Jean Kay, by email
Stefan says: You’ve taken down a small tree and now have an empty plot of roughly 12.5 sq m and wonder if this is the right time of year to rewild the area and what preparations might be needed. A wildlife area isn’t easy to maintain if it is not to turn from being an attractive and interesting feature to being a wilderness where unwanted and aggressive grasses and invasive weeds take over. And the smaller the area, the more likely this is to happen.
That said, I would give you every encouragement, although you have made things slightly harder for yourself by saying the plot is in partial shade and on a clay soil. Provided it really is more or less empty and weed free, however, I see no reason why you shouldn’t start this autumn, and I suggest you sow an appropriate native plant seed mixture.
You’ll need to prepare the soil for sowing, especially as you say it is clay. Choose a time when the ground is relatively moist and find some means of agitating and breaking up the surface. This could be with a fork, although that will take some time, or by using one of the simple hand-operated soil cultivators.
Then sow the seed. I’ve always bought my seeds from Landlife Wildflowers (wildflower.co.uk) and find them excellent. They offer a mixture for heavy clay soils and for your 12.5 sq m, you’ll need around 100g. I always mix the seed with an equal amount of sawdust, which you can obtain from pet suppliers. The larger volume and the colour make it easier to spread and to see. Then either rake the surface and/or scatter a cheap basic soil-less compost to prevent the seeds from drying out. Then keep the area well watered.
Four wildflowers to sow in clay soils
Common knapweed
This has thistle-like blooms from June to September and is a magnet to all kinds of butterflies.
Meadow buttercup
Often seen in meadows and pastures, this is a well-behaved buttercup, not spreading like others.
Cowslip
Cowslips are an early source of nectar for insects, including bees, beetles and butterflies.
Ragged robin
A favourite among butterflies, honey bees and bumblebees, blooming from May to August.
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