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When to plant wildflower meadow seeds

Knowing when to plant wildflower meadow seeds will ensure your wildflowers grow as best they can and gives you a headstart on preparing for when they bloom. Understanding what wildflowers to choose and how to sow the seeds correctly also contributes to lavishing your garden with bright, colourful, sweet-smelling flowers for your whole family and local wildlife to enjoy.

advice for when to plant wildflower meadow seeds

When is the best time to plant wildflower meadow seeds?

Since our wildflower seeds are stored in cold conditions all year, they are ready to plant and don’t need to go through the “winter freeze” (also known as stratification). Of course, the best time to plant wildflower meadow seeds is usually in autumn so they can go through this period of cold weather, but since we’ve done that bit for you, you can plant our seeds whenever you like and be guaranteed full blooms!

As with all flowers, it’s best not to plant the seeds in winter, but by following our ‘When to sow wildflowers’ calendar below, you will get the best results when planting your wildflower meadow seeds!

What wildflower meadow seeds to choose for your garden

One of the best things about planting wildflowers is that they can grow almost anywhere, but some flowers will grow better in some areas of your garden. We have created specialist wildflower seed mixes comprising of annual and perennial wildflowers and meadow grasses to ensure you get the beautiful blooms you hope for!

Our Clay Display wildflower meadow seed mix combines a blend of annuals and perennial wildflowers and meadow grasses that thrive in heavy clay soils and creates a haven for local wildlife. Or, if your garden has areas of shade that don’t get much sunlight and nothing pretty ever seems to grow there, then our Shade Showcase will provide a colourful bloom with a vibrant range of colours and shapes to enhance your garden’s beauty!

Wildflower seeds that bees and butterflies love

Suppose you want to see fluffy bees buzzing around, having a blast or seeing colourful butterflies fluttering around your garden. In that case, we have wildflower meadow seed mixes designed to attract their nectar and pollen-hungry appetites!

Our Bumblebee Conservation Trust-approved Bees Please seed mix is packed with a bright, sweet-smelling and flavourful blend of annuals and perennial wildflowers that bees love. This seed mix ensures a full-season show of flowers and features wild grasses to help provide a sanctuary for wildlife when the flowers are not in bloom!

Similarly, our Hi Butterfly wildflower meadow seeds mix provides a vibrant and long-lasting display that includes a balanced blend of butterflies’ favourite annuals and perennials mixed with meadow grasses to satisfy other local wildlife in your garden.

This Butterfly Conservation-approved mix includes Coneflower, Cornfield annuals, Birdsfoot Trefoil and more, which provides a delightful display and a nectar feast for butterflies.

100% wildflower seeds, no grass

If it’s an eye-catching array of colours you're after, Absolutely Annuals is the perfect mix of annual wildflower seeds which will transform flower beds and borders with beauty and vibrancy that lasts an entire season!

However, if you want a longer-lasting seed mix that will return year after year, our Bloomin’ Marvelous Meadow is for you! This mix of wildflower meadow seeds provides stunning bursts of colour from the annual wildflowers in its first year, followed by beautiful blooms from the perennial wildflowers in the years that follow.

How to plant wildflower seeds

Once you’ve selected your wildflower mix, the next piece of prep work is to prepare the chosen area of your garden for planting the seeds. Our six-step video guide on ‘How to sow wildflower seeds’ shows you how to prepare the seedbed and sow your wildflower meadow seeds to achieve the best results and get your garden blooming with colour!

Steps to take before sowing your seeds

When choosing where to plant your wildflower seeds, look for areas of your garden where grass usually doesn’t grow or places that appear barren, where plants don’t want to thrive. These areas are ideal because wildflowers love poor soil conditions and areas low in nutrients. This will bring beauty into your garden’s lesser areas while encouraging local wildlife to visit.

If, however, there’s an area in your garden that’s already in good shape where you want to plant wildflowers, a few steps are needed to create the perfect seedbed for your new seeds. Simply remove the top 5-10cm of fertile soil to lower the nutrient levels. This will ensure your wildflower meadow seeds will grow better. Removing this upper fertile layer will also stop certain wildflower species, like cornfield annuals, from growing undesirably tall.

Remove all grass, weeds and other plants from the area

Since wildflowers don’t like other plants stealing the real estate in their designated spot, removing all existing flora, grasses, and weeds is important before you begin sowing your wildflower seed. If you skip this step, these other plants will stop your wildflowers from growing their best since they will be outcompeting them for nutrients.  

Level out the soil and wait

With everything cleared away, levelling the soil will be easier. The next step is to level the seedbed using a rake to remove dips to even the consistency of the soil so it’s easier to work on. A garden fork or trowel is ideal to help break the soil down in areas challenging to rake. Do this for the area you plan to sow your seed to give it the best chance of growth.

Now the soil is fine and will easily flow through your fingers and is level, it’s best to leave it for a few weeks to see if any weeds push up through the soil. This period of time allows anything lying dormant beneath the surface to appear, and you can remove them by hand before planting your wildflower seed.

Planting your wildflower meadow seeds

You’re now ready to plant your wildflower meadow seeds. Give the area one final rake-over to level it all out. Follow this by levelling your seeds at a rate of 5g per m2 while not laying them too close together or applying too much in one area.

Firm the seeds down using your foot or by walking carefully over the area if it’s a larger part of your garden. Doing this will help your newly planted wildflower seeds grow since they will be bedded into the soil, which shelters them from the elements and helps them get the nutrients they require to grow.

Watering and feeding your new seedings

This is where the ease of growing wildflowers comes in! Like all other plants, wildflowers require watering to survive but don’t need additional feeding using fertilisers or nutrients. You must keep the seeded area moist for the first six weeks after sowing your seeds, but you won’t need to water your seeds when it’s raining outside. This is very important if you’ve planted your seeds during warm or dry conditions and when there is less rainfall. After these initial six weeks, you can let nature do the rest of the work for you.

Now you know when to plant wildflower meadow seeds, how to choose the best mix for your garden and how to prepare the area for sowing. But if you have any questions that you feel may be unique to your garden or about wildflowers in general, please get in touch - we are always happy to help!

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Product Mentioned...
Hi Butterfly
  • Butterfly friendly Wildflower Seed
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Absolutely Annuals
  • Annuals Only Wildflower Seed
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Bees Please
  • Bee Friendly Wildflower Seed
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Clay Display
  • Clay Soil Wildflower Seed
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Shade Showcase
  • Shaded Area Wildflower Seed
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Bloomin' Marvellous Meadow
  • 100% Wildflower Seed
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