[Flagmount1]

Hi, We planted a wildflower meadow with a( mainly perennial ) flower and grass mixture last Autumn.
It has been flowering since Spring and cornflowers,oxeye daisies are doing quite well but seed heads are only just appearing. It now has the look of a hay field
When should it be cut ? Can harm be done by cutting or indeed not cutting it at the correct time? Any help from those who have gone down this road before would be appreciated .

[kindredspirit]

If you google "When should I cut a wildflower meadow?" you'll get loads of results like this.

http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/factsheets/meadow/cutting.php

http://www.wildflowers.ie/growers_manual/p22_when_to_cut.htm

http://www.wildflowers.ie/growers_manual/p7a_long_term_management.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_meadow1.shtml

http://www.meadowmania.co.uk/default.cfm/loadindex.94

http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/wildflowers/meadow/index.html

Personally I wouldn't cut it at all. Leave it the way it is and grasshoppers and other old-fashioned insects will eventually come back. You'd have to remove briars and other unwanted vegetation eventually though.

The most important thing is to NEVER fertilize it. (and if you cut it, never leave the cuttings on it.)

[James Kilkelly]

Flagmount1, try this from my piece... How to sow, establish and care for your wildflower area.

First season mowing.
When your wildflower seeds initially germinate and the growth reaches a height of about 4 inches (10cm), the area should be mown to a height of about 2 inches. This helps cut out any unwanted weeds such as chickweed.

Remove the cuttings, and as you go, dig out any perennial weeds such as thistles or docks. Mow the area at least twice more during the first year also to a height of about 5cm, followed by removing all cuttings to keep fertility low.

Second season mowing.
In the second and subsequent years, cut once in spring (late March to early April) and once again in autumn (late August to late September). The spring cut (optional), is helpful as it weakens any of the over-wintered perennial weeds and strong grasses.

The autumn cut should be timed to take place only after your meadow flowers have all set seed, seeds which will become some of next years wildflowers. After mowing, the clippings are left on the ground for a few days to allow seed to fall and disperse, before the mowings are then removed, to the compost heap if you wish. If you feel the wildflower area looks a bit unkempt again after a few weeks, it will do it no harm to carry out another mowing just to keep it tidy.

So that's it, a lawn-like area that you will only have to mow a maximum of three times a season. But it gets better; you don't even need a wallet busting 20 horsepower ride-on mower to undertake the cutting. On a small area, a scythe or a strimmers can be used, whilst on a large meadow, simply enlist the services of a tractor with a finger-bar mower for the twice or thrice yearly mowing.