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Weeds and wild things ............. meadows, waste places and woodland
As
the saying goes, a weed is just a plant in the wrong place - but some
weeds are just thugs, some wild flowers are just weeds and some wild flowers
grown in garden conditions lose their appeal! ........
Would anyone class an orchid as a weed? Even the so called Common Spotted
Orchid, [Dactylorhiza fuchsii], is not so common. To see a clump
of orchids such as the Lady's Slipper Orchid, [Cypripedium calceolus],
in flower in the wild would be stunning as it is extremely rare, although
some attempts are being made to re-introduce it to selected habitats in
the UK. On a recent garden visit I was stopped in my tracks by a large
clump of Cypripedium in full flower [although I don't know which it was].
The clump was tucked into the lee of a wall - what a sight! Blowsy certainly,
but not vulgar! There are a number of similar orchids that originate from
North America and Asia which are expensively available in cultivation.
Meadows
Waste places - grow
hard
Woodland - spring plants
Meadows
The growth of interest in meadow and prairie style planting is allowing
us to re-asses the merits of less rarified British 'wild' flowers [as
well as welcoming-in a range of US 'weeds' such as Rudbeckia, Echinacea
and Helenium]. The wholesale mixing-in of non-native species provides
more colour and 'texture' to last through the year. The 'English Meadow'
style is a bit of a hybrid, with cornfield annuals being included in the
mix for many newly sown meadows to provide colour in the first year. These
can include Corn Marigold, Chrysanthemum segetum, Poppy, Papaver rhoeas
and Cornflower Centaurea cyanus. It is worth noting that as the meadow
matures these species will decline and finally vanish.
Dr Angus Davies has recently completed a PhD looking at the complexities of 'native' meadow restoration on land at Lusty Hill Farm in Somerset which up until 10 years ago was regularly reseeded and fertilised to support a dairy herd. His conclusions make interesting reading for anyone thinking of taking on the task of creating an 'English' style wildflower hay meadow. Although the type of land you are 'gardening' on will dictate to some extent what you grow and what will establish.
One way
of enabling new plants to establish on existing intensively farmed grassland
is to weaken the grasses encouraged by the nutrients added over the years
to create the desired 'lush' grass which out competes other plants. The
lush grass can be weakened to help other species establish by introducing
Yellow Rattle, Rhinanthus minor - the common name derives from
the sound of the seedpods rattling in the breeze. Rattle parasitises grass
roots weakening the grass and allowing other species in. Sounds a bit
gruesome but it works, one of the fields at Lusty Hill Farm was a sheet
of yellow rattle a few years ago, now in the grass orchids are re-gaining
a foothold, as are other species. Some native plants have proved more
robust than others in establishing and staying established at Lusty Hill
Farm for example the Ox-eye Daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare disappeared quite
quickly and yet you see it flowering away on roadsides and one assumes
it is pretty robust. The more 'robust' introductions include Cowslip,
Primula veris, Common Mallow, Malva moschata and Meadow Cranesbill, Geranium
pratense.
If you are interested in finding out more about establishing an 'old fashioned'
hay meadow which is floristically diverse on a small or large scale I
recommend reading Dr Davies's PhD. His findings include the results of
establishing new plants through seeding, pot grown and plug plants as
well as which plants are better to establish and at what times of the
year it is best to plant. There is an extensive bibliography. [See below
for link]
The Cowslip is easy to establish in a garden context in open grassy areas and is enjoying ramping across the lawn in the village garden. It is a cheerful plant with its golden yellow downward facing flowers raised above the grass on long stems and has an appealing slightly lemony scent. A massed meadow planting is a lovely sight if a little rare in the countryside now. In the garden Meadow Cranesbill is a good doer flowering from mid into later summer, the sky blue cups of flowers float above cut foliage. It is particularly useful for transitional plantings between formal and wilder areas. There are a number of selections including doubles and shades of white which have made their way into the garden proper, including Mrs Kendall Clark, Striatum and Splish-Splash.
References
and links
Kari's Garden plant index - you
will find images and further information on some of the plants mentioned
Dr
Davies's PhD - The Floristic Restoration of Agriculturally Improved Grassland
[PDF
format]
The Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe [1974] Richard
Fitter, Alastair Fitter, Marjorie Blamey [reprint 2003]
Plants
to attract insects into the garden
Article on Cowslips and primroses
See
Carymoor Environmental Centre
- South Somerset where you can see wild flowers being established on a
former landfill site and includes a growing collection of English native
plants
Great Dixter - Christopher Lloyd's garden in Sussex, well established meadows are part of the garden
Sticky
Wicket Garden in Dorset - Pam Lewis is a leading exponent of meadow
gardening and planting for wildlife
Many
UK Wildlife Trusts have old meadows which you can visit, why not
contact a trust local to you?
The area around Hawes
in the Yorkshire Dales is famous for its meadows [and cheese]
Buy
As well
as being able to buy plants from some of the places to see above ......
Arne Herbs - over 800 varieties of herbs and wild flowers
Chiltern Seeds - including Linaria, Wild Carrot and Bath Asparagus
Really Wild Flowers - plug plants of a wide range of native species
@Kari's garden 2002 - 2006