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Wild Flowers

Why sow Wild Flora?

Since 1940, commencing with the plough up campaign of the war years, the United Kingdom has witnessed a vast reduction in native plant populations and our traditiional lowland meadows. A rapid decline has occurrred since the 1970’s onwards with changes to more intensive farming practices - the loss of ley pasture and meadow land to an upsurge in arable production with both increased fertiliser and chemical use and the progression to more silage making. The latter replacing to a large degree haymaking and with it the loss of wild species dispersal with the crop tken in May.

The above is not by any means the only cause although some organisations including government bodies, would have us believe so. Economic prosperity has brought about a huge loss and damage to wild flora habitat - rapid and still increasing houseing growth, vast developments in road networks (still taking valuable sites) and ever spreading industrial trading and out of town shopping sites. Added to that can be the acid rain of the 1980’s and atmospheric pollution.

So sowing of wild native grass and flower seed has an important role to play in starting to redress the balance. At the same time you will be providing much needed help for birds, butterflies and mammals.

 
Purple loosestrife
Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil

Purple Loosestrife

Meadowsweet

Native Wild Flora

Using seed of UK native origin is vitally important. These are seeds collected from specially selected UK wild habitat populations where plants have adapted to and flourished inparticular conditions as a collection of ecotypes over many years.

The import and use of non-native seed poses a threat to our native flora. Some of this seed comes from plants, often bred varieties e.g. Birdsfoot Trefoil and Black Medick that are  totally different in aggression, size and growth patterns and are indeed European agricultural stock. Apart from the ecological competition threat there is an increasing danger of cross pollination with our native plants.

Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil
devils_bit scabious

Devils-bit Scabious

Yellow Iris

Horizon Wildflower Meadow Mixtures

With the build up of stocks of native wild flowers and grass we have developed a range of Wildflower Meadow Mixtures suitable for most soil conditions detailed below. These are composed of 20% native wildflowers and 80% grasses which act as a “nurse crop” suppressing weeds andallowing the wild flowers to establish and flourish. They are also available as 100% native wild flowers and 100% grasses

Wild Flower Mixture Selection Guide

General Purpose Wild Flower Mixture

  • Popular General Purpose Mixture ~ for details click here
  • Standard General Purpose Mixture ~ for details click here
  • Special General Purpose Mixture ~ for details click here

    • These mixtures of 10, 15 and 20 wild flower species will produce a colourful diverse sward across a range of soil types including neutral loamy soils.

     
    Oxeye Daisy

    Oxeye Daisy
    Gipsywort

    Gipsywort

    Acid Soils Meadow Mixture

  • Acid Soils Meadow Mixture ~ for details click here

    • Comprising of species naturally occuring on soils with a low Ph allowing production of a flowery habitat ona range of acid soils.

    Wild Angelica

    Calcareous Soils Meadow Mixture

  • Calcareous Soils Meadow Mixture ~ for details click here

    • A carefully selected range of wild flower species found overlying limestone or chalk. Usually free draining but prone to drought conditions and supporting low growing vegetation.

    Tufted Vetch
    Common Fleabane

    Common Fleabane

    Dry/Sandy Soils Wild Flower Meadow Mixture

  • Dry/Sandy Soils Meadow Mixture ~ for details click here

    • A typical mixture of native wild flowers suited for free draining light sandy soils containing species that are deep rooting and selected to combat and tolerate the lack of moisture.

    Damp/Wet Soils Wild Flower Meadow Mixture

  • Dry/Sandy Soils Meadow Mixture ~ for details click here

    • A typical mixture of wild flower species ideally suited for soil conditions which have a high moisture retention

    Red Campion

    Red Campion
    Ragged Robin

    Ragged Robin

    Clay Soils Wild Flower Meadow Mixture

  • Clay Soils Meadow Mixture ~ for details click here

    • Comprising of wild flower species usually found and adapted to growing on soils with a high clay content.

    Wetland/Water Edge Wild Flower Meadow Mixture

  • Wetland/Water Edge Meadow Mixture ~ for details click here

    • A diverse selection suited to saturated soils, pond and stream edge and areas prone to periodic waterlogging.
    Water Avens

    Water Avens
    Self Heal

    Self Heal

    Hedgerow/Light Shade Wild Flower Mixture

  • Hedgerow/Light Shade Mixture ~ for details click here

    • A Mixture tolerant of semi-shade and suitable for field boundary margins and clearings, bridle paths etc.

    Cornfields Annual Wild Flower Mixture

  • Cornfields Annual Mixture ~ for details click here

    • Suited to most soil types including fertile sites. A mixture containing popular bright, colourful traditional cornfield annuals. This mixture can be used alone or with a perennial mixture to obtain flowering inthe first summer.
    Corncockle

    Corncockle

    For succesful Wild Flower Establishment ~ Click her for Guidelines

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