Wildflower Seed
Whilst we know that you could if you had the time and patience, buy our seed to create your wildflower meadow from scratch, we also know that few of you have the time to thoroughly remove all the invasive weeds from a plot, make sure that as many weed seeds and roots have been eliminated and then for the next three years, mow weekly - once the plants have grown a little - as well as constantly remove new invasive weeds that arrive on the air during each growing season. That is of course provided that the birds and rabbits don’t eat the seeds and seedlings before you even get as far as mowing it. So why sell wildflower seeds?
As our main product is Wildflower Turf, it seems sensible to also sell the seed we use as a complementary product as a way to solve those little irritations that can occur over the seasons and spoil your already well established and beautiful wildflower meadow.
Small damaged areas that require patching:
There are bound to be odd, small areas where somehow a scrappy patch appears either in the middle of your meadow, under the drip line of mature trees or near a hedge. This could occur for a number of reasons:
a particularly long hard winter.
an extended dry spell followed by damage by birds or animals.
persistent rain that has caused extensive puddling or rivulet damage.
autumn leaves that weren’t thoroughly removed near a hedge line or beneath broadleaf trees.
Really what your meadow needs here is a little boost just to get this small area back on track. The root mat is still doing its job of stopping invasive weed seeds from breaking through the soil so all you’ll need is a few grammes of wildflower seed to return this little patch to its former beauty. You will need approximately 4 grammes of seed for every square meter you need to patch.
The best way to rectify this type of problem is to scarify the area with a garden rake or leaf rake in order to lift and remove any unwanted debris and to agitate the soil a little. This then needs to be re-seeded in much the same manner as you would patch a lawn using the amount of seed recommended above. You don’t need to add any fertiliser but you may want to cover the seed, if the patch was totally bare, with a little sand or a few crossed over twigs to stop the birds from stealing it before the seeds germinate. Within a short period of time.
Please note that if the area damaged is larger than a few square meters, we would recommend you remove the damaged turf and relay fresh Wildflower Turfs a opposed to using seed.
Re-invigorating the wildflower mix:
Over time and given a few flowering seasons, you may find for one reason or another that the wildflower varieties have lessened in particular areas of your meadow. This can happen as a result of several reasons:
One or two wildflowers have done better than others due to the weather being hot and dry at the time they were seeding.
Some wildflowers didn’t seed successfully due to adverse weather conditions.
A particularly early wet winter prevented some species of newly germinated plants from thriving.
Very cold autumn that actually killed off some of the dormant seeds.
Or a combination of all four of the above.
In order to re-invigorate your meadow by adding more wildflower seeds, you will need to scarify the chosen areas using a garden or leaf rake. Make sure you remove any thatch that comes up as a result as this can itself cause die back of the young plants by suffocating and rotting them. Then all you need to do is sow wildflower seeds in your chosen areas. This will need to be gently watered in so that the seeds are washed down as far into the soil as possible and can therefore germinate. That growing season should then see an increase in your wildflower varieties.
Adding new species
There may be a time when you decide that although the wildflower mix is beautiful, it doesn’t contain all of the wildflowers you would like to see in your particular meadow. That’s not a problem and is easily rectified with a little bit of effort.
In order to create the effect you want you will need to clear small random areas the size of dinner plates. This will require removing all the plants and grasses with their roots and then creating a fine tilth in which to sow the wildflower seeds of your choice. You are not going to need many seeds, certainly no more than 6 or 7 as they need space to develop. Once you have sown the seeds on the tilth, rub them into it with the heel of your hand so they are taken down into the soil. A very light watering using a watering can with rose will get them off to a good start. It is essential that you keep these areas damp and that they are not allowed to dry out, otherwise all your efforts will be in vain.
