Meadowmat Woodland Shade

Meadowmat Woodland Shade

Woodland Shade Meadowmat® is a blend of 35 native wildflowers and 3 grasses typically found growing in woodland margins and hedgerows.

Ideal for those tricky spots in the garden where many garden flowers flounder. Please bear in mind though that Woodland Shade cannot tolerate really deep shade. Dappled shade is OK but it definitely won’t thrive where the sun never shines. Woodland Shade will bring a splash of colour and serenity into your life alongside the knowledge that you are providing valuable wildlife habitat.

Garden design tip: Install Woodland Shade over the top of spring flowering bulbs such as snowdrops, crocus, native daffodils and fritillaries for extra colour. Because the area won’t be mown until much later in the year, you won’t notice when the bulb foliage starts to wither and discolour.

Key Points

• All but one of the plant species in Woodland Shade Meadowmat® are perennial. That means that you will be enjoy them every year without replanting or reseeding……provided of course they are enjoying the conditions in your garden!
• Flowering Time: April – October (depending on local weather conditions) with the strongest flush of flowers in late Spring.
• To protect your plants, Meadowmat® is mown before despatch. It will not be in flower when it is delivered.
• Although any type of Meadowmat® can be installed at any time of year, Autumn is a great time of year to install Woodland Shade. That way the plants can root in over winter and be ready to bloom in early spring.
• Each piece of Woodland Shade will cover 1 square metre of prepared soil. With a saturated weight of up to 20Kg/m2, it’s definitely better for Meadowmat® to be handled by two people than by a lone gardener.
• Be prepared to be amazed! Meadowmat® actually changes appearance every year. Each plant species in the seed-mix responds differently to weather and of course we get different weather every year. You will never be bored!

What is Meadowmat® ?

Meadowmat® is a modern landscaping material especially developed to help UK gardeners establish biodiverse planting areas quickly and easily. Plants are grown from seed onto a thin layer of growing medium where their roots intertwine to form a strong mat. The mat can be rolled up (without damaging roots or plants) to allow this blanket of plants to be transported and re-laid.

Woodland Shade asks for a largely hands-off and rather eco-friendly style of gardening. So, there’s no need for fertilisers and sprays, these plants are self-sufficient. Then, leave to grow unchecked between February and August. The biggest burst of the flowers will appear in May followed by smatterings of colour through Summer. At the end of Summer, use a scythe to take off the vegetation – leave just 10 – 15 cm to re-grow and take away all of the trimmings. Then, mow once or twice in Autumn to remove excess growth and let it overwinter. If you are growing Woodland Shade under trees, please remove fallen leaves in Autumn.

You’ll find installation and maintenance guidance in the blog and the knowledgebase sections of our website.

Finding the right place to grow Meadowmat Woodland Shade

Woodland Shade prefers to grow in partial shade and moist, but well drained low fertility soil. Please avoid deep shade – the plants do need some daylight in order to thrive. Happiest in a fairly neutral pH but will tolerate all but the most acidic or alkaline soils.

To get the best from your Meadowmat®, install onto our Low Fertility Soil. This helps to regulate the growth of the grasses so that the flowering plants can thrive.

What’s In Meadowmat Woodland Shade?

Please note, percentages refer to the weight of the seed in the growing mix and do not necessarily reflect the proportions of mature plants.

30% native grasses

Pretty grasses to help retain soil moisture and create wildlife habitat.

For more information about each grass, click on the article below

70% native wildflowers

For more information about each flower, click on the article below