At our Can Do South Yorkshire launch party, we handed out free packets of wildflower seeds. You can plant these in your garden to encourage bees, butterflies and other wildlife to visit. Helping biodiversity is an important part of tackling climate change, and protecting our local green spaces. Keep reading to find out how to plant your seeds for the best results!
How to use your free wildflower seeds
- Select the area. Wildflowers prefer a poor soil with low nutrients. Avoid ground which has been heavily fertilised in the past, and choose an area that will not be disturbed. Your packet contains a mixture of annual and perennial (repeating) seeds.
- Clear the area. If the area is overrun with weeds it is important to reduce the number of weed seeds in the soil.
- Prepare the soil. Create a seed bed by raking and breaking up any large clumps of soil ready for sowing your wildflowers.
- Pick the right time to sow. Your wildflower seeds can be sown right up to the end of October, the ideal time is the autumn. Your free packet has enough seeds for 1 square meter of soil.
- Sow! Sprinkle the seed over the area, or mix with sand or compost first then sprinkle over the area. The sand helps to distribute it evenly over the area. Cover with no more than 0.5 – 0.7cm soil.
- Wait for results! Grasses should appear within 14-21 days. The wildflowers may vary depending on species. Annuals will flower the same year if sown during the spring or the previous autumn, perennial species will establish during the first year of sowing and flower during the second year.
Some examples of the wildflowers you will grow are wild foxglove, buttercups, daisies and campions!
If you plant your seeds, we’d love to see the results. Share your photos on social media using the hashtag #candosouthyorkshire!
