Availability

Please check with our team regarding current availability. To avoid disappointment, stock can be reserved in the field to ensure availability for your project. Pictorial Meadows Turf® can be lifted from the field for transport in most weathers, apart from frost, snow, extreme heat or flooding. The turf is lifted the day before delivery to ensure it arrives fresh the next day and should ideally be laid the same day as delivery.

Delivery

We deliver to the majority of mainland UK. Pictorial Meadows Turf® will arrive on pallets with two turf tiles at 1200mm x 600mm laid side by side flat. For larger orders, please specify at the time of pricing if a Moffett forklift is required to move the pallets from the vehicle. Please ask our team for further delivery details and availability.

Preparation

The creation of bare soil is required prior to laying the turf, and this can be achieved by cultivation or importing and spreading the soil. Watering the soil just before laying will ensure the roots have all they need to get established.

Laying

To make the job easier and avoid double handling, try and get the turf pallets as close as possible to the laying area. The turf should be laid as soon as possible following delivery (recommended within 24 hours) and should not be left stacked on pallets for more than 48 hours. The turf must be kept moist until it is laid and we recommend watering it within six hours of delivery. The turf can then easily be lifted individually by hand and laid on the prepared site.

Where cutting is required, this can be easily done by folding back the turf and using a sharp knife with a Stanley-type blade to cut from behind then simply lay back flat and pull apart. If working on a slope, the turf should be pegged to the bank using our Biodegradable Turf Pegs (please speak to our team if you require pegs with your order), with a minimum of three pegs per turf.

On completion, the turf should then be well soaked through immediately after laying. Late spring and summer installation requires additional irrigation following laying, but an autumn/winter laying and during wetter periods would usually only require irrigation on the day of laying.

Maintenance and aftercare

To keep your meadow healthy and looking good for years to come, it will need some intervention. The one task common to all meadow schemes is an end of season cut-and-collect. This controls weeds and woody growth and promotes fresh growth of desirable plant species. The cut can take place any time after flowering has finished and the seed has set. A cut-and-collect can be done any time of year with various results.

Cutting in spring when the plants have started to put on foliage will promote later flowering (this is often referred to as the ‘Chelsea Chop’). This can also create a more compact meadow if the site conditions result in rigorous growth and leggy plants. The dead stems and seedheads can look attractive in the frost and provide an excellent wildlife habitat for winter birds, small mammals and insects. A winter cut from January and before spring is the latest the meadow should be cut before new growth starts to appear.

Weeds

Every effort is made to ensure your Pictorial Meadows Turf® arrives with as little weed as possible, but there are those that can survive or find opportunities after the meadow has been laid. Well-established meadows with good species composition are very resistant to invasion where any weed content should be minimal and remain at an easily manageable level.

Many weed types will simply be outcompeted by the meadow or, as with most annual weeds, will not survive the cutting process. It is the more competitive perennial broadleaf weeds which you need to look out for, such as docks, thistles, bindweed, rank grass, nettles and brambles. If left unchecked, these can take hold. Therefore, every spring around May and again in midsummer, it is worth looking over the meadow and removing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Pictorial Meadows Turf® get supplied?

Pictorial Meadows Turf® is delivered on a pallet, laid flat. The size of each turf is 1.2m by 0.6m.

When is the best time to order Pictorial Meadows Turf®?

The best time to order is as soon as you know you want to secure the turf as we grow a limited amount every year and many products can quickly sell out. Your turf will then be held and grown in the field until it is ready for lifting and you are ready for delivery.

When is the best time to lay Pictorial Meadows Turf®?

Pictorial Meadows Turf® can be laid at any time of the year if the soil is workable, but the ideal period is autumn. This is because the product is at its best and the warm/moist soil is perfect for getting good root establishment before active growth and flowering takes off in late spring/summer. Do not lay when the ground is frozen and avoid summer laying as there is a real danger of loss unless you can sustain excellent irrigation.

Which soil is best to use for Pictorial Meadows Turf®?

It depends on which turf you are buying. While most soils are fine, some mixes prefer lower nutrient, free-draining soils, whereas others prefer moist or very dry soils. If you are in a position where you are choosing soil for the site because it’s a new landscape, then always opt for a low nutrient, weed-free, sandy soil. This is because the lower fertility helps deter the coarser weed growth in the years to come. Good drainage is also important for creating conditions that support the highest number of species.

How do I prepare the ground for establishment?

You need to lay your turf on bare soil which has been pre-cultivated to remove any weeds or grass and has a loose, friable surface. Make sure you have raked the surface so it is relatively level and water the soil well immediately before laying your turf as this really helps the roots get established.

Do I need to irrigate my Pictorial Meadows Turf®?

Regardless of what season you lay your turf, you should always pre-soak the ground before laying and water the turf well immediately after laying. Most autumn, winter and early spring-laid turf requires no follow-through irrigation, but later spring and all summer-laid turf will need good irrigation every 3–4 days if there is no natural rainfall. We recommend doing this until the roots have really penetrated the underlying soil. Once established, no further irrigation is required.

What maintenance should I do in the first year to get the best out of my Pictorial Meadows Turf®?

Very little at all! If it hasn’t needed to be irrigated and the preparation was good, the main thing to do is to sit back and just enjoy a year-long beautiful floral display. You’ll soon notice how quickly it starts to attract bees, butterflies and birds too! Before March the following year, you’ll need to give the whole meadow a cut-and-collect. If you see any invasive weeds creeping in, then the quicker you pull out or spot spray with an appropriate herbicide, the better.

Does Pictorial Meadows Turf® come with the flowers already in bloom?

Before lifting and transporting, the flowers will have been mown off but will reappear surprisingly quickly. Of course, if you are laying in late autumn through to early spring, you won’t see anything very exciting until active growth starts around April time. You can expect a fully flowering meadow from the first summer season.

Does Pictorial Meadows Turf® contain any grass?

Apart from a couple of mixes which contain a select few ‘ornamental fine grasses’, none of our products contain grass. Lawn and most common turf grasses grow very vigorously and quickly out-compete most flowering plants, especially on normal nutrient soils, which is why we never use them in our products.

What is the substrate made of in Pictorial Meadows Turf®?

Pictorial Meadows Turf® is grown on a specially formulated weed-free compost that provides early nutrients and an integrated biodegradable matting made from fully recycled products. The matting gives extra early support to hold the plant roots together when being lifted, transported and laid. It also offers a helpful weed control barrier for any weed seeds remaining in your soil, as well as providing some additional water-holding capacity.