15th
Annual Permaculture Design Course Online
Cycle
15 of the annual Elfin Permaculture Design Course Online
begins in
January 2012.
contact
Dan Hemenway
permacltur@aol.com
www.barkingfrogspermaculture.org
http://www.barkingfrogspermaculture.org/onlinepdc.htm
A blog on growing wildflower seeds and meadows in Ireland. By Mr Sandro Cafolla includes Botanicals, permaculture, more... Followers of this web blog are welcome, "thank you"
Welcome to My Blog
Monday, October 03, 2011
wildflowerambulist
wildflowerambulist section: wildflower-ambulist one who walks or wanders wildflower
wildflowerize wildflower-ize to cause to be or to become wildflower
wildflowerist wildflower-ist one that performs, produces or believes in wildflower
wildfloweroid wildflower-oid having the appearance of wildflower
wildflowerologist wildflower-ologist one who studies wildflower
wildflowermetric wildflower-metric relating to measurement of wildflower
wildflowerology wildflower-ology science or study of wildflower
wildflowering wildflower-ing action, process or art of wildflower
wildflowerism wildflower-ism action, process or practice of wildflower
wildflowerambulist wildflower-ambulist one who walks or wanders wildflower
corporwildflowerism corpor-wildflower-ism action, process or practice of body wildflower
wildflowerferous wildflower-ferous producing or containing wildflower
wildflowerably wildflower-ably performing in a manor worth of wildflower
wildflowerable wildflower-able capable or worthy of wildflower
wildfloweress wildflower-ess a female wildflower
wildflowerist wildflower-ist one that performs, produces or believes in wildflower
wildflowerphyte wildflower-phyte plant wildflower
wildflowerisation wildflower-isation process or result of doing or making wildflower
mulitwildflowerferous mulit-wildflower-ferous producing or containing many, much wildflower
wildflowerform wildflower-form having the form of wildflower
wildflowerish wildflower-ish of, relating to, or being wildflower
wildflowerize wildflower-ize to cause to be or to become wildflower
wildflowerary wildflower-ary of or relating to wildflower
wildflowerium wildflower-ium chemical element or group wildflower
semiwildflowerible semi-wildflower-ible capable or worthy of half or partial wildflower
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
When to cut and manage a wild flower seed meadow
by Mr Sandro Cafolla, seed grower at Design By Nature - Irish wildflowers at http://www.wildflowers.ie
All meadows can be cut once per year, always remove all cuttings.
The first year, if there is a lot of growth cut after flowering, it can be cut.
or if sown late or the flora is small, cut it by the following spring. As the birds will eat the seeds, even if you cut it seed will be shed for the birds
Year two, cut fertile meadows to top grass in April, and maybe again in may if the flowers havn't poked through
in mid to late summer in the second year, the main flush of flowers will be over and the meadow can be cut, esp for sites where grass is likely to re-invade or was sown with seeds.
Other 2 year old meadows can be left uncut until the wild carrot, mullein or angelica has flowered in august/ early sept and set seed.
any meadow can be cut at any time. always cut 2 year old meadows by September at the latest.
the best advice is to top to 5 inches after the ox eye daisy and or yellow rattle seed has set .
then cut all away in Autumn but not too late.
Keep grasses out of young meadows and watch for dock and thistle.
Year three
all meadows are cut at least once or twice, up to early may and again in September,
where grasses invade, cut twice by August
Tall meadow seed mixtures, no cut and short cut meadows, and mixtures of wildflower for fertile soil, will have there own instructions
the rule is, once established from seed, wildflowers can be cut, some don't like cutting but if you don't cut too low say to 4 to 6 inches, then most will survive to year three, which by then is the make or break year.
Is there too much grass? aim for from 40% soil and flora to 80% to 90% total non grass cover
Is the soil too bare, have at least 40% bare soil after cutting and removing dead grass
has one species dominated? ox eye and carrot should dominate many mixtures in year two, they lock up nutrients,
Yarrow, trefoil and clovers will arrive shortly after, with cowslip, scabious, st johns wort and more arriving next,
meadowsweet, fleabane, bluebell, primrose, violet, and a few other choice species can take from three to seven years to flower from seed.
Try to maintain a healthy population of Yellow rattle, eyebright and or Bartsia as grass suppressors
Plantain and clovers are essential meadow species, meadow buttercup is supplied but not creeping buttercup.
If white clover and or creeping buttercup invade your meadow read the instructions for short cut meadows and mow the buttercup just as it starts to flower to 3 inches, mow the clover as it flowers to 5 inches and then see what arrives in your meadow from June to September
Mr. Sandro Cafolla.
T/a Design By Nature
Monavea,
Crettyard,
Carlow.
Ireland.
TEL; 00353 56 4442526,
Email: , info@wildflowers.ie
Web site http://www.wildflowers.ie
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/IrishWildflowerGrowers
Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/seedpic
Blog: http://wildseedy.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SeedPic
Facebook: http://en-gb.facebook.com/Seedpic
also on linkedin
by Mr Sandro Cafolla, seed grower at Design By Nature - Irish wildflowers at http://www.wildflowers.ie
All meadows can be cut once per year, always remove all cuttings.
 |
| An Irish Wildflower meadow grown from seed |
or if sown late or the flora is small, cut it by the following spring. As the birds will eat the seeds, even if you cut it seed will be shed for the birds
Year two, cut fertile meadows to top grass in April, and maybe again in may if the flowers havn't poked through
in mid to late summer in the second year, the main flush of flowers will be over and the meadow can be cut, esp for sites where grass is likely to re-invade or was sown with seeds.
 |
| A two year old wild flower meadow in May |
Other 2 year old meadows can be left uncut until the wild carrot, mullein or angelica has flowered in august/ early sept and set seed.
any meadow can be cut at any time. always cut 2 year old meadows by September at the latest.
the best advice is to top to 5 inches after the ox eye daisy and or yellow rattle seed has set .
then cut all away in Autumn but not too late.
Keep grasses out of young meadows and watch for dock and thistle.
 |
| A fully mature meadow after 10 years of short cutting on reasonably fertile late moist soil that warms up slow and dries out, the species range from acid wet loving buttercup, to dry alkaline loving pink Musk Mallow, the pink Ragged robin is in the foreground, with purple selfheal and white clover in the mid to near photo.st johns wort looks like ragwort, amongst the ox eye daisies, A band of annuals is resown each year in the far distance against the hedge |
Year three
all meadows are cut at least once or twice, up to early may and again in September,
where grasses invade, cut twice by August
Tall meadow seed mixtures, no cut and short cut meadows, and mixtures of wildflower for fertile soil, will have there own instructions
the rule is, once established from seed, wildflowers can be cut, some don't like cutting but if you don't cut too low say to 4 to 6 inches, then most will survive to year three, which by then is the make or break year.
 |
| Look at the density of Plantain, the straight narrow leaf, even red clover cannot stop it as it locks up nutrients and attracts scratching birds to every DBN wildflower meadow mixture |
Is there too much grass? aim for from 40% soil and flora to 80% to 90% total non grass cover
Is the soil too bare, have at least 40% bare soil after cutting and removing dead grass
has one species dominated? ox eye and carrot should dominate many mixtures in year two, they lock up nutrients,
Yarrow, trefoil and clovers will arrive shortly after, with cowslip, scabious, st johns wort and more arriving next,
meadowsweet, fleabane, bluebell, primrose, violet, and a few other choice species can take from three to seven years to flower from seed.
 |
| Yellow Rattle Wildflower Seeds |
Try to maintain a healthy population of Yellow rattle, eyebright and or Bartsia as grass suppressors
Plantain and clovers are essential meadow species, meadow buttercup is supplied but not creeping buttercup.
If white clover and or creeping buttercup invade your meadow read the instructions for short cut meadows and mow the buttercup just as it starts to flower to 3 inches, mow the clover as it flowers to 5 inches and then see what arrives in your meadow from June to September
 | |
| This is a real meadow grown from Irish native wild flower seeds at www.wildflowers,ie, the full photocase study of this >10 year old 2 acre meadow sown in Cabinteely Park, Co Dublin, owner:Dunlaoire Rathdown Co Council, can be see on our picasa web |
Mr. Sandro Cafolla.
T/a Design By Nature
Monavea,
Crettyard,
Carlow.
Ireland.
TEL; 00353 56 4442526,
Email: , info@wildflowers.ie
Web site http://www.wildflowers.ie
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/IrishWildflowerGrowers
Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/seedpic
Blog: http://wildseedy.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SeedPic
Facebook: http://en-gb.facebook.com/Seedpic
also on linkedin
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Design By Nature - Irish Native Wildflower Seed Grower host 21 years of case study and work at Picasa, Google's Photo site and on You Tube
Celebrating 21 years this year,
Design By Nature has hosted much of its digital collection of the works compleated since 1990.
From large multi -mullion pound gardens and road infrastructure projects to small gardens and customer photographs, from lizards to seed houses, combines to field crops.
from Open days to videos of meadows.
See what wildflower seed growers and harvesters Sandro Cafolla, Peter Cafolla, June Treacy, Sol Roller, Monica Fleming and John Conroy, Wal Brodrick, Fionnula and Jonathan Spazzi, Wil Campion, Afke Peirtsie, Chris Pollack, R Prout, A Harper, Peter Hyland, Smiths Family Farm, and many more have achieved with Design By Nature (Ire) since 1990.
Wildflower Growers Photos on Picasa
Wildflower growers videos on You Tube
September is the last real wildflower seed sowing time for 2011.
So if your ready to sow your wildflower seeds, email me and sow them as early in September as you can.
We supply mail order, nationwide to 32 counties Ireland.
If you are not ready to sow sit back and enjoy 21 years in business and a lifetime in horticulture.
follow thise link to Google picasa web and see the wildflower growers of ALL Ireland.
I have not yet got around to scanning in the full CV since last century before digital photos, but we are starting to organise the materials.
Design By Nature has hosted much of its digital collection of the works compleated since 1990.
From large multi -mullion pound gardens and road infrastructure projects to small gardens and customer photographs, from lizards to seed houses, combines to field crops.
from Open days to videos of meadows.
See what wildflower seed growers and harvesters Sandro Cafolla, Peter Cafolla, June Treacy, Sol Roller, Monica Fleming and John Conroy, Wal Brodrick, Fionnula and Jonathan Spazzi, Wil Campion, Afke Peirtsie, Chris Pollack, R Prout, A Harper, Peter Hyland, Smiths Family Farm, and many more have achieved with Design By Nature (Ire) since 1990.
 | |||
| Irish native Wildflower meadow seed mixture MM06 |
Wildflower Growers Photos on Picasa
Wildflower growers videos on You Tube
September is the last real wildflower seed sowing time for 2011.
So if your ready to sow your wildflower seeds, email me and sow them as early in September as you can.
We supply mail order, nationwide to 32 counties Ireland.
If you are not ready to sow sit back and enjoy 21 years in business and a lifetime in horticulture.
follow thise link to Google picasa web and see the wildflower growers of ALL Ireland.
I have not yet got around to scanning in the full CV since last century before digital photos, but we are starting to organise the materials.
| When you grow another generation of wild flower seeds you directly help save species from extinction |
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Design By Nature Remembers our time in New York before and after 9/11
we were asked to have wildflowers specially flown into Canada, where they were quarantined along side some seed of species which were allowed into NY., and USA.
The design team visited use here in Ireland to get afeel for the place and Mayo, and they visited our seed house, which at the time was a poorly old hay shed, in need of repair.
Anyway, I went over before 9/11, met staff who worked in offices about the twin towers and I was there for the opening, hence the different set of photos from 2001 to present.
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