FAQs Wildflowers

Multiply the number of square meters you wish to sow by the sowing rate, noted on each product page. Increasing this rate may result in some species out-competing others; decreasing the rate may result in weeds or grasses dominating.

Horses and ponies feed very closely and will need to be kept out of the area where wildflowers are being established. The low growing meadow mixture is tolerable to mowing and grazing.

There are two main types of wildflowers – annuals and perennials.

Annuals complete their life-cycle in one year, i.e. they will germinate, grow, produce a flower, set seed and die all in one year. You will see them flower the summer after sowing if sown in Autumn, and 8 weeks after sowing if sown in Spring.
Perennials come back year after year, however they will not flower until the second year after sowing.

Most of our mixtures contain both annual and perennial species – the annuals will put on an impressive display in the first year, while the perennials will grow and bloom for the first time in the second year, returning year after year, if managed correctly.

Some plants such as Yellow Rattle need the cold of winter to germinate, therefore yellow rattle should be sown from August until mid November.

It depends on the tree species. Conifers acidify the soil, but Hornbeam and beech thrive in calcareous (neutral to alkaline) soils. If you have acidic soil, use the Acidic Soils Wildflower Seed Mix

To create these strips, islands or margins, eradicate grass and weeds for sections of the field in advance of sowing, more info here. Then sow your seeds into the bare soil.

The optimal time for sowing wildflower seed is between March and late May, and Late August and Mid October. Seeds sown outside of these times may not establish successfully.

Some plants such as Yellow Rattle need the cold of winter to germinate, therefore yellow rattle should be sown from August until mid November.

For spring sowing, you should not sow anything until soil temperatures have exceeded 4 degrees C and are rising. The seeds are unlikely to start to germinate until temperatures reach 6 – 10 c. If you are sowing in the autumn be aware that soil temperatures must remain above 6 degrees for two weeks post sowing.

No-dig methods generally involve rotting existing plants, grass and weeds into the ground, this increases soil fertility. Wildflowers prefer poor soil with low fertility, so a no-dig method is unsuitable for preparing a seedbed for wildflower seed.

Mix the seed with sand, sterile loam or Ready Break.

Divide the area into several sections, then divide the seed into the same amount of bowls or buckets and mix with a carrier (sand, sterile loam or Ready Break). Broadcast each bowl across each section.

Some wildflowers thrive in shade, particularly partial shade. Think of a countryside hedgerow, these areas are often shaded for part of the day, yet often thrive with wildflowers. Our Shaded Areas Wildflower Seed Mix is designed with shade tolerant wildflower species to thrive in those partially shaded areas of your garden.

Wildflowers should be sown onto bare soil. It is essential to eradicate all grass and weeds before sowing. The preparation of your seedbed is likely to determine the success of the wildflowers.

If there is existing grass or weeds in the seedbed, you wildflowers will have to compete for space, light and moisture to establish. Grass and weeds are generally more dominant and may outcompete your wildflowers.

Wildflower seeds can be sown onto a bare seedbed where bulbs are planted below the surface. It is important to note that there will be an element of short lived competition between the bulbs and the wildflowers while the bulbs are emerging and flowering.

Do not apply fertiliser or plant food to your wildflower seedbed or plants. Wildflowers prefer poor soils. Increasing the soil fertility will cause the plant to produce more foliage than flowers; high fertility will also encourage grass and weed growth which will likely outcompete the flowers.

The flowers will need to root into something, so even a thin layer of soil over the rocks would be an effective measure.

Use a low growing mixture; meadow mixtures are also suitable as the grasses will provide some cover from the sea spray and the breezes.

Charlock and Wild Rapeseed plants are common on land which may have been used for tillage in the past, or if Oilseed Rape has been grown nearby. These seeds can remain dormant in the soil for up to 6 decades and germinate when the soil is disturbed for growing wildflower seed.

You should cut your wildflowers back when the plants have finished flowering and the flower head has dried out. This is usually in September. Remove the cuttings from the area.

You should cut your wildflowers back when the plants have finished flowering and the flower head has dried out. This is usually in September. Remove the cuttings from the area.

Cutting your wildflowers back when the flowers have died off will allow new and existing plants to establish. It is essential to remove the cuttings to ensure soil fertility is kept low and to prevent new and existing plants from being smothered, allowing sunlight to reach the ground to aid establishment and growth.

Rabbits will eat just about anything. Many of the lower growing wildflowers, when sown with grasses, will recover from grazing by rabbits and other critters once established.  Selfheal, clovers, birds-foot trefoil, buttercups and yellow rattle should either come back or flower lower. Ideally, if you can keep the rabbits out until the plants have established, that will improve chances further.

Annual Species if sown in spring, flowers will start to appear 8-10 weeks after sowing. If sown in autumn, the plant will flower the following summer. Perennial species will flower the following year after sowing – so be patient when you don’t see flowers the first year, they’re on their way!

See: When will my wildflowers bloom?

Part of the enjoyment of a wildflower meadow is watching how it changes over time. Flower abundance will change in the meadow as they colonise their new habitat. Eventually, distinct plant communities will appear that differ in some areas of the meadow compared to others. Flower populations will fluctuate over time. Likewise, you will find that the location of some species within the meadow will move year on year.

Yes, you can add more annual wildflowers to your meadow each year.

Loosen the soil in autumn after cutting the wildflowers back, scatter the seed over the soil and press in.

Yes, this is one of the great joys of wildflower gardening! Cutting out some of the annual flowers will also make space for new ones to establish. Tip: Cut the freshest, newest flowers, even some which are only barely open. After bringing them inside, light a match and hold it to the base of the cut stem until it turns black. This will ‘fuse’ the stem, prolonging the flowers life in the vase.

Yes, particularly is grass is growing amongst your wildflowers. We recommend to always so wildflower seeds onto bare soil, to eliminate the growth of grass and weeds which might otherwise outcompete your wildflowers. However, overtime, grass seeds may blow into your wildflower meadow and germinate. Adding Yellow Rattle to your meadow will control this voluntary grass by weakening the grass growth, allowing other wildflowers to thrive.

No, Yellow Rattle will not grow if there is no grass. Yellow Rattle requires a host (grass) to establish a root system and grow, it relies on the nutrients and water that the grass absorbs from the soil.

Some plants require prolonged cold temperatures before they will germinate, this is called Vernalisation. Some seeds such as those of the Yellow Rattle plant require ‘vernalisation’, exposure to 4 months of cold soil temperatures before the seeds will have the ability to germinate, grow and flower.

Annual species complete their entire life cycle in a single season. All roots, stems, leaves of the plant die annually. So, annual wildflowers complete their lifecycle in one season. 

Perennial species are plants that persist for many growing seasons, the top portion of the plant dies back each winter (i.e. the flower) and regrows the following summer from the same root system. Perennials flower the second year and subsequent years after sowing.

See: When will my annual & perennial wildflowers bloom?

Our wildflower seed production crops are located in Co. Waterford, Ireland.

We use a combine harvester for some species such as the Purple Cornflower. Other species are harvested by hand before being brought to our processing plant where our team of experts, dry, clean and test the seed.

All of our wildflower seed goes through a quality assurance system her in co Waterford. We test all batches of seed for germination and cleanliness to ensure weed free. We keep samples of all of these batches for future reference.

There is no certification system in Ireland for organic seed. However, our practices are ‘organic’.

Different wildflower species have different viabilities. There is no specific date when none of the seed will germinate, the seeds will deteriorate over time. We advise using the seed within 6 months of being purchase.

As with certified seed it is not possible to provide a guarantee that there will be no blackgrass in the seed. We have taken steps to mitigate against this risk but due to there being no certification system, we cannot give a guarantee. Our growers are reliable partners, familiar with the land the crops are grown on, giving us the confidence that blackgrass is not an issue on these crops. We inspect and test samples of all batches of wildflower seed for Black Grass.

Yes, our wildflower seeds produce flowers which are a vital food source for our native bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. By sowing wildflower seeds you can support an entire ecosystem, providing a habitat for pollinators and other native wildlife to survive and thrive. The Wildflowers also provide an important food source for birds in the Autumn the seed head dry out.