Sandy loam soil for a child’s fairy flower garden, Kilmore, Victoria, Australia

Description:       Top soil sandy loam, with added wood chips, mixed with clay approx. 30 cm below surface

Location:             Flat rural backyard on fringe of country town

Values for this sandy loam soil:
– Provides enjoyment for our children
– Learning about flower production as we previously lived more remotely further north in Victoria during the long drought, so they had no access to flowers until 3 years ago
– Beauty of the flowers that the change of view from the surrounding flat paddocks for grazing

Challenges for this soil to produce flowers – and our managements:
–  Dry soil in summer – watering and wood chips on the surface to stop evaporation from soil,
– Differing water needs – grouping plants by their water needs, selecting some for low water needs
– Cold tolerances – wood chips provide some insulation to the soil in cooler months

See more
– about how soils are used to grow other things on this family farm in Kilmore Vegie Patch and Stock Soil Selfies and in LN Post
– Soils to grow flowers are also important in the home gardens in the Soil Selfies from Collaroy, New South  Wales, Australia, and Somme, Picardie, France.

Credits: Amanda Wallace, of Kilmore, gives permission for their photos and information to be used under a (cc) license 2015
Editing and page created by Jeanie Clark, enviroed4all®, Warracknabeal, for use in education under a (cc) licence 2015

Go on to visit other Soil Selfies

page published 18 October 2015, 9 January 2016