Wildflower seed help

[Wish]

Where did you buy the turf from ???

[timmymagic73]

From here, same as Craig earlier. They were very happy to answer all my stupid questions about availability and growing season, etc.

This one: https://www.wildflowerturf.co.uk/products/wildflow...

[mike74]

I've found a fair bit of yellow rattle in my local dunes so I intend to collect some of the seeds but I'm a bit confused as to whether what's on the plant are individual big seeds or are they seed pods which need splitting open to release smaller seeds inside?

[ElectricSoup]

Bees in my garden really seem to like the purple flowers you get on chives.

[ATG]

mike74 said:

I've found a fair bit of yellow rattle in my local dunes so I intend to collect some of the seeds but I'm a bit confused as to whether what's on the plant are individual big seeds or are they seed pods which need splitting open to release smaller seeds inside?

Seeds are in the pods. Little flaky things. Dunes tend to be a really fragile environment. I'd definitely approach the landowner before harvesting seeds.

[ramblo93]

I"ve been trying to cultivate the verge out the front of our house over the last 2-3 years to give a good wild flower show. Stuff i've found that seems to work:

- Give it a strim in March and remove the dead grass (to reduce fertility of the soil over time)
- I harvest the odd bit of seed from nearby verges when i'm out for a walk in later summer (wild poppy etc) and sprinkle it on the verge in either autumn (to mimic nature) or early spring. Not sure if this is strictly allowed...but i was only relocating them about a couple of hundred yards your honour!
- The first year I dug out fast growing dominant plants like nettle, thistles etc

Seems to be working well...Its a riot of colour right now.

[ATG]

ramblo93 said:

I"ve been trying to cultivate the verge out the front of our house over the last 2-3 years to give a good wild flower show. Stuff i've found that seems to work:

- Give it a strim in March and remove the dead grass (to reduce fertility of the soil over time)
- I harvest the odd bit of seed from nearby verges when i'm out for a walk in later summer (wild poppy etc) and sprinkle it on the verge in either autumn (to mimic nature) or early spring. Not sure if this is strictly allowed...but i was only relocating them about a couple of hundred yards your honour!
- The first year I dug out fast growing dominant plants like nettle, thistles etc

Seems to be working well...Its a riot of colour right now.

Really cool thing to do

My wife got a group together to do the same sort of thing with a verge on the approach to our local town. They've shoved some pegs in the verge to mark a line dividing the bits the council will continue to mow (to keep the sight lines safe) from the side the volunteers will manage to encourage something more interesting than grass and crisp packets to accumulate. So far they've only done one cut/remove, so early days.

[mike74]

ATG said:

Seeds are in the pods. Little flaky things. Dunes tend to be a really fragile environment. I'd definitely approach the landowner before harvesting seeds.

Thanks, yes I appreciate I shouldn't really be taking any from the wild, but it's a very large area of dunes, one of the biggest in the UK... and to be honest I doubt I'll be doing more harm than NRW who despite supposedly being the custodians have done more harm to the dunes and all the other habitats around here through their general incompetence and determination to turn the area into something more resembling an urban country park to appeal to the townie tourists.

[eps]

trando said:

We use these. Love em...

https://www.beebombs.com/

+1 for these

[JohnBRG]

My sheer coincidence I've been thinking of doing this too, in an uncultivated area next to a lawn. My question is - is there any risk of them spreading into the lawn area? Or do they broadly stay put?

[Paul Drawmer]

JohnBRG said:

My sheer coincidence I've been thinking of doing this too, in an uncultivated area next to a lawn. My question is - is there any risk of them spreading into the lawn area? Or do they broadly stay put?

Wild flowers do not need good soil. Grass beats most flowers (except oxe eye daisy, achillia, buttercups etc). Basically keep the wild flower border unfed, and feed the lawn.

[JohnBRG]

Paul Drawmer said:

Wild flowers do not need good soil. Grass beats most flowers (except oxe eye daisy, achillia, buttercups etc). Basically keep the wild flower border unfed, and feed the lawn.

Much appreciated.