Once upon a time, to achieve a wildflower area, you had to prepare the ground and sow seed mix. The patch required protection from footfall and hungry wildlife. Gone are those days, with companies offering ready-set wildflower turf. Preparation and attention is still needed, much like laying a new lawn, but the results are much more instantaneous. Laying wildflower turf couldn’t be easier.

 

How to lay your wildflower turf

Having read several sources on laying wildflower turf, there are seven common steps to follow for success:

  1. Remove existing lawn, plants or weeds from the desired area, and ensure you dig up as many roots as possible too (especially perennial weeds)
  2. Check the nutrient level of your soil – this guide points out how. Wildflowers thrive on poorer soils, so you may need to reduce the richness of your designated spot:
    1. Remove all topsoil and lay turf directly onto poorer subsoil
    2. Remove topsoil and refill with low fertility soil
    3. Lay your wildflower turf directly onto the rich soil, but mow short throughout the first year, raking off all cuttings and therefore many nutrients
  3. Dig over or rotovate the cleared patch to a depth equal to or greater than 100mm
  4. Rake the soil to a fine tilth before treading over it carefully to compact. You then need to rake to loosen the top again
  5. Carefully lift turf pieces into position, butting them up against one another thereby reducing gaps. Press turves gently but firmly into contact with the soil beneath. Stagger rows of turf much like brickwork
  6. Use a sharp knife or handsaw to trim pieces for the optimum fit. Fill odd-shaped gaps with offcuts
  7. Once laid, avoid walking on the turves and water well every day for the first 2-3 weeks, making sure the ground underneath is soaked too

 

Remember:

  • Unroll your wildflower turf as soon as delivered, and keep moist
  • Plant in position as soon after delivery as possible
  • You can plant the turf at any time of year as long as the soil is workable (i.e. not frozen or waterlogged). However, experts find autumn best because the soil is still warm but plants are diverting energy into rooting rather than flowering
  • Only mow your turf in autumn once all wildflowers have self-seeded. Self-seeding increases your stock of plants for free. Also be sure to rake off all clippings to both increase light levels for trimmed plants and reduce soil nutrients
  • Daily watering can be gradually reduced after 2-3 weeks, as the turf becomes more self-sufficient with its developing root system. Do still water in prolonged dry spells of several days, however, in the first year or two

 

Further reading

Bestall & Co garden garden design Gardening Guide How-to Landscape design Turf Wildflowers Wildflower turf Wildlife