after watching Sarah Raven
GRACELAND
Posts: 46
After watching Sarah Raven last night I want to do a wild flower garden on some bare earth. Where is the best place to Buy !!
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GRACELAND
Posts: 46
GRACELAND
Posts: 46
GRACELAND
Posts: 46
Posts
Hi Graceland, if you do a web search for 'meadow anywhere', you will find details of bee and butterflyy-friendly wildflower seeds ideal for sowing on to bare earth. Hope this helps!
Best
Kate
gardenersworld.com team
You can also get a good wild flower seed mix from Sarah Raven's own web site, as well as many other plant seed that are great for pollenators.
hmm not sure what happened to my post but here it is again. If you click here you can find out about wild flowers that suit your area and hopefully benefit the wildlife in your area. Although my postcode came up with bindweed...
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/postcode-plants/
Super wild flower seed is available from Pictorial Meadows of Sheffield. Their website is a bit tricky, but you can buy small packets for the garden. (I phoned up). I have used strawberry and cream mixture and the marmalade mix over the last two years AND THEY HAVE BEEN AMAZING. The soil needs to be fertile for this seed, so if you haven't got a bit of waste land, sprinkle these packets in the borders and prepare to be amazed.
Any other 'hands on' tips for ground preparation. I have an area that has been used and abused by builders ie. well compacted and lots of unwanted rubbish. Do I need to clear it in the same way one would for an herbasceous border. Really I am trying to do as little as possible as I have so much other garden to create!!!
As far as I am aware, the earth needs to be fertile and fine for these wildflower seeds to grow. Pictorial Meadows has a website which talks about ground prep. However you can buy plug plants from some sources. But it sounds as though you have a lot of work to do before you can plant stuff. Sorry!
Jo, there are quite a few wildflowers that absolutely thrive on the kind of ground you've got. Rosebay Willow Herb and Buddleia to name two! You only have to look at any derelict industrial site or at the edges of railway tracks to get your inspiration
Aitch
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;">I bought a box of bee and butterfly mix from Poundland. The bed that I've put it in was roughly dug over then raked, and then lightly raked again after the seeds were down. Loads of seedlings coming up - I'm looking forward to seeing the results!
A few comments to make on previous postings. Soil does not want to be too fertile, sometimes if converting an existing garden it pays to scrape a couple of inches off. It really depends on what you want to create as to what needs doing. Usually a particular habitat is created i.e. a flower meadow, boggy area, woodland area etc. Builders rbble will need moving if it going to be mown a couple of times a year, or if you are going to lay a sheet to retain water.
Ensure your seeds or plugs are sourced from native stock, each to their own but I would question Poundland.
Buddleia is great for butterflies but is not native even though, as Botticelliwoman says it thrives anywhere.
I also loved that programme and have since bought several packets of seeds, just waiting for the right time to plant, with all this adverse weather WHEN shall I plant, ??? Ground is prepared, now with conserving water etc, supposed frosts, when do I plant them? Live in Richmond Surrey. any suggestions??