Wild things

There are many ways to create your own small patch of wildflower meadow – just stop mowing the lawn, for a start, writes FIONNUALA FALLON

TO PROPERLY IDENTIFY the pink flower spikes of the common spotted orchid, you must squat down low on your hunkers, your body weight balanced precariously on one outstretched arm, and your chin almost grazing the ground while you search for the freckled, elongated, central lobe that distinguishes this lovely wild flower from its closest relatives.

I know this not because I’m an expert on orchids (far from it) but because last week I had the rare good fortune to meet someone who is, and to visit a meadow that was filled not only with these flowers but also with the deep pink spikes of pyramidal orchids, waxy twayblades and even a handful of bee orchids. Together they form part of a complex, delicately colourful matrix of wild flowers that surrounds the gardens of the Roman Catholic church in Caragh, Co Kildare – the result of one man’s decision, 15 years ago, to simply stop cutting the lawn.

The man in question, Fr Jackie O’Connell, was both Caragh’s parish priest from 1995 to 2010 and a keen-eyed, self-taught field botanist who recognised that the orchid leaf he’d spotted growing in the church’s close-shaven lawn was a promise of hidden treasure. Intrigued, he decided to leave a 3-metre-wide band of grass around the perimeter of the church grounds to grow freely, except for an annual early autumn haircut.

Within a few years it was dotted with wildflowers – not only hundreds of orchids but also bird’s foot trefoil, fairy flax, clover, self-heal, adder’s tongue, ox-eye daisies, hawkbit, pignut and lady’s bedstraw as well as the trembling, quivering dainty panicles of quaking-grass. When, for a few short years before he retired in 2010, Fr Jackie deliberately left the entire lawn uncut, a vast ocean of wildflowers quickly enveloped Caragh’s stone church, attracting a multitude of mini-wildlife into the garden.

These days the church’s lawns are clean-shaven once more (Fr Jackie’s successor is a more tidy-minded sort of gardener), except for that same 3-metre, flower-filled band around the garden’s perimeter, which remains as a remarkable testimony to the regenerative powers of Mother Nature.

That regenerative power is also much in evidence this summer in the wildflower-filled grass verges and medians of the country’s busy roads, dual-carriageways and motorways, where recession-hit county councils have been forced to cut back on once-routine mowing, strimming and spraying schedules. Stretches of grass that were once cut every 10-14 days are now being mowed once or twice a year, a result of health-and safety regulations that insist on costly traffic management measures being enforced during maintenance operations to prevent accidents.

Admittedly, at first glance it may look a little untidy (Michael Hannon, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent with South Dublin County Council, confirmed that they’ve had complaints to this effect) but it’s wonderful to see the diversity of wildflower communities now flourishing along the country’s roads, all growing on grassy margins that would once have been flailed within an inch of their life.

As for how the gardener might create his or her own small patch of wildflower meadow, begin by considering the kind(s) of habitat that you have to offer; many wildflowers thrive in poor, well-drained, lime-rich soils but others will flourish in very different growing conditions.

Somewhere sunny, unshaded by overhanging trees and shrubs, is generally best. Where the soil is very fertile, (vigorous plants such as nettles or docks are a sign of this), it's often best to remove the layer of topsoil to expose the poorer subsoil beneath, as otherwise a handful of thuggish grasses and wild flowers will quickly suppress the growth of many others less vigorous. Try to choose seed of wildflower species appropriate for the site; the Laois-based business Design By Nature offers a range of Irish-grown seed/plants ( wildflowers.ie) to suit every garden, with cutting routines varying accordingly. Then sow the seed either in mid-late spring or late August-late September onto a well-prepared seedbed (firm, but raked to a nice tilth) after ensuring that the site is as weed-free as possible.

Alternatively, you can sometimes transform a patch of existing lawn by doing just as Fr O’Connell did, and stop mowing, keeping in mind that all meadows still need to be cut back at least once a year. The success of this method hinges on the type of lawn; your chances are best where it hasn’t been artificially fertilised or treated with selective weedkiller, and already contains some evidence of finer-leaved grasses/wildflowers.

Their growth can then be further encouraged by sowing seed of yellow-rattle, as proven by head gardener Seamus O’Brien’s successful restoration of 14 acres of wild meadowlands at Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens in Co Wicklow. In 2007, noting that the neatly-mown fields showed evidence of being once-undisturbed meadowlands, O’Brien stopped cutting them. He then broadcast seed of this wild hemiparasitic plant, which extracts water and minerals from the roots of neighbouring grasses, suppressing their growth by as much as 60 per cent and thus allowing more delicate wildflowers to flourish. O’Brien stresses that using fresh, locally-sourced seed was key to yellow-rattle’s successful germination and establishment at Kilmacurragh, where the meadows now contain 117 species of wildflower.

From mid-June until now, in early August, is the time to harvest the plant’s ripe, unopened seed pods by collecting them into paper bags. As soon as they’ve spilled their seed (usually within a week), broadcast it onto your wildflower patch-to-be where, if you take the time to expose some small patches of bare soil, the chances of successful germination are good. Then just sit back and see what happens . . .

For more information on Ireland's wildflowers, read Zoe Devlin's recently published book, Wildflowers of Ireland – A Personal Record (Collins Press) or see her website wildflowersofireland.net. For further advice on creating a wildflower meadow, read Christopher Lloyd's classic Meadows (only available second-hand)

Date For Your Diary

Fingal Gardeners' Group & GIY Naul will be holding a Totally Terrific Tomatoes festival celebrating all things tomato, including exhibitions, competitions and a talk by organic-gardening expert Nicky Kyle on the importance of preserving the genetic diversity of historic vegetable varieties. It takes place on Sunday, September 2nd, at Rolestown Garden Centre, Co Dublin. See nickykylegardening.comfor details