How to Grow and Maintain Wildflowers

British wildflowers are some of the most reliable and beautiful plants you can grow. They grow spontaneously under conducive conditions, even without being deliberately grown, however due to their immense appeal to garden enthusiasts, seeds of wildflowers are now sold commercially.

Wildflowers are being used more these days to complement and replace traditional designs, especially for green roofs and sustainable urban drainage schemes (SuDS) which are often seen in new developments.  Being native, all of them have some benefit to wildlife so by growing them you’ll contribute to an increase in biodiversity in your garden.

Growth

Before planting, you must check the natural environment of the wildflower. Most wildflowers thrive in nutrient-poor soils similar to meadows, although some thrive in damp soils so would be best placed around a pond or in a bog garden.

If transforming your lawn into a wildflower meadow, it is recommended to reduce fertility before planting. Advice on how to do this can be found here.

Maintenance

Wildflower meadows need some maintenance each year. Cutting helps maintain a diverse mix of flowers and grasses and depending on the timing of cut can allow a gardener to manipulate the range of wildflowers that will thrive. Click here for advice on new and established wildflower meadows.