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31/01/2023

Sowing of flowery meadows and mcdonalization of the Czech landscape

An example of a flowery meadow sown in an open landscape in the Jizera Mountains. The meadow looks aesthetically very good - the wide range of colors is pleasing to the eye, but the seed mix used is made up mainly of non-native species, which can spread relatively quickly outside the culture under suitable conditions. In the future, new non-native (or invasive) species may also be recruited from them, which will "enrich" our flora with all possible negative effects that we don't even have to properly estimate today. For this reason, the precautionary principle must be applied, therefore we do not recommend sowing seed mixtures that are composed mainly of non-native species in the open landscape. Photo | Kateřina Štajerová / Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the contribution Flowery meadow from sowing - the return of natural diversity by Bohumil Bradna and Zdena Nikodémová, who work for the company Planta naturalis, was recently published here. We know, ads are annoying. And we respect that you have them turned off :-) We will be happy if you support us in a different way.

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The article is taken from the magazine Nová Valeriána, which presents itself as a magazine of ecological and biodynamic agriculture. As its editors-in-chief write right in the introduction, it wants to be an inspiration for its readers, how specifically natural diversity can be helped. We acknowledge this, of course, but we believe that by publishing the post, which is more of an advertisement for a seed mixture from the company Planta naturalis, without mentioning any negatives and without placing it in a wider ecological context, the readers are given a greatly distorted and one-sided view. After reading it, it is difficult for readers to make a responsible decision about which seeding mixture, for which purpose and region to use, in order to really achieve the desired effect - to help natural diversity.

The main motivation for writing our article was therefore primarily to alert readers to some risks and "pitfalls" they may encounter when choosing commonly available commercial mixtures on our market, especially from the point of view of our specialization, i.e. botany and invasive ecology . It is important to realize that if we use unsuitable or otherwise problematic seed mixtures, or if we sow them in unsuitable places or under unsuitable conditions, then we can, on the contrary, harm nature, even if unknowingly and initially with good intentions.

In the immediate vicinity of the sown flowery meadow in the Jizerské hory (see photo above), in the very first year after sowing, we noticed a fiery orange-flowering California sunflower (Eschscholzia californica), which naturally occurs in North America, but in this case it was part of the sown mixture. The photo captures a kind of genius loci, when a wild North American sunflower is found in the undergrowth of the long-established invasive non-native plant impatiens glandulifera (Impatiens glandulifera), which naturally occurs in the Himalayas. It was originally also grown for ornamental purposes, but for many years it has been one of the most problematic and abundant non-native species in the Czech Republic. Previously, you could notice it along some watercourses (boaters certainly know - for example the Jizera and Orlice), where in places it created up to several meters of vegetation on the banks. In recent years, its invasion has progressed even further and is gradually establishing itself in other habitats – (semi-)open forests, meadow edges and along various corridors in the open landscape (for example, railway tracks). The popular perennial seed mixtures are mainly made up of annual species, while the nettle and sunflower are also annuals, so we cannot underestimate their potential (for example, compared to perennial species) to catch fire and spread into the open landscape in the future. Photo | Kateřina Štajerová / Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Sowing flowering meadows and the McDonaldization of the Czech landscape

So why do we raise the warning finger? One of the reasons is that as a result of inappropriate sowing of commercial mixtures in the open landscape, the so-called homogenization ("McDonaldization") of the Czech landscape may occur in the future. Even in our small territory, the populations of most native plant species are variable and mutually diverse. In different areas, even relatively abundant and "common" species are characterized by specific characteristics and genetic structure that correspond to the place where the respective populations evolved. The sowing of commercial mixtures imported from abroad or the sowing of commercial mixtures originating from the other end of the Czech Republic erases this variability. A more appropriate approach is to use regional mixes. They take into account the genetic affiliation of plant species characteristic of a given region or area. If no company producing local seed is available in your region, another option is to find a diverse meadow with similar ecological conditions in the vicinity, make an agreement with its owner, let the growth mature, harvest it and the chopped material (mulch) on to throw and drag the location of interest. In this way, at least part of the species will take hold in the first year after sowing. Alternatively, this material can be supplemented with a small admixture of suitable meadow grasses. Those interested in "close to nature" seed mixtures can obtain further detailed information regarding this issue, for example, from the nature and landscape care standards, see "Restoration of grasslands using regional seed mixtures" and "Landscape lawns". These documents should be a basic aid to get your bearings in this issue, at least for the beginning, before you decide to buy a commercial mixture for self-sowing your flower meadow.

A big problem, which fortunately we have noticed so far only at the company Planta naturalis, is a relatively non-negligible share of endangered species in seed mixtures (up to a third), which are included in the Red List of vascular plants of the Czech Republic. The Red List classifies the degree of endangerment of plant species on an eleven-point scale from rarer taxon requiring attention to extinct taxon. Determining the degree of threat is influenced by the frequency of occurrence of a given species in our territory, but also by how a plant species can adapt to constantly changing environmental conditions. It is therefore a complex and dynamic process, which unfortunately is now artificially interfered with by the distribution of endangered species from seed mixtures into the open landscape. In the future, this will probably negatively affect not only our knowledge of the expansion of natural populations of endangered species, but also their meaningful protection.

An even bigger problem with some commercial mixtures is the occurrence of species that are not declared in the mixtures at all, but are still present as an additive. Last year's experience comes from one locality near Prague, which was sown with a mixture of "Mesophytic meadow - fodder and pasture" from the company Planta naturalis. In the growth that arose from the mentioned seed, we found species that did not occur on the site in previous years and at the same time should not have been part of the given mixture. An almost identical composition of undeclared species was recorded by one of our colleagues in a newly sown meadow in the vicinity of Rožmberk Castle, even though the two locations are roughly 120 km apart. Specifically, it was plantain (Echium plantagineum), coriander seed (Coriandrum sativum), colored sedum (Coreopsis tinctoria), greater sea urchin (Ammi majus) and bundled silene (Atocion/Silene armeria). All the mentioned species do not naturally occur in the Czech Republic, therefore we classify them as non-native species of our flora.

This is what a natural (native) meadow can look like a few years after sowing, if you use one of the commercially sold regional mixes. Such mixtures are suitable for sowing in the open landscape in the respective region and can really help the natural diversity. Unlike annual mixtures, they do not have an immediate effect in the first year after sowing and may not be as aesthetically interesting, but if you establish the original meadow from sowing well and maintain it in a suitable way in the following years, it will make you happy for several more years. In addition, you do not have to repeat the sowing every year, as is the case with annual mixtures, because these mixtures are mainly made up of perennial species. Photo | Kateřina Štajerová / Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Non-native species are also found in some seed mixes on purpose, either to support insect pollinators due to the extended flowering time compared to our species, or from another practical and aesthetic point of view. From our point of view, the use of such seed inside settlements does not represent a major problem, but outside built-up settlement areas there is already a need to apply the precautionary principle, as such seed can serve as an undesirable source of seeds for a wide range of non-native species. These can then gradually spread further into the open landscape and new invasive species can be recruited from them in the future. As biologists, we are therefore sounding the alarm and asking that such seed mixes not be sown in the open landscape and not used to enrich natural meadows. Let's not forget that the very problematic invasive non-native species of today, such as the magnificent bulrush (Heracleum mantegazzianum), the glandular impatiens (Impatiens glandulifera) or the sedges (Fallopia sp. div.), were also originally cultivated for ornamental purposes. Today, however, they cause great damage to nature and property, for example, they reduce the species diversity of native species, increase the economic costs of their disposal for landowners, but they can also pose a health risk to humans, as in the case of the boletus.

In recent years, the increased public interest in seed mixtures presented under the umbrella name "Flower meadow" or "Květnice" has attracted a number of companies. It can therefore be very difficult for the end customer to quickly and well navigate the wide range in order to choose the appropriate seed for their own sowing. In contrast to the company Planta naturalis, some companies do not even produce their own seed, but buy it and mix mixtures, or distribute seed imported from abroad, about the genetic origin and detailed composition of which neither the expert nor the lay public has sufficient information. If you buy such a seed and sow it in your garden or flower bed, but do not let it outside the borders of your garden, it should not be a problem. It will serve its purpose and will surely make you happy. However, we definitely do not recommend it for seeding a meadow or sowing in the open landscape.

Commercially sold annual seed mixes are very popular with the public. However, without a botanical education, few people would think that it is often a "mixture" of plant species from all over the world, which has very little in common with our natural (original) meadow. Photo | Kateřina Štajerová / Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

We would also like to draw your attention to the seed mixes from the company Černý – BioPro s.r.o., which has a whole range of beautiful vintage mixes in its portfolio, but some of them have perhaps a little unfortunately chosen names. Specifically, we mean "Pilsen flower", "Strakonic meadow" or "Lednická radost". They can make the potential buyer feel that it is a local seed or a regional mixture of meadow flowers from Pilsen, Šumava or Lednice, although these mixtures have nothing to do with natural meadows. An example of an end customer misunderstanding what they bought is the following TV report, which also presents a lot of misleading information to viewers. For example, that "Strakonická louka" should evoke the Šumava foothill meadow, or that the creation of a wild meadow from seeds imported from Šumava would take several years, while the result is essentially immediate when using seeds from sowing. Viewers who watch this report may then get the impression that this seed mixture can be used for sowing in the open landscape or to enrich a natural meadow in the vicinity, although this mixture has nothing to do with a natural meadow at all. In contrast to real Czech meadows, where our original perennial plants dominate, the discussed "Strakonic meadow" mixture is made up of annuals, originating mainly from North America, for example the California sunflower (Eschscholzia californica), the feathered beauty (Cosmos bipinnatus) or the beautiful curlew (Clarkia unguiculata) ). The advantage of the annual plant is that it has an essentially immediate effect. The first year after sowing, the plant blooms colorfully, but by the second year, only a few species will be transplanted, thus losing the advantage of a real meadow. Therefore, if we want to achieve the same effect as the previous year, we must repeat the sowing, at least sow some species.

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Although it may not seem so at first, proper soil preparation for sowing, self-sowing and subsequent management of the flowery meadow (in the narrower and "natural close" sense of the word) is a relatively demanding activity involving a wide range of theoretical and practical expertise. We therefore recommend that, in case of doubt (for example, regarding the suitability of the composition of the seed mixture for use in your region, preparation of the substrate, etc.), you contact experts - garden or landscape architects, (geo)botanists, invasive ecologists, employees of the regional branch of the ČSOP, etc. Always keep in mind that if you choose the right seed and establish a flowering meadow well, you will save yourself from possible disappointment in the years to come, as well as significant financial costs.