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Heavy Clay Soils Wildflower Seeds LW5P 100%

This mix of wildflowers seeds is selected specifically for use on heavy clay soils, filled with beautiful perennials which will form a magnificent wildflower meadow year after year. This wildflower mix for heavy clay soils features medium-to-tall, nectar-rich wildflowers such as the star-shape scabious and the thin, winding meadowsweet.

  • Contains 24 different native wildflower species
  • Sowing Rate: 3 grams per sq/m
  • 1kg covers 330sq/m

Mixture specifications, sowing instructions and maintenance can be found below.

Choose a packsize:
Mixture Specification
  Common Name Latin Name Quantity Flowers Height Type
1 Agrimony, Common Agrimonia eupatoria 10% Jun - Sep 50 - 150cm Perennial
2 Bedstraw, Lady's Galium verum 3% Jun - Sep 50 - 80cm Perennial
3 Betony Stachys officinalis 2% Jul - Sep 25 - 50cm Perennial
4 Black Medick Medicago lupulina 6% May - Oct 15 - 80cm Annual
5 Burnet, Salad Sanguisorba minor 7% Jun - Sep 15 - 50cm Perennial
6 Buttercup, Meadow Ranunculus acris 5% May - Jun 30 - 100cm Perennial
7 Campion, White Silene alba 3% May - Oct 50 - 100cm Perennial
8 Carrot, Wild Daucus carota 3% Jun - Oct 30 - 100cm Perennial
9 Clary, Wild Salvia verbenaca 3% May - Aug 30 - 40cm Perennial
10 Cowslip Primula veris 1% Apr - May 15 - 30cm Perennial
11 Daisy, Ox-eye Leucanthemum vulgare 3% May - Sep 20 - 100cm Perennial
12 Knapweed, Common Centaurea nigra 9% Jun - Sep 30 - 80cm Perennial
13 Knapweed, Greater Centaurea scabiosa 5% Jun - Sep 50 - 90cm Perennial
14 Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria 2% Jun - Aug 80 - 200cm Perennial
15 Plantain, Hoary Plantago media 2% May - Sep 15 - 45cm Perennial
16 Plantain, Ribwort Plantago lanceolata 3% Apr - Sep 15 - 50cm Perennial
17 Poppy, Common Papaver rhoeas 1% May - Jul 50 - 70cm Annual
18 Ragged Robin Lychnis flos-cuculi 4% May - Aug 30 - 90cm Perennial
19 Scabious, Field Knautia arvensis 8% Jul - Sep 30 - 200cm Perennial
20 Self-heal Prunella vulgaris 5% Jun - Sep 15 - 30cm Perennial
21 Sorrel, Common Rumex acetosa 5% May - Jul 30 - 100cm Perennial
22 Vetch, Tufted Vicia cracca 3% Jun - Sep 100 - 150cm Perennial
23 Yarrow Achillea millefolium 3% Jun - Oct 20 - 100cm Perennial
24 Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor 4% Jun - Sep 25 - 50cm Annual

LW5P Mixtue Contents

Sowing Instructions

Prepare the Ground
Our Heavy Clay Soils Wildflower Seed Mix performs best in low nutrient soils, which haven’t been heavily fertilised in the past. For best results sow into bare soil after clearing all existing plants and weeds from the area.


Cultivate the ground to a depth of 10cm to relieve compaction and create a fine level tilth, free from obstructions (to allow for mowing at a later stage). Finish the seedbed by treading or lightly rolling the area, so that it is firm enough to stand on without leaving indentations.

Where weeds have been prevalent, allow a flush of weeds to germinate and remove these before sowing. In areas of high fertility, it may be necessary to remove the topsoil and sow into the subsoil. High nutrient soils encourage weeds and fast growing grasses which may outcompete the wildflowers in this mixture.

Heavy Clay Soils Wildflower Seeds can be used to overseed into existing grassland, provided the sward comprises only fine leaved grasses and does not include ryegrass, agricultural species or weeds. Cut the grass as short as possible and thoroughly scarify or rake the ground to remove any thatch, moss and other debris from the area.


Sowing
Heavy Clay Soils Wildflower Seeds should be sown between March and November. Spring and autumn provide ideal conditions as moisture and warmth are in good supply. If overseeding into grass, it is best to sow during autumn when grass growth has slowed down.

Distribute seed at the recommended sowing rate of 3g/sqm.

If possible, mix the wildflower seeds with an inert carrier (such as sharp sand), at a ratio of four parts sand to one part seed (by weight). This makes it easier to achieve an even distribution and also provides a visual marker, making it easier to see any missed patches and avoid seeding areas twice.

Regularly mix the seed when sowing, as seeds will naturally separate due to variations in size and weight.

Once sown, ensure good ‘seed to soil’ contact by lightly raking to a depth of 0.5cm or rolling the area. When overseeding this encourages the seeds to fall down to the ground underneath.

It is also possible to broadcast, drill or hydroseed this mixture for larger or hard to reach areas. However, broadcast spreading throws heavier seeds further so this may impact the distribution and when drilling, the seed must not be buried deeper than 0.7cm.


Sowing Rate
The sowing rate of 3g/sqm is designed to produce optimum results. Reducing the sowing rate is likely to result in invasion from weed species. Increasing the sowing rate generally leads to reduced diversity as the more aggressive species will outcompete slower growing plants.

This rate also applies when overseeding into grassland as many seeds may fail to germinate due to the increased competition from the existing grasses, and some seeds not reaching the soil surface.

Maintenance

First Year
BS5P contains mainly perennial species, which can be slow to establish and are unlikely to flower in the first year. Annual species such as Black Medick, Red Poppy and Yellow Rattle will generally flower in year one.

During the first year remove any weeds which grow before they run to seed, either by topping, mowing or by hand for smaller areas. Weed growth is common due to the action of disturbing the ground (rather than being caused by contaminated seed mixtures).

The area can be cut once the flowers have died back in the autumn. We recommend leaving the area undisturbed for as long as possible, ideally until February / March (before the first
spring growth). The dead flowers and stems provide a diverse environment which is a haven for wildlife through the winter months. In particular, it provides habitat for butterflies such as
the Red Admiral and the Clouded Yellow which remain in their chrysalis during the winter months.

Cut the area down to around 10cm using a scythe, strimmer or mower, leaving the cuttings for up to a week before removing. This will allow them to dry and shed seeds back into the soil.

 

Second Year
After twelve months the sward should be well established and requires little additional maintenance. Simply follow the same annual cut pattern (either in spring or autumn
depending on your preference).

As an ongoing process, observe and remove any weeds which invade the area.

Over time, some species within the mixture may become more dominant due to environmental factors and natural selection. To encourage diversity, simply reduce the number of dominant plants in order to restore the balance.


Overseeding
If overseeding into grassland, we recommend incorporating at least two 10cm cuts each year; at the beginning of March and November. This reduces the grass canopy, allowing light
and air to reach the wildflowers and encourage growth. Where aggressive grasses are dominating, it may be necessary to employ a more regular cutting regime to ensure the
wildflowers are not smothered.

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