Information about growing native origin wildflower seed and plants in Ireland.
Soil Preparation: Clean the soil of all weeds, Especially, Docks, Thistles, Couch Grass and Nettles.
For further information visit See: Soil Preparation
Sowing: Sow onto weed free ground, scatter 1.5 grams or 1 teaspoon of seed mix to the metre, and roll the seed in.
Learn more on how to sow, establish and manage your meadow. See: Seed Sowing
Regional Wildflower Mixtures:
Irish wild flowers are part of the British flora which grow in an oceanic climate, when purchasing seed mixtures always get the most suitable to your region, as plants adopt over years to local conditions.
Check out your local conditions, If growing native plants in the midlands of Ireland where the soils can change from dry eskers to wet peaty raised bogs, find out what kind of soil you have.
Buying the right type of wildflower seed mix for your soil.
Check with your wildflower mixture, as many wild seed mixtures are designed to grow in different soils or climate types. There are many mixtures, most contain a few similar native species, its the difference that matters, for your site.
Identify which meadow seed mixture suits your soil, insure the wild seed mix is suitable for low maintenance, as there are high maintenance meadow mixtures such as short wildflower mixtures mixed with grasses, these require regular mowing
Growing wildflowers on a farm is different to a garden, gardeners want well behaved colourful native wildflowers whilst on a farm, low maintenance and hardiness is the key.
Gardeners can buy native wildflower seed mixtures and plants from a garden center or nursery, whilst landowners are better buying direct from the grower such as Design By Nature, we sell wildflower seed by mail order.
If buying wildflower plugs or plants, check to see if they are native origin.
It is illegal to dig any wildflower in the wild, especially protected wild native species.
Native versus Non native Wildflowers:
As Irelands wild flora is similar to Britain's, seed mixtures sold in one country will grow in another, however the composition of mixtures will be different, so to will the advice given and the amount of grass to sow with wildflower seed, if any.
Imported 'advice' or 'wildflower information' may not suit your Irish wildflower mixture, wildflower growing advice can very, as in the UK they tend to grow more grass with there wild flowers and in Ireland we tend to want less
Many botanists say we shouldn't, grow wildflowers at all, especially those that are not native, because we interfere with nature. All botanists agree that sowing species which are native but from abroad will endanger the local genotype of a plant.
Non native species are not recommended for sowing in the wild or where they may spread and become wild and cross pollinate with local species,
In Ireland we have less wildflowers than the entire flora of Scotland, England and Wales, however we have a unique part of the total European flora, as the flora of this Island is able to grow in our often windswept, peat rich, moist acid soils.
Summary: So who grows wild flower seed in Ireland ? You can...
Who supplies wildflower seed in Ireland ? Design By Nature
Where can you get wild flower seed ? DBN, Crettyard county Laois, Ireland. Via Carlow Post Office 056 4442526
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