Hey people! I’m located in western Slovakia (Central Europe) and would like to start a wildflower meadow sometime during the end of March or even the start of April. It is going to replace the lawn in the middle of our plot. It is in a sunny place and no chemicals have been used for ~3 years, although the ground is not super ideal for it (not nutrient-poor). My question is: will the seeds be able to germinate if I just go over the space with a verticutter? Should I try to remove the lawn fully (i. e. using a hoe)? Cover it with cardboard to let the lawn die? I have read the excellent Wild Your Garden book by The Butterfly Brothers, and they recommend rotovating. But that seems like a lot of work. What was your experience or what species would be suitable? I’m all ears!
This is a great take on the subject. In my area the Jerusalem artichoke would mostly be competing with Asian honeysuckle and Bradford pear trees which have already escaped captivity and killed everything else, but I completely agree that releasing virulent species into any kind of intact ecosystem can be very damaging.