When Planting a Meadow, Think of Your Garden Conditions

When Planting a Meadow¹, Think of Your Garden Conditions

Wildflower meadows² have been growing in popularity³ among gardeners – and for good reason.

A meadow is a usually flat area of land that is covered with tall grass. Meadows are easy to take care of, do well with little water, and provide food for birds, animals, and insects. And they are nice to look at.

Wildflowers are native plants. So, if you want to create your own wildflower meadow, your plant choices will depend on where you live.

If you are in the United States or Canada, start your search on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's website www.wildflower.org/plants/. Choose your area and narrow the search by choosing your water and sun requirements, among other choices. Then, take a look at the list for plants that you like.

The usual meadow is about 60 percent native grasses and 40 percent flowering perennials⁵. But there is no harm in changing these amounts.

You can also buy ready-made wildflower seed mixes made for your area. If you choose this, just be sure that the kinds of plants included work for the soil, sunlight, and wetness conditions your garden provides.

But do not think you can just spread the seeds and walk away. You must always prepare your soil for any garden, wild or not. If you do not, you will likely not enjoy your results.

First, remove any unwanted plants and grasses that are already present. Digging them up would require the most amount of work, and risks moving the seeds of unwanted plants to the surface. That could make problems worse.

A more effective way to remove grasses and unwanted plants is by using high temperatures or removing oxygen from the area. These methods do require time.

Place cardboard⁶ over your garden and then cover it with 10 to 15 centimeters of mulch. The grass and other unwanted plants under it will die from not having enough oxygen by autumn.

Another method is to cover the area with weighed-down plastic. This method can be quicker because as the plastic heats up, it "cooks" the plants under it.

This autumn (or next spring), turn the soil in the new bed and include a small amount of compost. If you have heavy clay soil, mix in sand to improve water flow. Do not add fertilizer⁷ or use too much compost, because wildflowers do better with low soil fertility⁸.

Yearly⁹ wildflower plants should be planted only in spring, to permit time for them to grow, produce and drop seeds, which will begin to grow the following year. Perennial⁴ plants, however, can be planted in fall.

Most wildflower seeds are very small, so combining one part of your seed mix with 10 parts of dry sand can make spreading them easier. Spreading the seeds by hand may work for small beds, but it is better to use a seed spreader for larger areas.

To make sure the seeds get good contact with the soil, walk over them or pass over the area with a garden roller. But be sure to not bury the seeds.

If you are spreading the seeds in spring, keep the area lightly watered if there is no rainfall, as the season's warming temperatures will threaten to dry them out.

Expect some yearly plants to flower the first year, but you may have to wait a year or two for perennials to flower. In the meantime¹⁰, keep the bed free of tall unwanted plants, which could take away sunlight from your growing wildflowers.

At the end of the growing season, leave your meadow standing¹¹ to provide food and shelter for overwintering insects and wildlife. Cut it down in spring just before new growth begins.

Words in This Story

garden – n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown

perennial – n. a plant that lives for several years or for many years

cardboard – n. a stiff¹² and thick kind of paper that is used especially for making boxes

mulch – n. a material (such as straw, leaves, or small pieces of wood) that is spread over the ground in a garden to protect the plants or help them grow and to stop weeds from growing

compost – n. a decayed¹³ mixture of plants (such as leaves and grass) that is used to improve the soil in a garden

clay – n. a heavy, sticky material from the earth that is made into different shapes and that becomes hard when it is baked or dried

1 meadow   

n.草地，牧草地

参考例句：

• The children ran free across the meadow.孩子们在草地里自由地奔跑。
• The meadow is peopled with wild flowers.草地长满了野花。

2 meadows   

草地，牧场， （河边的）低洼地( meadow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The trail wends its way through leafy woodland and sunny meadows. 这条小径穿过葱郁的林区和洒满阳光的草地。
• They have railed the meadows off from the new railway cutting. 他们已用栏杆把草地和新铁道的路堑隔离开来。

3 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

4 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

5 perennials   

n.多年生植物( perennial的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Name six perennials and six annuals suitable for indoor flower arrangement. 列出多年生及一年生花朵各六种，它们必须是适合插花的。 来自互联网
• Herbage can be divided into three categories: annuals, biennials, and perennials. 草本植物可分成一年生、二年生和多年生。 来自互联网

6 cardboard   

n.硬纸板，卡纸板

参考例句：

• She brought the shopping home in a cardboard box.她将买的东西放在纸箱里带回家。
• There is a sheet of stiff cardboard in the drawer.在那个抽屉里有块硬纸板。

7 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

8 fertility   

n.肥沃；繁殖力

参考例句：

• A green manure is a crop grown mainly to improve soil fertility.种植绿肥作物主要是为使土壤更加肥沃。
• She is taking drugs to increase her fertility.她为了增强她的生殖能力而在服药。

9 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

10 meantime   

n.其时，其间；adv.同时，当时

参考例句：

• I continued working,meantime,he went out shopping.我继续工作，这期间他出去买东西。
• In the meantime we pressed on with the airlift.与此同时，我们加紧进行空运。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 stiff   

adj.严厉的，激烈的，硬的，僵直的，不灵活的

参考例句：

• There is a sheet of stiff cardboard in the drawer.在那个抽屉里有块硬纸板。
• You have to push on the handle to turn it,becanse it's very stiff.手柄很不灵活，你必须用力推才能转动它。

13 decayed   

a.腐败的，被蛀的

参考例句：

• New Shoreham, now sadly decayed, has barely 100 inhabitants. 如今已经衰落的新肖勒姆仅有100 名居民，很令人伤感。
• The place stank of decayed fish. 那地方有烂鱼的臭味。