Final 'topping off' for the year

Using a ride on mower on the highest setting (5 - 10 cm from the ground) I have done (probably) the last 'topping off' for the year. Keeping the length of the grass down allows light to get through to the little wildflower seedings that are growing in the bare patches of earth created by the harrowing earlier in the summer.

I try and avoid cutting some of the 'adult' plants (such as meadow cranesbill) so the field has a rather lumpy look to it, but I think that having the autumn leaves as an extra bit of growth on these plants gives them some additional energy stores down in the roots for next year.

It has been such a warm autumn that the grass is growing well at least 3 weeks later than usual, so I guess that the 'topping off' is especially important this year.

Bulb planting in full swing

A little late in the year, but I am about half way through bulb planting. The ground in the wood is extraordinarily dry so I am worried that the bulbs will not do well, but I don't have much choice as I am away on holiday and will not be back until it is too late to plant bulbs. In the wood I am planting 500 bluebells, 100 Wood Anenome and 100 Wild garlic. In the field I am putting 500 Snake's Head Fritillary (all bulbs were from Meadowmania http://www.meadowmania.co.uk).

Bulbs have arrived - time for planting!

The dry and warm autumn means that there are still bees and insects around. However they will soon need a place to hibernate, so as well as the 'bug hotels' made from the plastic tree protectors (see post of 24/4/2016) I have also constructed 'hibernation heaps'. These are piles of branches that are then covered with a thick layer of grass and bramble cuttings.

The structure is open at one side, created by putting the butt ends of the branches in the same direction and not covering this with grass. This means that there is some air movement and the grass will stay dry and not just compost, remaining  good place to hide away through the winter.

End of the Planting Season

The last few weeks have concentrated on planting out all of the pots that I have been growing over the summer. Ideally this would have been done by the end of September - with planting out in the wildflower meadow being done just after cutting to give the plants a chance to establish themselves without too much competition from the grass. However I am much later than this work gets in the way of planting wildflowers! Still I have planted out about 50 pots over the last 4 weeks.

Planting has been mainly cowslip, common agrimony, meadow cranesbill and valerian.  I am now hoping for a good few days of wet and warm weather before the frosts set in in order for the new plantings to put down some roots. I have ben 'topping off' the grass in the part of the meadow where the grass is getting quite coarse to try and keep the coarse grass down and let the finer grasses and wild flowers come through a bit more.

About 3 weeks ago I also scattered oxeye daisy, wild carrot, yellow rattle, red clover and feverfew seeds on areas of the meadow where there was still bare earth. Bulb planting next - they are on order and I hope will arrive soon so that we can get them into the ground in the next couple of weeks.