HOW TO CREATE A WILD FLOWER GARDEN (FROM YOUR CHRISTMAS CRACKER GIFT)

May 14, 2019

So, you've got some British wild flower seeds in your Christmas cracker! These are great to create a little wild flower garden or meadow, which are perfect for bees, insects and birds. Bees are very important for the eco system and indeed us, so as well as looking pretty, you're doing something really important. Our seeds are approved and recommend by the RHS. There are five varieties of seeds in your little pack, including Poppy, Cornflower, Corn Marigold - great colour added to your garden.

Wildflower meadows create spectacular colour and make a diverse environment that will be loved my birds and insects. They are perfect for bringing new life to an unused part of the garden.

Below are some helpful top tips for when to plant them and how to look after them. 

WHEN TO SOW

March and April or August and September.

FLOWERS

May to October

PREPARATION AND PLANTING (FOR SOIL)

Give your spare space a good weeding before sowing anything, as weeds will compete for light, space and food. Once you’ve removed everything, dig over the soil and firm it back down before raking it smooth.

Scatter your wildflower meadow seeds by hand. Rake in lightly and water thoroughly. If you’re particularly worried about birds eating them all, put some netting over the soil.

OTHER TOP TIPS

• Surprisingly, perennial wildflowers like the hard life. They require impoverished soil, because if it is too rich you will get mostly leaves and few flowers. So it’s best to grow a wildflower meadow in a spot you don’t usually cultivate, or one you haven’t used for a while.
• Make sure the soil remains moist and warm while they’re germinating. The key thing is to make sure they don't dry out. A single blisteringly hot weekend will stop them in their tracks. And watch out for weeds coming back too.
• Deadhead the flowers as they grow to prolong flowering. Leave the plants to self-seed at the end of the growing season – they should come back up next year.
• No need to add fertiliser or compost when you grow a wildflower garden though, wildflowers are accustomed to poor soil.

CONVERTING A LAWN INTO A WILDFLOWER MEADOW

• This takes patience but it can be done. A meadow is much easier to maintain than a traditional grass lawn.
• Stop applying fertiliser and spend the first year mowing the grass every week to weaken it. Then sow wildflower seeds over the top of very short grass in autumn.
• It may take some time for seeds to establish in the grass, so you can always introduce stronger plug plants too.

 Let us know how you get on a tag us on Instagram or Facebook with your photos - we'd love to see them!

---

---

Also in JOURNAL