|
Wildflower Sod |
By Fred Birdsall, master gardener, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Denver County
Wildflowers were my solution to what to do with too much sunshine.Our west-facing front yard drops sharply down to the sidewalk. The summer sun was brutal on that western slope. I couldn’t keep it watered, and mowing was a chore. Wildflowers were a logical answer. The more sun, the happier they are. Moreover they don’t require mowing.
I decided on perennial wildflowers in sod form for several reasons. Once the grass was scraped off, the bare slope would be difficult to seed and to water. I was advised that amateurs like me could not easily differentiate between weeds and flowers in their initial stages. Certainly the instant results created by sod have high appeal. Studies by Colorado State University concluded that solid wildflower sod performed better than plugs.
The first task when planting wildflower sod is to kill and strip off the grass sod. This can be a lot of work but if carefully done, it will prevent later grass invasion into the wildflowers. A non-specific herbicide such as Round Up can be used to kill the grass. Be sure to read the label and follow the directions carefully.
As with most garden jobs, the importance of good ground preparation and soil amendments cannot be over-emphasized. After preparing the soil, I laid the five-foot square pieces of wildflower sod down and secured them with staples to prevent their sliding down hill until their roots were established.
I used WildFlower Carpet, a product developed by Denver’s Ward Lake Tree Company. The sod contains 19 species. Not all will flourish. According to the environment in which they are placed, some of the 19 will prosper to provide a continuous palate of changing colors as the season rolls by. Also, from one year to another as summer weather patterns alter, different species will predominate.
After the sod is established, maintenance is a breeze. My wildflower slope is ‘Water Wise’, using about half the water my turfgrass used to require. Late each fall I cut it to about four inches height. This scatters seedheads for reseeding and provides a winter mulch. I fertilize it lightly and rejuvenate each year with some hand broadcast of my favorite seeds, but by and large my wildflower garden just keeps growing, year after year. And it sure beats mowing grass!
Photograph courtesy of American Sod Products.
