Attracting birds and insects to your golf course via native wild flowers

Many golf clubs are choosing to focus on the ecology of their courses, not just to benefit the environment, but to enhance their members’ playing experience.

Course managers too are looking for ways to encourage and protect flora and fauna without detracting from their main task – producing a top quality golf course.

The use of native wild flowers attracts birds and insects with a display of colour. It also helps create a landscape which is pleasant for golfers while enhancing the biodiversity of the course, which can sometimes be quite sterile.

The introduction of some non-native plant species into the UK landscape has undoubtedly damaged our flora heritage so many now recognise the importance of using native or local plants where possible.

There are several points to consider when assessing an area on the course for its suitability:

1. Can the existing vegetation be removed to leave a grass and weed free seed bed?

2. Is the fertility of the soil relatively low?

3. Does the area have access for maintenance?

4. Will the new area be compatible with the play of the course?

If the answer to all these questions is ‘yes’, then you have the right foundation to establish a wild flower meadow.

When it comes to selecting a seed mixture, the most popular mixtures for golf courses tend to be those that are easy to establish and maintain. Too often, complicated specifications are adopted to try and replicate what may have existed in the locality previously. Look at mixtures that contain a lower number of species and generally the more common ones. These provide a better success rate and are more robust when it comes to cutting.

In most cases, you only need to sow once, particularly with perennial species as they come back year-on-year. Only with cornfield annuals would a reseeding programme be required to ensure a display each year. Once established, wild flower meadows have a low maintenance requirement. To retain the diversity of species within your meadow, cutting twice a year to remove the arisings will keep it in good condition.