There is a school of thought claiming that really good meadows can only be created by seriously reducing fertility first, so that the grass doesn’t grow too quickly and compete with the wildflowers. Gardeners on poor sandy or alkaline soils won’t have to lift a finger, but those of us with rich, fertile soil would have to scrape off most of the topsoil, revealing less fertile subsoil into which an appropriate meadow mix ol grasses and wildflowers could be sown. If you try this approach, always leave behind a thin layer of topsoil, especially if your subsoil is thick and sticks, otherwise it will be really hard to make a tilth into which the seed can be sown.
You would undoubtedly gain a more colorful meadow this way and I think the idea works well where a garden is not influenced by a surrounding landscape of distinct character. However, if I were to treat my own meadow like this I think it would look odd compared to the fields and rolling verdant landscape all around.
Choose a seed mix to suit your soil and climate and avoid coarse, fast-growing grasses. Generally, one would opt for SO percent slow-growing grasses and 20 percent wildflowers. Either sow during autumn (the best time) or in mid-spring, when the soil has warmed up but should still remain moist for a month or two more. Generally, 13¡ª18 lb per acre is about right, or for smaller areas 1/6-1/4 oz per square yard. During germination and growth, watch your developing meadow carefully and encourage the wildflowers by removing any coarse weeds. When the tallest grasses and plants reach beyond 3 1/2 inches, mow to 1 1/2 inches and repeat this process until autumn, unless annuals are flowering. Dividing areas up and cutting them at different times of the year is a good idea, because an earls summer mowing will favor the early-flowering plants by saving them from being swamped by grasses. But late-flowering perennials, such as scabious and knapweed, need more time to bloom and are best cut in late summer.
