My California native meadow in June

In Fall of last year, I became tired of a field full of Filaree and embarked on planting a beautiful meadow of native wildflowers and grasses. The Filaree stickers  stick terribly to Maggie, our Corgi.  Here are photos showing  progress and challenges. June is when the pay-off for all hard work happens.

Here is the meadow at the end of June, with the Chinese Houses faded and the poppies still going strong. The stars for this month are the wonderful and new-to-me Globe Gilia and the flamboyant Clarkia amoena, as pretty and bright as any petunia.

Meadow looking south

Meadow looking south

The Sycamore is all leafed out after having been frozen in late snows. The Cherry tree at top left was also damaged enough in the cold that it has no cherries this year and now only presides over its own patch of wildflowers which spread downhill.

Maintenance and mulch
I’ve weeded around the edges, but only when I wander out there, (no big sweep through)… mostly finding odd grasses, field madder and bedstraw.
I’ve watered a bit in the hot mornings.
I’ve put logs along the upper edge to neaten and define it and I’ve mulched the path and the bare patches of ground in the middle of the meadow and around the edges, preparing for the hot summer.  A nice long late-season rain this week has brought some welcome moisture. I’m delighted with that!

Meadow and steps toward house

Meadow and steps toward house

There are paths or steps on all sides and Tractor Man and I find ourselves walking this way with Maggie just to enjoy the color. There is so much to see, always something new, it seems.

Globe Gilia, Gilia capitata

Globe Gilia, Gilia capitata has been the star of the show in June

Globe Gilia is not only tall, almost 3 feet high, but also full, having many branches and lots of buds. I’d consider sowing this in a swath elsewhere, after reading that it reseeds and germinates easily and seeing its fine ferny foliage. Being drought tolerant and  butterfly attractors are two more benefits. What’s not to like?

Meadow on a sunny day

Meadow on a sunny day

You can see how the sea of Gilia rises above the meadow. Once the Clarkia started late this month, the color scheme has gone a little wild and circus like.  I can imagine that this would be one reason for planting swathes of one type of seed; that might be more like Mother Nature paints these colors.

Globe Gilia

Globe Gilia

In the photo above you can see the drying seed heads of the Pacific fescue, Vulpia microstachys, which I sowed mostly in the center of the area. One disappointment has been no sign at all of the California Melic, Melica californica, California Barley, Hordeum brachyantherum or the Purple Needlegrass, Nassella pulcha that was supposed to be in the California Flowering Meadow Mix from S&S Seeds.
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I hope I haven’t accidentally ‘weeded out’ the other grass seedlings, but what I did was try to ID the seedling first. One of my goals for the property is to identify native grasses, if they are here and plant and encourage more native grasses.  Right now, I’m having trouble just identifying them, so not seeing three kinds included in the mix is discouraging!

Globe Gilia contrasts well with poppies

Globe Gilia contrasts well with poppies

At first the deer nibbled all the tops of this Gilia, and I was uncertain what would happen! It looks though, like they germinated so thickly that plenty were left to bloom and the deer have found, or learned that they’re not for them.

Clarkia amoena

Clarkia amoena

The Clarkia looks as if it has actually been painted with a brush.

Clarkia, poppies and gilia

Clarkia, poppies and Gilia

The above photo was taken this morning, July 1st.

What’s next for the meadow
It looks like the July stars will be the Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, which is beginning to pop up above the meadow top and the Blue Flax linum lewisii, starting to fill out. The perennials, mostly penstemons and agastaches and Pink muhly grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, around the edge will continue to to their job of anchoring the edges.

Common Yarrow, Achillea millefolium

Common Yarrow, Achillea millefolium with Penstemon ‘Margarita BOP’

Poppies are fewer and the flax starting to apear and fill in

Poppies are fewer and the flax starting to appear and fill in

Meadow flowers with perennial penstemons around edge

Meadow flowers with perennial penstemons around edge

Notes: Do you want to see the beginning of this project?  Here are all the previous posts:

The Meadow project, month by month
What am I really doing in the garden in October?  Planning and removing weeds
Do you dream of a natural and beautiful wildflower meadow?  Finding and sowing seeding
Let’s check for progress on the meadow!  Weeding and watching the weather
How to weed a meadow in the Sierra Foothills  More weeding…letting the sprouts thrive
Let’s check on Fall and Winter projects!  Identifying seedlings
The wildflower meadow in May   Small triumphs
My California native meadow in June  Starting to bloom
The midsummer meadow  The peak bloom
Stomping down the Autumn meadow  Neatening up
Native California meadow in the second year

*There was a California native meadow project done at Yerba Buena Nursery in 2005. They have it organized in an easy to navigate week by week sequence with tips included so if you want more details, check it out.

More links:

S&S Seeds, Inc.
Carpinteria,CA

How to sow wildflower seeds article by Judith Larner

Wildflower FAQ by Wildseed Farms

14 comments

  1. Desiree -

    I love a meadow garden, but am unable to create one in the confined space I have here and my garden is far too shady, anyway. Your flowers are gorgeous, especially those wonderfully bright clarkias and your beautiful blue globe gilla! The whole effect you’ve created is truly lovely, Sue!

  2. Desiree -

    I love a meadow garden, but am unable to create one in the confined space I have here and my garden is far too shady, anyway. Your flowers are gorgeous, especially those wonderfully bright clarkias and your beautiful blue globe gilla! The whole effect you’ve created is truly lovely, Sue!

  3. Town Mouse -

    Wow, amazing! It’s so exciting when something like this project works out. Congratulations!

  4. Town Mouse -

    Wow, amazing! It’s so exciting when something like this project works out. Congratulations!

  5. Sue Langley -

    Thanks, Desiree and Mouse! It’s been a fun and very rewarding project. Next year I’d like to plant small pockets of ‘meadow’ where color is needed in the garden and in pots. This mix was great.

  6. Katie -

    I can’t believe your self discipline! All your hard work was rewarded in a beautiful way. Thank you for sharing this, Sue. The seedling and weed photos are so helpful. My kids got me a big can ‘o wildflower seeds for Mother’s day and many of the seeds listed are what you planted. I’ve kind of been dreading starting this particular project because of previous failures with wildflower mixes. This really gives me some much needed inspiration!

  7. Katie -

    I can’t believe your self discipline! All your hard work was rewarded in a beautiful way. Thank you for sharing this, Sue. The seedling and weed photos are so helpful. My kids got me a big can ‘o wildflower seeds for Mother’s day and many of the seeds listed are what you planted. I’ve kind of been dreading starting this particular project because of previous failures with wildflower mixes. This really gives me some much needed inspiration!

  8. Sue Langley -

    Hi Katie, the reason I was pretty methodical here is that I’ve tried wildflowers before with spotty success. I really wanted to do it up right this time. Now I’m wondering how the next year’s meadow will perform. I’ll have to wait!

    I starting preparing my meadow area about now with killing weeds, so I hope you try it! Your success with buddleia cuttings is inspiring to me!

  9. Sue Langley -

    Hi Katie, the reason I was pretty methodical here is that I’ve tried wildflowers before with spotty success. I really wanted to do it up right this time. Now I’m wondering how the next year’s meadow will perform. I’ll have to wait!

    I starting preparing my meadow area about now with killing weeds, so I hope you try it! Your success with buddleia cuttings is inspiring to me!

  10. Katie -

    Your meadow will be even more beautiful next year! The place I’m thinking of for the wildflower project is the weedy mess at the base of our uphill slope. In the past I’ve been too lazy to pre-sprout the weeds, just scattering the seed out in the Fall. A few things come up, but soon are smothered in a mass of weeds. I’m not crazy about using roundup, and there are other things planted there, so I might just start by scraping the weed seedlings away with a sharp hoe. You’ve given me a good idea for the next blog post – starting cuttings! Gotta go drag out the soaker hose now to get those weeds going.

    • Sue Langley -

      OK! We don’t use Round up for anything but poison oak, buuut, for this filare, I used it twice,….soooo glad to be rid of it.

      Don’t forget to take before and afters–they’re great. Our weedy mess was awful and poor Maggie got those fish hook type stickers in her fur. I’ll be looking forward to reading about it all and everything else in your garden.

  11. Katie -

    Your meadow will be even more beautiful next year! The place I’m thinking of for the wildflower project is the weedy mess at the base of our uphill slope. In the past I’ve been too lazy to pre-sprout the weeds, just scattering the seed out in the Fall. A few things come up, but soon are smothered in a mass of weeds. I’m not crazy about using roundup, and there are other things planted there, so I might just start by scraping the weed seedlings away with a sharp hoe. You’ve given me a good idea for the next blog post – starting cuttings! Gotta go drag out the soaker hose now to get those weeds going.

    • Sue Langley -

      OK! We don’t use Round up for anything but poison oak, buuut, for this filare, I used it twice,….soooo glad to be rid of it.

      Don’t forget to take before and afters–they’re great. Our weedy mess was awful and poor Maggie got those fish hook type stickers in her fur. I’ll be looking forward to reading about it all and everything else in your garden.

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