Our ecosystems and habitats have evolved with a range of species that have adapted to survive and thrive in the UK’s environmental conditions. Planting native wildflowers means that you are using plants suited for our landscapes, environments and wildlife. Using non-native plants can carry higher risks of disease and require greater levels of maintenance.
Our seeds are harvested by a variety of suppliers throughout the UK. Some seed comes from wild meadow harvests whilst other seed has been cultivated from wild seed that has been found in various locations and cloned to produce it at scale. All our seed is of a UK origin.
If you are creating a meadow from scratch, you will need a complete mixture of grasses and wildflowers. If you are sowing onto existing grassland then you can use 100% wildflower mixes, equally you can also use complete mixtures if your site has a limited range of grasses. Once you know this, then you should find out your soil type by using a simple soil test and select one of our mixes that matches with your soil type. Other factors such as aspect, drainage, and pH can determine the best seed mix for your site. Our British Flora ‘Easy Sow’ app can help choose the right seed mix for your site.
Our General Meadow Mix (BFS8) is well suited to a variety of soil types, and the range of species will provide results in most scenarios. If you have a high fertility site however, we recommend our Heavy Clay Soil Mix (BFS4).
Our Hedgerow and Shade Mix (BFS6) is best suited for sites that receive partial shade and lower levels of direct sunlight. Most wildflowers will relish full sun and so the majority of our mixes are suitable for sites with full sun.
The amount of seed will depend on your area size. So firstly, you need to measure the dimensions of your site to get an estimate of the area. With straight sided sites this can be done easily by multiplying the width and height of your area. With a more complex shaped site it is sometimes easier to use a map software, such as Google Maps, which allows you to draw the boundaries of your site and will give you the area. We recommend sowing seed at 2-3 grams per metre squared. So, for example, if your site is 500m2 and you are using 3 grams per metre squared, multiply your area by 3 and that will give you the weight of seed. In this case 500 x 3 = 1500g, so you would need a 1.5kg wildflower mix.
Yes you can. In some cases, certain species are more successful as plugs compared to seed. Using a combination of the two means that you can have instant results (as plugs) and broad coverage using seed.
Most meadow mixes are made up of perennial wildflower species (Yellow Rattle is an exception), whilst our Poppy and Cornflower Mix is made up of annuals.
This is not completely necessary as nature will work its magic leading up to germination, however, if it is extremely dry after you have sown your seed and have a small patch it wouldn’t hurt to water it; but generally, you don’t need to.
Once you have sown your seed you should lightly tread it in, however once it has started to germinate you should avoid walking on it so that you do not damage any growing seedlings.
Yes, you should scarify the area, for detailed guidance please look at our advice page.
No, definitely not. Wildflowers do well in low nutrient conditions so adding any type of feed or fertiliser will only benefit the grasses and weeds which will outcompete the wildflowers and leave you with a meadow dominated by grasses and weeds.
Yes, on our advice page look at the ground preparation guidance for restoring a meadow.
This is very common so do not be worried. Ox-eye Daisy is very good at establishing quickly and will do well on most soil types. After your first few cuts in Summer and autumn you will notice other species coming up and reducing the dominance of the Ox-eye Daisy.
We would recommend having yellow rattle in the majority of meadow scenarios. Yellow rattle is key in helping the other wildflower species to establish. Without it, grasses are more likely to dominate and make it harder for wildflowers to establish.
This can happen due to a number of reasons. One of the most common reasons is that the correct management has not been followed. It is important to cut your meadow around July to remove the grasses, you can keep cutting or grazing up until March to keep the grasses down. Secondly, your yellow rattle may not have established yet.
Generally, wildflower seed can be stored for long periods of time in the correct conditions. Typically, it should be stored in a cold store at 1-4 degrees Celsius. Please look at the seed storage section on our advice page for more details.
Most of our seed mixes are not toxic to animals, the only ones that could cause potential trouble are mixes with Toadflax, Foxglove and Water Dropwort in. It is good to remember that some species are just not palatable for livestock, however they are not toxic.
Firstly, there are a few construction steps, typically it involves having a roof base, then a waterproof membrane, then a root barrier of some sort, then a specially designed drainage level, then a filter fabric level and then your substrate
It depends on what you mean by enrich, generally, they won’t boost the fertility of the soil as in a wildflower meadow nutrients are taken away from the site. However, they will enrich the soil by forming complex root structures which will aerate the soil, improve its water holding ability and filtration, and increase microbial activity in the soil. Also, they will attract a variety of invertebrates which will interact with the soil biome and create diversity.
Loam is a type of soil that is composed of predominantly sand and silt, and a small percentage clay. It tends to be water retentive, free draining and nutrient rich. It is often regarded as a great soil for growing plants in.
The easiest way is to use a soil pH test. There are some good, easy to use kits and guidance online that will talk you through testing your soil’s pH. One other way which isn’t as simple is identifying the plant species you have growing on your site and seeing whether they are typically associated with acid or alkaline soils. Acidic and alkaline soils tend to have relatively different plant communities, although there are some overlaps, so it is probably easier to do a pH test.
