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Post by spike on Feb 8, 2020 15:33:29 GMT -5
We took our pool down 2 years ago. Last summer we put some topsoil into the "pool circle" to attempt to level it out some and tossed some grass seed. Hubby is just tickled silly with his grass circle and thinks that we should turn it into a wild flower bed sort of thing. Would be great for bees etc.
Our pool was 24' round so I am not excited about having a bunch of weeding to do. I struggle growing flowers. Usually if I can't eat it, I can't grow it worth a darn. Is there some sort of flower seed that we can toss out there and just let grow naturally?
Sorry I am still sick so am probably not making a lot of sense.
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Post by pondgardener on Feb 8, 2020 15:50:49 GMT -5
spike, you might try a regional seed mix, such as described in the link below. I had done something similar when I first constructed my pond area and I even constructed a small flower bed outside a window at work, that I enjoyed looking at throughout the day. Which was really out of place in a steel mill! Wildflower Seed
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2020 16:47:17 GMT -5
A mix would probably give you the most bang for your buck, maybe add some poppies and echnicia ( misspelled that!! coneflowers)as they are tough and stand some dry conditions as well as feeds butterflies and bees. Maybe some salvias, too. Check with your local ag ofice as to what flowers grow well in your area. Many flowers you can eat, too, so maybe that will help your mindset, LOL.
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Post by paulf on Feb 8, 2020 17:26:31 GMT -5
A pollinator mix for your area is a great idea. We have a couple of those areas in our landscape and they attract not only bees and other beneficial insects but butterflies and hummingbirds too. Pretty much labor free. Some weeding but not difficult to maintain after getting rid of the grass.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Feb 9, 2020 11:55:35 GMT -5
Labor free after you establish the wildflowers, sure. But if you just chuck wildflower seeds out in your pool circle without preparation, you'll get a few wildflowers mixed in with grass and non-flowering weeds.
To get a good-looking stand of wildflowers, you'll need to get the existing grass and weeds completely out (including grass roots) and rake the area smooth. Sow the wildflower seeds at the correct time for your area, rake in, and be prepared to water the area as needed until the seedlings get established. However, once they get established, they do pretty much take care of themselves.
Mow annually in the fall (after frost) to keep trees and big perennial weeds from taking over. You might need to sow additional wildflowers in future years if you have thin spots. But other than that, your mini-meadow should not need much, if any, care.
Depending on what kind of grass you have and how aggressively it spreads, you might need to install some edge protection to keep grass from invading your wildflowers.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 17:07:09 GMT -5
I just really read that 24 ft thing... put a path through it, maybe even a bench to sit on. A mini arbor to shade you from your labors could be nice too, along with a pillow and a drink, good book in hand, and have a peaceful moment in the midst of the flowers.
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Post by spike on Feb 10, 2020 22:03:52 GMT -5
To get a good-looking stand of wildflowers, you'll need to get the existing grass and weeds completely out (including grass roots) Any suggestions as to how to kill the existing grass? This is something totally beyond me and I would love some suggestions!
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Feb 11, 2020 10:02:16 GMT -5
If it's solid turf you can cut it into sections with a shovel and dig the sections up along with their roots. Laborious, but effective as long as your grass doesn't propagate by deep stolons underground. A 24' circle is a lot of grass to cut out by hand, though. You might be able to rent a sod cutter to speed the process up.
If the grass is not a solid turf yet, maybe repeated tilling? (Till, wait a week or two, repeat.) Or digging out the patchy grass by hand.
I assume you'd have to wait until the ground is workable in spring before doing any cutting/digging/tilling. But you could rake the ground smooth and sow seeds as soon as you finish.
Herbicide (Round-Up or grass killer) is the easy way. Read labels to see how long you have to wait after application before sowing seeds! However, most herbicides only work when the plant you're trying to kill is in active growth. Between waiting for the grass to start growing and waiting after the herbicide is applied before sowing, you would probably be sowing wildflower seeds very late.
And yes, I know herbicides are controversial, particularly Round-Up...just covering all the options.
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