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Index- Wildflower Gardening Web Index
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Exposed and Windy Gardens
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 Web Site author S. Cafolla lives
at1000 feet up, on the north side of a hill. I
get 3 months of cool
summers to 24,C and wet, windy and damp Winter
months, cold to -10C A short Spring and
Autumn. Slugs the size of sausages, summer baked shallow soil and
winter wet squelch.
The following advice was hard won.
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Exposed and Windy Gardens
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Wild flowers can be planted at the same time as a shelter belt of tree or shrubs, they are equally as hardy. Any
tall mixture will protect newly planted small trees.
Exposed gardens can either be windy and cold, or suffer from extreme heat. They can suffer from deep frost
or lie on a shallow wet soil. Where such conditions occur, most wild flowers will grow at their best. Where conditions are tough and few plants can survive, wild flowers will flower better. In such conditions, wild flowers have plenty of room for
growth without much competition. They can
grow in any direction and only suffer when facing into the wind or
ungrazed.
In such garden flowery hummocks
of different species will develop. These mounds and cushions will flower for longer and really they look like the ideal rockery or alpine plant.
Think of Heather and hardy shrubs.
It can be hard to establish any plant on a windy or exposed site. Wild flowers have a better success rate than most seedlings.
They need some attention when germinating. Most importantly, do not let them dry out.
At the seedling stage, where a drought combined with high winds will
affect the grow of seedlings and may indeed damage 30% of the species in the mixture. Hence it is actually best to sow during April when the conditions are usually perfect.
Weather Watch: Plan for spring showers!!!
On sunny and dry sites, sowing should coincide with wet weather and the seedlings should have rain at least once in six weeks.
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Severely Exposed
Gardens |
| These include upland gardens, sea cliffs, steep mountainsides, roadside embankments, sand dunes, sea wall
defences, land fill sites and roof garden. In all of these cases if humus can be incorporated into the soil or with the sowing mixture
(hydra seeding or hydra mulch) the seedlings will have a better chance. Just ensure that the
soil does not dry out during the critical seedling stage. |
Avoid late Autumn sowings on difficult sites: Try to sow late August and early September to allow for rapid growth. Aim to establish the flora before the onset of winter.
Sites with shallow soil or are prone to very deep frosts -5 degrees Celsius are sites where seedlings will need additional care in the first weeks after
sowing. Shallow soils are liable to dry out and autumn sown seeds will suffer in frosty gardens if they are not established by October. |
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See our trade centre
for suitable mixtures for exposed and windy
gardens:
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Species most suitable for exposed and windy gardens:
Species
Index
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Thrift
- Trefoil
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Kidney Vetch
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Sorrell
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Mountain Sorrell (a species which is not normally put into mixtures but which is available on request)
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Rattle
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Plantain
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Lesser knapweed
- Sea mayweed (Seaside)
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Sea campion (Seaside)
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Index- Wildflower Gardening Web Index
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