How to lay wildflower turf

You can grow wildflowers from seed or from plug plants, but the easiest way to establish a wildflower meadow is to lay turf. Simply remove a few strips from your lawn and replace them with wildflower turf, which you can buy from online suppliers.

Looking to maintain your meadow? Wildflower meadows need cutting once a year, after they've finished setting seed. Find out how to do it in this Gardeners' World video, as Monty Don cuts back his wildflower meadow with a scythe. He shares tips on how short to cut it and why it's important to remove all the cut material afterwards:

Follow our step-by-step guide to laying wildflower turf.

You Will Need

• Tape measure
• Garden spade
• Wildflower turf
• Garden rake
• Sharp knife

Step 1

Measure the area you want to transform. Use a spade to remove the grass and top layer of soil. Cut the grass into strips, using a spade, and roll them up for easy removal.

Step 2

Prepare the soil with a rake, making sure it's level, and remove big stones. Consolidate the surface by walking up and down, taking small, heavy steps. Rake again.

Step 3

Lay the turf on the soil, staggering the joints like brickwork. Use a knife to cut off any excess turf, then water it well. Keep watered but do not feed.

No room for a wildflower lawn? Plant a wildflower container.

How to maintain a wildflower meadow

• Choose your location – most wildflowers thrive on poor soils, whereas grasses take over on rich soils. Lay your turf on poor soil if possible to give your wildflowers a chance
• Keep the fertility low – don't fertilise your wildflower meadow, as this will encourage the proliferation of vigorous grasses and flowers, outcompeting more delicate species and reducing biodiversity
• Suppress grasses – one of the best ways to do this is to introduce yellow rattle, Rhinanthus minor, a parasitic plant that takes nutrients from and weakens grasses
• Mowing – don't mow your meadow until all the flowers have gone over, giving them time to self-seed. You can aid this by shaking seedheads back over the area. Mow in autumn and remove all cuttings to keep soil fertility low
• Sowing – sow yellow rattle and new wildflower species onto the patch in autumn, if you'd like to introduce new flowering plants