Wildflowers for bumblebees
One of the simplest things you can do to help your bumblebees is to leave an area of your lawn uncut during the summer. If you don't mow between late-June and early-August, your lawn will burst into flower with clovers and birds-foot trefoil. This needn't look untidy - make it an interesting shape, and border it with a mown path so that you can enjoy watching your bumblebees foraging away.
When you do finally cut, in August, remove all of the clippings and put them on the compost heap. Over time, this will allow the soil fertility to drop naturally, which will encourage the wildflowers to flourish - they actually prefer nutrient poor soil. Click for more information
Many wildflowers have become scarce in farmland. If you make space for them in your garden the you'll be helping conserve both the flowers themselves and the creatures they support. Many of these native wildflowers are extraordinarily beautiful – it’s not all about nettles and brambles! We often forget that many conventional garden flowers such as foxgloves are native wildflowers.
Seeds of some wildflowers like foxgloves and cowslips can be bought in most
garden centers, but the range is usually limited. A far greater
selection are available by mail order from specialist companies.
However, there is a lot to be said for collecting the seeds yourself
from the wild. Most plants produce thousands of seeds, but there is
nowhere near enough room for them all to germinate and
grow. Collecting a few seeds will have no impact on the plant population in most cases.
There is
a very strong conservation argument for using local seed as you are
helping to propagate and conserve the local race of the plant species, so if possible gather your
wildflower seed from close to home.
Before going out collecting, remember that collecting from private land or nature reserves is illegal. However, this is generally not a problem because many wildflowers can be found along road verges or riverbanks. Secondly, do not collect seed from rare plants or from places where there are only a handful of parent plants.
Specialist wildflower seed suppliers:
Herbiseed, Naturescape,
Emorsgate, Scotia Seeds,
Really Wild Flowers,
Scotts Wild Flowers,
Wild About Wildflowers,
Collecting your own seed requires patience, as it is necessary to wait for the right time of year. Try to spot the location of flowers and then return when the flowers have set seed. Most wildflower seed is very easy to collect. For larger seeds simply pick them up with your fingers; for example tufts of knapweed or thistle seeds are readily plucked from mature seed heads. For others, the best approach is to place a bag over the flower head and shake. Once collected, keep the seeds dry and cool until you can sow them. Generally it is best to sow the seeds immediately, since this is the time at which they would naturally be scattered. Place in seed trays outside since some seeds will not germinate without passing through a cold winter (or a simulated cold period).
Why not make
space in a corner of your garden for a beautiful
wildflower meadow?
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