Wild flower help please

Hi, first time poster and newbie gardener.

I am currently preparing a sloping border around my garden and looking to sow wild flowers.

The border was heavily grassed and I've tried to dig it out to remove roots etc.

What else is required before I sow the seed and any future maintenance please?

Will be approximately 40m long

 

Wild flowers require a low-nutrient soil, so don't add compost, manure or fertilizer. Make sure that 'Yellow rattle' (a parasitic flower which feeds on grass roots) is included in the wild flower seed mix, and you should be good. Yellow rattle will keep any grasses from growing too strongly and overwhelming the slope again, although it may take a couple of years.

 

Thank you, this is very helpful

 

Do remember when selecting the species to plant that not all require the same light conditions/aspect/moisture/ph value etc. They also have symbiotic relationships and develop populations accordingly.
They will also need to be able to compete with other plants, including grasses which will return despite your efforts.
Nature can be fantastic but you will have little influence upon it in the medium term. Good luck.

 

As @infradig says, the plants which succeed will depend on several factors @AndyG99 - your location/climate and the type of soil in terms of how rich or poor it is. The general aspect is also relevant, and the nearby hedging/trees will affect the success of various plants.

Bear in mind too, that a wildflower bed or border isn't necessarily an easy, low maintenance option, which is often the assumption. They need attention - mainly the cutting back at this sort of time of year. That means you'll be looking at a bare plot all winter until growth restarts.

Some plants will also do better if grown on in pots or trays before planting, rather than sown directly. That's where your location comes in - with heavier, wetter soils, it's pointless doing direct sowing, and it's far easier to do the former. Whether plants thrive or not then depends on the plants themselves, as infradig said, and some may not thrive at all. You'll get other things seeding in too, which you may not want. It'll take a couple of years, at least, to get an idea of what works best