SOWING ADVICE

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO PLANT THE SEEDS?

All of our seeds are sourced from specialist wildflower growers from the UK.

Please make sure when sowing seeds with children that they’re supervised whilst sowing and any aftercare for the seeds.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Garden Spade

• Rake or Garden Fork

• Watering jug

• Pollenize Wildflower seed mix

• Something to label your site with so you don’t forget where you’ve sown your seed!

 The key to success with your wildflower seed packet is to make the necessary preparation for where you want to sow them. 

Wildflower can be slow to establish and do not like much competition early on so the more you reduce the competition before sowing the better chance of success. 

FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

• Choose a fine Spring or Autumn day when the soil is neither too wet nor too dry.

• If you have a patch of soil, or have cleared a space to sow your seeds in, follow our instructions below. Our seed packets will need 1 square metre to grow into healthy plants. 

• Dig over the soil with a fork or spade and break up or put aside large clumps. Remove weeds so the wildflowers don't have any competition, and any large stones.

• Rake the soil so it's fine and crumbly - lumpy soil may bury seeds; if it's too hard, roots will be unable to penetrate the ground.

• Ideally leave your prepared soil for about 2 weeks so any dormant weeds or grasses that come to life can be removed before you sow your seeds.

• Scatter your wildflower seeds over the soil by hand - a little at a time for an even spread.

• Rake the soil again - gently - just enough to cover the seeds with a very thin layer (1mm) of fine crumbly soil.

• The seeds will need sunlight, so be careful not to bury them or they won't grow.

• Very gently, water the whole area using a watering can, taking care not to wash your seeds away.

Top tip: We have put 2.5g of a symbiotic fungi called mycorrhizae, inside the seed packet. The symbiotic fungal mycelium help bind to plant roots and effectively increase their surface area and hence ability to extract water and nutrients from the soil. 

AFTER SOWING YOUR SEEDS

• If you're sowing in Spring, it's critical to water wildflowers in the ground regularly after sowing and while the seedlings are establishing in the first six weeks. You should aim to water your freshly sown wildflower space twice a week and more frequently in hot weather. Your seeds should germinate within a couple of weeks, depending on the weather.

• If you're sowing in Autumn, you only need to water your seeds once and then leave them over winter, when the seeds will be dormant. Come back to water them once the weather gets warmer and seedlings start showing.

• When it is dry weather, make sure the soil remains moist and water. Seedlings can be killed if the soil dries out completely.

PLANTING SEEDS INTO CONTAINERS/PLANTERS

Wildflowers can happily grow outside in containers!

This a great option for balconies, paved areas and to add variety to larger outdoor spaces.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Large container: you could use are large wooden planters, oversized pots, old baths, or even boats. Avoid small containers; wildflowers won’t survive in a cramped space

• Stones or broken crockery

• Top soil or multipurpose compost

• Watering can or jug

• Wildflower seeds

• Something to label your container with

  PREPARATION:

• Check your container has a few holes in the base to let water gradually drain out. Otherwise, use a drill or sharp instrument to add holes, taking care not to hurt yourself.

• Add a few stones or broken crockery to the bottom to help drainage.

• Move your container to your chosen space before filling it; an empty container is much easier to move than a full one.

• Fill the container with top soil if possible, or use multipurpose compost. The compost doesn’t need to be the most expensive, but for environmental reasons please avoid any that contain peat

• As you fill the container, gently push down the soil or compost to break up any lumps and get rid of large air pockets. Stop filling 25mm from the top to allow room for watering

• Sprinkle seeds by hand evenly over the surface and cover with 1mm of soil or compost. Water well. 

AFTER SOWING YOUR SEEDS:

• Make sure that the soil in your container remains moist and water it if dry. This is the most vulnerable time for seeds – seedlings can be killed if the soil dries out completely - and wildflowers in containers need regular watering throughout their lives.

• In Summer this can mean a good soak every day, even if it’s been raining. But be careful not to over-water. If the soil is too saturated, the seedlings could die from a lack of oxygen reaching their roots.