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What does the hive mind know about wild seed mixes?
We've cleared a very overgrown bit of ground that has previously been a veg garden, so decent soil but a long time since it had veg in it - it was overgrown with 20-30' self set plum trees, nettles and brambles. It's back to bare soil now and has been levelled(ish) with a mini digger. Plan is to have a few fruit trees in there and sow a low maintenance wild flower type mix. Problem is, I have no idea what I'm looking for! I don't want something I have to mow every week, nor have to re-sow every year. A google of "perennial wild flower mix" brings up a baffling selection but many aren't really perennial - the wild flower element seems to be annual.
Any suggestions of what to look for or recommended suppliers very welcome!
I've recently bought a wildflower meadow mix (includes grasses) for a shaded area. I found the following suppliers had good credentials and helpful information.
Emorsgate Seeds
Habitat Aid
Most "wildflowers" will be annuals, but self seeding. So you plant them once, leave them to flower and then go to seed, then they grown naturally the next year. You just need to leave them there to do their thing and not mow them down after the flowers have gone.
And bear in mind that despite what the packet shows, they all mostly look like grass for 51 weeks of the year.
If you want color then add lots of bulbs into the ground, they'll appreciate the shade/shelter from the trees and require pretty much no maintenance (some will do better for being dug up and only the healthiest and newest re-burried, but they'll still grow)
Ive finally got fed up of the cats shitting in my garden and getting thrown around when my mum mows it so im turning the lot over to wildflower, ordered these yesterday. Anything will be an improvement over the stench of shite wafting in my windows
Many herbaceous perennials (if that's really what you are after) are sold as plants, they often take a long while to grow to a decent size from seed. Though seed is available and much cheaper, it just takes longer. And they don't make a great ground cover if you want to walk across it to pick your fruit!
I'd start off with the typical annual meadow mix and add a few plants occasionally that take your fancy as you go along. It will evolve over a few years. Mow once or twice a year. You can mow paths more regularly, you'll probably want some grass for that or even make hard paths.
If the soil's decent I'd try lupins, I used to frequent a garden with a lovely semi-wild lupin meadow. They don't like my garden unfortunately. They easily grow from seed.
This looks good: https://www.wildflower.co.uk/products/wildflower-seed-mixtures/100-wildflower-seed-mixtures/lwb-butterfly-bee-100.html
Think I’ll get some of that. Ta.
Plant a mix of bulbs and seed.
Sow the seed thick. Mix the seed with a nice bit of damp mulch or chuck some handfuls of mulch over the top.
Tamp the seed down gently.
I'm in the process of doing likewise, having cleared a section of lawn over Christmas and planting bare-root fruit trees. Having seen my neighbours attempts at this, where the perennial weeds in their cleared area took over, I have covered the area with a weed-proof membrane and bark-chippings for this year to try to make sure any perennial weeds have gone before replanting.
Interesting stuff - thanks everyone - keep it coming 🙂
If it was a veg patch previously the soils is likely too nutrient rich for most perennial wildflowers. Something with ox eye daisy will likely be best bet in those conditions.
Our experience is to plant yellow rattle seeds, this will help contain the grass,thus helping the seeds to germinate and not compete with grass.
Wildflower seeds won't grow well or at all on good soil, meaning you need to find some rough ground, or, mix the seed with sand or the best way of all is to grow the seeds first in plugs. Or, buy the plugs from a specialist grower.
We also allow nettles and weeds to grow in the garden.
@Bunnyhop - that’s what I’m in the process of doing, having just cut the grass back with long-handled shears. I gave up on cutting the grass regularly ages ago, the ‘lawn’ is just a patch of grass about the size of my living room, and has never been particularly good. One cowslip appeared suddenly around ten-twelve years ago, and now they’re everywhere in the grass, growing in the gaps between the slabs of my patio, along with a vast number of violets that have colonised much of the garden that isn’t grass. I’ve got primroses spreading from one sad little plant that had grown underneath a nasty laurel type of shrub my step-dad had planted. Dandelions I’m keeping under control, ‘cos they’ll just swamp everything.
Native grasses are something I keep forgetting, so that’s something I need to add, particularly quaking grass, which I’m rather fond of.
I’ve got snake-head fritillaries growing, they’re in flower now, and I want more of those as well as clover and the yellow rattle.
Hopefully the snowdrops that I collected from the wild and which are spreading will get into the lawn, along with the bluebells.
Sadly, although I planted a load of native bluebells, the Spanish ones have got into the garden, despite my best efforts to get rid of them they keep showing up. ☹️
Has anyone got any suggestions for a good source of shady meadow seed mix? I'm blessed with a north facing shaded sloping garden at about 150m amsl. Damp clay rich slightly acidic soil too. Overshadowed by oaks.
I’ve been collecting cardboard boxes that I’m going to spread out over my small grassy area to kill off the cooch grass, crab grass, whatever it’s called, I’ve got some topsoil, and sand, lots of packets of native meadow flowers, I’m going to add a lot more yellow rattle, ordinary lawn grass and some packets of native grasses. I’ve got snowdrops starting to spread out into the ‘lawn’, and the cowslips just keep spreading!
Hopefully, I can turn it into something a bit nicer to look at.
Honestly, I've been doing this for years, and would recommend dont bother with perennials, they dont work.
And I dont like the mixes because you dont know what you will get, and might get stuck with something which takes over.
I just buy 10 packets from here each year and chuck them at the ground in March:
https://premierseedsdirect.com/flowers/
You can see suggestions in their wildflower category, but I like:
Corncockles
Cornflowers
California poppies (they flower all year long)
Normal poppies
Godetia
Scarlet Flax
Whatever you do, dont plant crowsfoot/birdsfoot trefoil, it will swamp everything else by August.
I’m going to add a lot more yellow rattle, ordinary lawn grass and some packets of native grasses.
Don't add the normal lawn grass and don't expect the yellow rattle to do much v the grasses. If you want some perennials oxe eye daisy does well and some plugs of others like meadow cranesbill or similar are worthwhile
Yep, wildflower meadows require nutrient poor soil. Re: Cutting, generally you only need to do one cut a year at the end of the growing season. Leave cuttings on the ground for a few days, give it a shake to get the seeds out, then remove cuttings. Oxeye daisy is a good call. Wildflower turf is also another option if you want things to progress quicker though bviously more spendy.If it was a veg patch previously the soils is likely too nutrient rich for most perennial wildflowers. Something with ox eye daisy will likely be best bet in those conditions.
Yep, wildflower meadows require nutrient poor soil. Re: Cutting, generally you only need to do one cut a year at the end of the growing season. Leave cuttings on the ground for a few days, give it a shake to get the seeds out, then remove cuttings. Oxeye daisy is a good call. Wildflower turf is also another option if you want things to progress quicker though obviously more spendy.If it was a veg patch previously the soils is likely too nutrient rich for most perennial wildflowers. Something with ox eye daisy will likely be best bet in those conditions.