WILD FLOWER GARDEN

It is relatively easy for schools in the countryside to find a wide range of wild flowers growing in the hedges and ditches close to the school yard but for the town and city schools the availability of wild flowers is limited.

However, by a liitle bit of planning you can create your own wild flower garden where ever you want !

Wild flower seeds are now fairly easy to buy in your local garden centres or check out thw web site of a Co.Carlow Nursery, www.allgowild.com From this web site you can order a range of different mixes of wildflower seed to suit your own particular needs. If its a wet boggy area or a dry stony patch of ground you want to convert into this natural garden there are mixes available to suit. Their web site is also packed with useful information on this topic.

1.Choose an area to develop into a wild flower garden	Any size of a plot will do but try and choose a sunny location. Clean off any existing vegetation and hoe over the surface of the soil.
2. Choose your wild flower mix.	There are a number of mixes available so choose one that may suit your own particular needs...soil type, sunny or shady location, time of flowering..etc
3. sow the seed.	Gently scatter the seed over the surface of the soil. Rake over the surface very gently and water in , using a watering can with a rose attachment.
4. protect from birds and slugs.	Just because these are wildflower seeds it doesnt mean that you shouldn't protect from their natural enemies ! Cover the surface with a small piece of netting to prevent the birds from eating the seeds before germination and make a slug trap with a dairy-spread container and beer !
5. watch them grow.	Keep a close eye on the developing plants and notice the various leaf shapes and flowers. Try and identify each different type by refering to reference books and draw the leaves and flowers for future reference on to a wall chart.
6. pressing flowers	Preserve some of these flowers by drying them in a flower press or between layers of tissue paper unnder a big stack of school books !

Another very interesting link I have come accross recently is from the kids gardening web site in the US. The weeds may be different but the principles are the same. www.kidsgardening.com/member-preview.htm

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