Native British wildflower seeds - Butterflies and moths mix (organic)
This collection of native British wildlife seeds is specifically designed to attract butterflies and moths to your garden. It includes some of the wildflowers most useful for them, and attractive to you, and is grass free.
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5g of wildflower seeds, and an information leaflet that details growing instructions, the species that are included and why native wildflowers are important
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Sow up to 2g per square metre.
If you're sowing onto existing grass you will only need up to 1g per square metre.
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Clear weeds and grasses from the area you want to seed, and rake the ground to prepare it. Then sow the seeds - best done in spring and late summer/autumn. You'll be surprise how low the seeding rate is. A helpful tip is to mix the seed in with sand to bulk it out and make sure you don't overseed. Don't add topsoil or compost, just tread in or roll lightly once sown - don't cover the seeds with soil. Water as necessary and while they get established, making sure the seedlings don't dry out.
Why native wildflowers?
It is important to grow indigenous UK plants because they are the basic building blocks for a diverse and fascinating ecosystem. There is increasing evidence that our pollinators prefer native flowers to ornamentals too.
Butterflies and moths need native plants not only as sources of nectar, but also as food plants for their caterpillars. Many have a single species of food plant. That relationship means butterflies and moths are particularly vulnerable to the disappearance of plant species from our countryside - some particularly so.
Why these seeds are different
“Wildflower seeds” are routinely mis-sold in the UK. It’s likely that the majority of “wildflower seeds” you’ll find online or at seed merchants are actually imported or agricultural cultivars, with limited value for wildlife (they look odd too, and live less long). Worse, many “wildflower” seed mixes sold at garden centres include – sometimes exclusively – flowers which are “wild” in foreign and exotic climes.
This seed mix comprises 100% native British wildflowers, sustainably harvested in the UK. The wildflowers in this collection have been recommended by The Butterfly Conservation Trust. This mix contains lots of different types of flowers to make sure they work in a wide range of conditions and provide a long flowering period. It may take up to two years to get the full effect from these seeds as the plants need time to mature.
Species included in this mix:
Anthyllis vulneraria Kidney vetch
Centaurea cyanus Cornflower
Lotus corniculatus Bird's-foot trefoil
Echium vulgare Viper's Bugloss
Cardamine pratensis Cuckooflower
Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed
Knautia arvensis Field Scabious
Origanum vulgare Wild Marjoram
Primula veris Cowslip
Silene dioica Red Campion
Trifolium pratense Wild Red Clover
Vicia cracca Tufted Vetch
Vicia sepium Bush Vetch