Wildflower Meadow Establishment

How Green Horizon Eco Solutions Can Help You Establish Wildflower Meadow

• The creation of new wildflower meadows in Gateshead, Newcastle and the North East, however large or small.

• Full maintenance plans which cater to your requirements.

• A site evaluation would be carried out, followed by the development of detailed quote and sequence of works
and annual management plan. All work would be carried out according to the agreed maintenance program by ourselves.

Wildflower Meadows in Gateshead - Green Horizon
Wildflower Meadow Establishment - Green Horizon

Why are wildflowers so important?

In the UK, we need a wide range of wildflowers to provide bees and other insects that pollinate plants with local food sources across the seasons -including times when crops aren’t producing flowers. Many vegetables, fruits, and nuts rely on insect pollination. in the UK strawberries, raspberries, cherries and apples need to be pollinated by insects to get a good crop.

As many gardeners know, insects and other animals can also help in the fight against crop pests (animals and insects that damage crops and plants). This means that farmers may have to rely even more heavily on pesticides if these ‘good’ animals and insects can’t help. Just as importantly wildflowers are beautiful and provide us with habitats that buzz with life.

How do wildflowers help the environment?

Wildflowers provide lots of things that insects need: food in the form of leaves, nectar and pollen, also shelter and places to breed. In return, insects pollinate the wildflowers, enabling them to develop seeds and spread to grow in other places. The insects themselves are eaten by birds, bats, amphibians, reptiles and small mammals, all of whom contribute to the cycle of life.

During winter when there is less food available, wildflower seeds can also be an important food source for birds and small mammals.

Wildflower meadows offer a diverse, and very attractive, habitat for the pleasure of young and old alike. The last century saw a sharp decrease in the variety of wildflowers in the UK countryside. This was due to changes in agricultural policy and practice, particularly increased field drainage and herbicide use, and the growth of urban sprawl.

How are wildflower meadows established?

Restoring meadows at field scale using modern machinery or on a small scale in a small garden is possible. A native wildflower seed mix will be purchased which will be most suitable to your area. A sunny patch in your garden or field will then be determined. This can be as small or large as you have space for. The area will then be prepared either by cutting the existing grass down as short as possible and removing all clippings and creating a fine seedbed either by tilling or scarifying a patch of grass. The seed will then be over the bare ground, typically in late August or September or in the late spring when temperatures begin to warm up.

The wildflower meadow will then be allowed to grow up and flower in the spring and summer. A final cut in late autumn will then be carried out by removing the clippings to avoid putting too much nutrient back into the soil profile.

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