowers a shot. IDK? My main aim is to make the surrounding environ more insect/pollinator friendly.

Akrasia

Insects love dandelion and they'll grow everywhere

Shoog

Top soil is not an ideal media for wild flower mix as it is to fertile usually. This means that the competitive grasses will colonize quicker than the wildflowers can get established and they will crowd them out. The usual prescription for establishing a wildflower meadow is to remove as much of the topsoil as possible and take it back to the infertile subsoil. What you got with your first years experiment was a flush of annuals that got in their life cycle before the grass got established - you will get diminishing returns on that area year on year as the grass and hardy perennial weeds take over.