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Wild basil Seeds

Wild Basil Seeds

Wild Basil Seeds

 

Wild Basil -clinopodium vulgare

– grows best in dry grassland and is well suited to chalk and limestone soils on sites where there is plenty of sunlight. It has a variety of other habitats including woodland edges, rough grassland and bare open ground. In garden settings, Wild Basil plants can be introduced into a sunny border, or wildflower meadows on poorer soils. Wild Basil attracts a broad range of insects such as Bees, Butterflies and Ladybirds. It is usually a low growing species with pink flowers that appear in July and August. Wild Basil looks best growing with other chalk and limestone plants that flower in early to mid-summer such as Kidney Vetch, Wild Thyme, Wild Marjoram, Greater Knapweed, and Small Scabious.

How to grow Wild Basil from Seed:
Wild Basil seeds should be sown in autumn, either outside, where they are to flower, or in seed trays and covered lightly with compost. The seedlings, can be pricked out and grown on, for planting out later in the year.

RHS Perfect for Pollinators.
The RHS Perfect for Pollinators mark is only given to plants that support pollinating insects in gardens. Bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies and many others visit flowers to feed on nectar and pollen; while doing so they transfer pollen and increase seed set and fruit development. Find out more at: rhs.org.uk/plants

 

To buy Wild Basil seeds

Please click here to purchase Wild Basil seeds. To ensure the best chance of success, we sell all of our wildflower seeds by weight, which ensures each wildflower seed packet contains a good quantity of seeds. The recommended sowing rate is 1 gram per square metre, and the number of Wild Basil seeds per gram is approx. 2500. All of our Wildflower seed packets contain seeds of Native British provenance.

Horseshoe Vetch Seeds

Everything you wanted to know about Horseshoe Vetch Seeds

Horseshoe Vetch Seeds
Horseshoe Vetch growing on Cotswold Limestone

Horseshoe Vetch –hippocrepis comosa

grows best in light well-drained grassland and is suited to chalk and limestone soils on sites where there is plenty of sunlight. Plants host a wide range of insect life such as Bees, Butterflies and Caterpillars. Horseshoe Vetch is a very important plant for breeding butterflies, attracting a variety of species in the wild, such as the Adonis Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Silver-Studded Blue and Dingy Skipper, all of which will lay their eggs on the plant. Read more

Betony seeds

Betony seeds

Betony seeds

Betony seeds – stachys officinalis– can be sown onto on a wide variety of soils and will grow well in a variety of habitats such as open woodland, hedgerows and grassland. Plants will tolerate sites where there is plenty of sunlight and also a degree of shade, so all in all this species makes for a very good Read more

Bluebell seeds

Bluebell seeds

Bluebell Seeds
Bluebell Seeds

English Bluebell Seeds can be sown in semi-shade or sun but will look best grown in shaded woodland settings where the rich blue colour will be more intense. In the wild bluebells have a preference for acid soils and grow in a variety of habitats including woodlands, hedgerows, grassy banks and even alongside open coastal cliffs. In gardens, bluebell seeds can be introduced under small trees, Read more

Wildflower combinations

Wildflower combinations

Wildflower combinations
Corn Poppy and Corncockle

Selecting the right wildflower combinations

When choosing wildflowers that will grow well together it is important to ensure

a) that the flowering time is likely to coincide

b) That they will be well suited to the same habitat.

A lot can be learned from observing nature and if possible trying to mimic  classic combinations that are commonly found in the wild. The photo gallery below is intended to offer a few ideas of wildflowers that look especially beautiful when grown together. Please bear in mind that flowering times can vary slightly from season to season so may not always coincide.

There are of course many, many more wildflower combinations that work equally well, and the best way is to experiment by growing species with similar flowering time and habitats.

Wildflowers for wet areas

Wildflowers for wet areas

Wildflowers for Wet areas
Plock Court Wetland area

Benefits of Wildflowers for wet areas

In February we wrote an article about growing wildflowers on clay. Clay soils often get very water logged in winter but what about areas prone to regular winter flooding that remain under water for long periods. Flood meadows have always played a part in flood alleviation and there are many benefits of growing specialist wildflowers for wet areas. As a scheme at Longford near Gloucester demonstrates, the  restoration and creation of new wildflower water meadows can naturally enhance  flood defense schemes as well as providing a valuable asset for the community and a haven for wildlife. Read more

Wildflower landscaping

Wildflower landscaping

Wildflower landscaping
Wildflowers in park setting

Wildflower landscaping ideas

Outside of gardens and wild areas there is an increasing use of wildflowers to landscape urban and suburban areas. Wildflowers provide a cost effective alternative to bedding plants and can be used to landscape parks, road verges, roundabouts, golf courses and green roofs. Mixtures often contain a blend of native and non-native species such as Californian Poppy. Read more