Tip
Many specialist stores offer regional seed mixes that are tailored to the climate and soil conditions of a specific region and will therefore thrive there.
Creating a wildflower meadow
Creating a wildflower meadow is a wonderful idea for a natural, wildlife-friendly garden design. We explain how to do it.
26.03.2025
Overview: creating a wildflower meadow
A wildflower meadow as an eco-friendly, low-maintenance form of garden design
Sow in spring or late summer on nutrient-poor soil
Stake out the area, loosen soil, work in construction sand and sow
Mow your wildflower meadow twice a year
Watering is largely unnecessary
You should mow your wildflower meadow twice a year: once in March and the second time after the first flowering – the end of July or August, depending on the plant species.
A wildflower meadow should be sown in spring between the end of March and May, though you could also create a wildflower meadow in late summer (until September). Note the instructions for the respective seeds as you sow.
Most wildflowers thrive in nutrient-poor soil. If you’re creating a wildflower meadow, remember to sand the soil if it is loamy.
Special seed mixes are available for making wildflower meadows. Mixes containing exotic plants are not as long-lived as mixes of native species and they are not of value to many insects, though they are colourful. As a compromise, you should opt for a seed mix containing mainly native species alongside a few exotic species such as the Californian poppy.
The benefits of a wildflower meadow
A wildflower meadow is not just a beautiful, eye-catching sight, but also an environmentally friendly form of garden design.
A wild meadow attracts butterflies and bees, creates habitat for animals and invites us to observe and discover nature up close. The seeds of the plants serve as food for native birds and the flowers provide shelter for hedgehogs.
A flower meadow is also particularly easy to maintain compared to conventional lawns, as it only rarely needs to be mown. It also means you can save on watering, because you should only water a wildflower meadow in prolonged periods of severe drought.
There are a few things to consider before you create a wildflower meadow – for example, the choice of seeds and the right time to plant them.
What you should know about wildflower meadow seeds
If you want your meadow to grow annually, choose perennial wildflower seeds that are not just for exotic plants. Although these flower beautifully, they are less long-lived.
The following native species are suitable for creating a wildflower meadow:
red clover (trifolium pratense)
common poppy (papaver rhoeas)
cornflower (centaurea cyanus)
night-flowering catchfly (Silene noctiflora)
daisy (bellis perennis)
sorrel (rumex acetosa)
oxeye daisy (leucanthemum ircutianum and vulgare)
brown knapweed (centaurea jacea)
bird’s foot trefoil (lotus corniculatus)
The right timing for your wildflower meadow
Depending on the types of plant you have selected, the best time to sow a wildflower meadow is in spring (between the end of March and May) or late summer and autumn until September.
A sunny location is ideal, for example in front of a fence, a shed or house wall – shade, on the other hand, is less good for your insect-friendly meadow.
The soil should be nutrient-poor, i.e. sandy, low in humus and low in nutrients. In common garden earth, soil amendment is worthwhile. This means adding sand so your flower meadow will transform into a haven for bees.
As it is not possible to exactly reproduce a natural site, it will take a few years for species to balance – some will disappear, while others will thrive and assert themselves. As most garden soils are initially too high in nutrients, species that use more nutrients will prevail in the first few years. Reseeding may make sense a few years after the wildflower meadow has been first planted.
Creating a wildflower meadow: How to do it step-by-step
Below, you will learn the steps to create a wild meadow in your garden and what you need for the task.
- Insect-friendly seed mix from specialist retailer
Rope or washing line with stakes for marking out the area
Dry sand/bird sand for distributing the seeds
Coarse construction sand for loamy soil
A bowl for sowing the seeds
Wheelbarrow
Spade
Shovel
Digging fork
Watering can; for larger areas: sprinkler and hose
Metal rake and wooden rake
Bucket for rubbish
Hammer for the stakes
Appropriate work equipment
Working with high-performance power tools is fun and allows you to broaden your skills, which is great if you can rely on effective and safe protective clothing. Always wear personal protective equipment when working with garden pruners. This includes, for example, safety glasses, gloves and more. Find out more information in the operating instructions for your product. Before using your power tool for the first time, fully familiarise yourself with it and ensure that it is in flawless condition before each use. On request, your STIHL dealer will be happy to prepare your power tool for its first job, and will also advise you on models and sizes of protective clothing that you can try on at your leisure. Please remember that personal protective equipment is no substitute for working safely.
Creating a wildflower meadow: How it’s done
Mark the area where you want to place your wildflower meadow using some washing line and stakes. Use garden hose or rope to mark out curved surfaces.
Remove turf thoroughly using a spade and pull up any taproot weeds and stones with a metal rake. Turf can be composted or used to fill a raised bed, as a separating layer between coarse and fine material.
Loosen the soil with a digging fork. You should insert this into the ground at a 45-degree angle, lifting it out in such a way that the soil can flow through the tines. Please be sure only to dig over heavy ground – you should avoid digging over other soil types in order to protect the soil and its inhabitants.
It is important to leave the soil to rest for two weeks and then chop up any weeds that have germinated. This also saves you the trouble of rolling the soil, as the soil settles and becomes firm enough to walk on. Weed seeds can remain viable in soil for decades, and will germinate as soon as conditions are optimal – after soil loosening, for example.
If your soil is loamy, you should spread construction sand and work it in thoroughly in order to loosen the soil, make it more permeable and reduce the nutrient content. In principle, this method works by distributing the nutrients over a larger volume of soil. Rake your surface smooth and level it with the wooden rake.
Mix the seeds with dry bird sand. This will ensure that the often-small seeds, which come in various shapes, can be distributed evenly and you can see where the seeds are already lying against the dark soil.
Important: Do not use construction sand as this is prone to clumping. Now apply the seed mix. As a rule, you will need between 5 and 10 grams of seed per square metre – please see the packaging for details.
Rake the seeds in a little and pat the soil down with the shovel until firm. For larger areas, use a roller. Water the soil and keep it moist until the seeds germinate.
What to consider after planting a wildflower meadow
Once you’ve created your wildflower meadow, it won't take much maintenance – but there are a few things you should remember.
Mow your wildflower meadow
There are a number of good reasons to mow your wildflower meadow. Knowing how and when to mow your wildflower meadow will allow lower-growing plants to access the sunlight and flower. In addition, removing existing plants gradually reduces the nutrient concentration of the soil, as nutrients from the soil are “integrated” into the plants and thus disappear from the area. This is beneficial because wildflowers thrive best in nutrient-poor soil. Another advantage: mowing and then leaving the plants lying on the ground promotes the propagation of primarily annual species.
You should mow your bee-friendly wildflower meadow twice a year. The first cut should be in March, because in winter the stems of the flower meadow serve as shelter for many beneficial insects and grain-eating birds such as finches eat the seeds. The second cut should be after the first flowering – for many species, this takes place in July and August.
STIHL pro tip
Leave the cuttings on the surface for few days and allow them to dry out before placing them in a thermo composter, organic waste bin or the green waste. The material contains too many seeds for proper composting, as this would result in the seeds later germinating in undesired places in the garden.
If you shake the seeds out thoroughly, you can also put the cuttings on a public compost heap to properly dispose of your garden waste.
Mow larger areas in stages and leave a week’s break in between mowings so that insects such as bees can enjoy the last flowers for a little longer.
Caring for a wildflower meadow
A bee-friendly wildflower meadow is particularly easy to maintain, as you only need to mow it twice a year, and watering is largely unnecessary.
After germination, keep the soil moist and water it again in hot weather during the first year. This will no longer be necessary the next year, as the plants will be established by then.
After sowing a wildflower meadow, look out for weeds that may choke your wildflower plants and suppress them. It often takes a few years to create a stable wildflower meadow. Some species thrive, others disappear – just as in nature.
