Native Origin Irish Wildflower Seed Mixtures: Ecotype Range 

Product Code:  EC02 Orchard
Product Name: Wild Flora for Young Trees and Orchards

A tall vigorous, wildlife attracting mixture that will help the growth of young trees and fix nitrogen in the root zone.
Can be cut regularly and kept short.

Species List: Code EC02

Black Medick 
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Bluebell
Burdock
Corn Marigold
Corn Poppy
Corncockle
Cornflower*
Cowslip
Field Scabious
Fleabane
Foxglove
Kidney Vetch
Lesser Knapweed
Scented and Scentless Mayweed
Meadowsweet
Mullein
Ox-eye Daisy
Red Campion*
Sorrel
Teasel
Upright Hedge Parsley
Cow Parsley
Wild Angelica
Wild Carrot
Yarrow
Yellow Flag Iris
Wild Red Clover
Salad Burnet
White Bedstraw
Selfheal
Yarrow 
other suitable species are added as available, according to your site

E.U. Approved Legumes:
Red Clover, trefoil and medick

This mixture should be cut in June and again in August using a strimmer or as in the photo a finger-bar mower, don't worry about cutting the flowers they will grow again. Rake the cutting to the base of the trees as mulch. 

Seed Mixture Specifications: Total number of seeds per gram: 1540
Wildflower Seed Mixture with Native Irish Origin species  EC02 
Suitable for soil type: All types of soil, Clay, Loam, Sand, Light Soil, Heavy Soil, and Peat, 
Moisture Level: Dry, Normal, Moist, but not Flooded Wet
pH range: Best between 5.5 - 7.8 
Aspect: Sunny, Semi Shade and Shaded.

Morphology:

Life Cycle: Annual / Biennial / Perennial. 
Height Range: <30cm to >180cm occasionally taller.
Flowering Period:  Late May to August.
Fertility Range: Will grow in very fertile soil to poor, if very infertile apply fertiliser (see below).
Wintergreen: Yes. 
The main species which should dominate and persist in this mixture if the ground is kept free of grass and cultivated each year.  Burdock, Cowslip, Field Scabious, Fleabane, Foxglove, Lesser Knapweed, Meadowsweet, Red Campion, Teasel, Upright Hedge Parsley, Wild Angelica, Wild Carrot, Yarrow, Yellow Flag Iris, Black Meddick, Birdsfoot Trefoil , Sainfoil, Red Clover, Yarrow,  Dames Violet, Salad Burnet

Species which will grow and remain in the woods when they develop if the conditions are ideal: Bluebell, Foxglove, Red Campion, Teasel, Upright Hedge Parsley, Wild Angelica,  Burdock,
Annual Species: 
Corn Marigold, Corn Poppy, Corncockle, Cornflower, Scented Mayweed, 
Biennial Species:  Burdock, Foxglove, Mullein, Teasel, Upright Hedge Parsley, Wild Angelica, Wild Carrot, Wild Parsnip
Species which will be affected by management: Cowslip, the more its cut the better, Teasel, if you think its too tall dead head or spot spray. 

Design Notes: This is a specially designed mixture for use with young saplings, the aim of this mixture is to eliminate grasses whose roots secrete toxins detrimental to young trees. The more this mixture is cut the better, as it will release nitrogen as plant food to feed the young trees until the shade /canopy closes over.

Sowing Specification: As Normal, roll or rake into surface to keep out of reach from birds. Sow up to the base of the trees and in the intervening space between the trees.
Soil Preparation: Normal, create weed free fine tilt on seed bed.
Optimum Sowing Time: Normal

Sowing Conditions: normal
Sowing Method: By hand is recommended, if using seed spreaders be careful to insure the small varieties of seed do not drop to the bottom of the seed spreader and get sown all in the one place. Can be Hydrasown.
Fertiliser: None, powdered or liquid seaweed will aid germination.

Seed Sowing Rates: 1.5 grams per metre.
Low sowing rate: 1 gram per metre. 

Grass seed or nurse crop requirement:

Nurse Crop: No nurse crop is required. 
Grass Seed Requirement: None.

If sown without grasses: This mixture will not require a nurse crop.

Product Warning: While this Ecotype mixture contains the seed of edible and herbal species, DBN recommend that this mixture is not for human or animal consumption as it contains species such as Corncockle and Foxglove  which are toxic if ingested.

Seed Specification:  
Once sown this mixture in normal conditions (mainly in early Autumn and Spring) should germinate 4 - 6 weeks after sowing, from then on provided the sward is kept open and a 'Thatch' is not allowed develop, species will continue to germinate and emerge, through to the third year, even if the trees start to shade out some of the flora..
Up to 70% of all seed should germinate in the first year.
Up to 80% of all species should germinate in 12 months. 
Up to 100% of all species should have flowered by the fourth year after sowing. 
Late Autumn and early Summer sowings may be slow to emerge, depending on the weather. 

Performance: 
Maintain this meadow as scutch grass, nettle and dock will try to dominate as the growing conditions are ideal.
Persistence if unmanaged: High 
Tolerance of Cutting: High 
General Cutting Time: Spring, mid to high summer after Foxgloves flower and set seed and again at the end of Summer 
Specific Cutting Time: In third year when red clover flowers. 

Management: Control coarse grass weeds by spot spraying.

As there are biennial species in this mixture these species will flower and set seed in the second year after sowing and may not flower again until the fourth year, it will be essential to rake of harrow the mixture after the spring cut in the third year, if you require a constant flush of biennials, if you don't cut just wait until the trees create shade and the biennials will reappear. 
Species in this mixture are 'Browse' tolerant.

A General Description of Ecotype Range: 
Ecotype seed mixtures are designed to imitate natural ecologies found in specific situations. This mixture acts as the type of flora that would emerge in a coppice flora, It is not true to type. 

The EC range is not intended as an exact copies of an Irish ecosystem but to represent floras that would otherwise take hundreds of years to develop if 'nature' was left unaided.  This range of seed mixture is ideal for those concerned with encouraging wildlife and local biodiversity as the plants will attract species suited to the ecology. 
If these mixtures are suitable for your situation, they offer good value, contain some of the most exacting and unusual species and if given time, develop into a diverse flora that will persist if properly maintained.