Book: The Urban Handbook Chapter: 7 Grasslands Section: Cornfield annuals Metadata: Details Buy this book

This is the easiest and most reliable way of creating a show of colourful wild flowers, but is only an annual feature, which requires the ground to be dug over or cultivated each year. Purchase of new seed each year is not necessary, as the wildflowers will set seed. The annual cultivation is necessary to reduce the competition from perennial plants. Annuals grow best on fertile soils, and this is the only type of wildflower mix which will succeed on such soils.

The choice of appropriate native plants is small, but creates a colourful display. Seed can be mixed with wheat, oats or barley seed to recreate a traditional cornfield from the era before the use of herbicides.

Seed mixes

Choose from the following species.

White campion

(Silene alba)

Chamomile

(Anthemis arvensis)

Charlock

(Sinapsis arvensis)

Corncockle

(Agrostemma githago)

Cornflower

(Centaurea cyanus)

Corn marigold

(Chrysanthemum segetum)

Field pansy

(Viola arvensis)

Wild pansy

(Viola tricolor)

Field poppy

(Papaver rhoeas)

For a traditional cornfield, add wheat, barley or oats to comprise a third by weight of the total mix.

Preparation and sowing

This can be done in autumn or spring, with the optimum timing depending on location and season. Early August to mid-September allows autumn establishment of most species, so that root systems are well developed by the following spring. Alternatively March to early May is suitable. Choose a time when the ground is not too wet.

1. Choose a sunny site with fertile soil. Dig it over to remove all annual and perennial weeds. Rake to produce a good tilth.
2. Alternatively, apply a glyphosate herbicide, allow about two weeks for the vegetation to die, and then rake off the dead growth. Rake to produce a good tilth.
3. Thoroughly mix the seed with dry sawdust or silver sand to help give even coverage, and to make it easier to see where you have sown. Nine parts sand to one part seed, by weight, is suitable. Sow at the recommended rate.
4. Lightly rake in the seed, and firm it down with the back of the rake or by treading.

Management

1. In late August, when annuals have finished flowering and set seed, cut with a strimmer, scythe or flail mower, to a height of 50mm. The cuttings can be left where they fall to rot down.
2. If a neat appearance is wanted, cut again in late October. Leave the cuttings.
3. Cultivate the ground to a depth of about 20mm, during any dry spell before February/March, to stimulate the annuals to germinate.
4. Where grasses or weeds such as dock or creeping thistle are numerous, it may be necessary to apply a glyphosate herbicide in autumn or early spring, before cultivation. The weeds must be actively growing for the herbicide to be effective. Spring treatment must be done before the annuals germinate.

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