Maintaining a Wildflower Meadow in Fall
Water the wildflower meadow lightly in late fall. This is also the time to cut any wildflowers you want to dry. Otherwise, wildflower meadow maintenance in fall consists primarily of cleanup. Remove dead stalks and rake plant debris. If you have weeds, such as crabgrass or bindweed, pull the weeds when the soil is moist. Work carefully to avoid disturbing the soil more than necessary. To prevent a healthy weed crop in spring, be sure to pull the weeds before they go to seed. Once you have cleaned up the wildflower meadow and pulled bothersome weeds, continue backyard meadow care by mowing the meadow to about 4 to 6 inches – usually about two weeks after the wildflowers wilt and turn brown. A mowing in fall keeps the garden tidy and promotes reseeding of the desired plants, but be sure not to mow until the plants have gone to seed; otherwise, you’ll remove seedpods and you’ll have sparse wildflower growth in spring. You may need to reseed in spring if you live in a cold climate, but in most climates, wildflowers reseed readily with no assistance. Don’t rake the clippings after you mow unless they are thick; a heavy layer of clippings can block air, moisture and light from reaching new seedlings. If the plants are thick, rake lightly or mow twice to create smaller clippings that decompose rapidly.
