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Seed price comparison:
On this page:
Price sensitive questions
answered:
Is
there a difference in the types of wildflower seed mixtures?
Yes, there are different types
of wildflower seed mixture.
Low cost mixtures actually work out dearer as
the seeds are 'Cut' with cheep fillers. Often seed mixtures have only 5%
or 10% imported wildflower seed.
Most imported mixtures contain, fillers such as vermiculite dust, cheep
grass seed or non native wildflowers and in many cases, agricultural or
horticultural species not intended for wild flower meadows.
Some wildflower seed mixtures contain 95%, 80%, 50% grass seed and have far less wild flower seed than
our standard pure 100% wildflower
seed mixtures without grass seed.
Why
is there a difference in the price of wildflower seed mixtures?
There are huge differences in
the price of wild flower seed mixtures. Some wildflower seed
mixtures that contain fillers, cost much less per kilo than pure
100% wild flowers, but actually require more seed per metre when sown.
Therefore the cost per metre is dearer than our dearest wildflower
product.
Often the specified amount of seed mixture to be sown per metre is less
for some mixtures than others, typically the entire wildflower industry
recommends about 1 to 1.5 grams per metre of pure 100% wild seed with no
grasses up to 3 for certain sites and full sowings.
Where grass seed is blended into the seed mixture the sowing rate must
be increased to between 2 grams (20% grass) to 7 grams (80% grass) per metre
depending on the amount of wild seed and grass seed in the mixture.
Wildflower seed mixtures
differ in price:
Wildflower
seed mixtures vary greatly in price, (AT DBN WE SHOW THE FULL COSTS OF
PRODUCTION AND YET OFFER THE MOST COMPETITIVE PRICES) the following chart shows how
wildflower sellers by selling imported species can manipulate prices in
there favour and to the detriment to the customer. Why
grow Native Irish Wildflower seeds
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A chart showing how wild flower cost are so
different:
Design
By Nature - wildflower seed mixtures are less expensive than most imported
wildflower mixtures. Looking at the following chart would not suggest such
a fact:
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Definition:
The price difference between Native Irish seed mixtures and cheep imports.
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A native wildflower
mixture |
Price / Costs impact |
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The cheaper imported imitation |
Price / Costs impact |
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Native
source: All our seed is sourced from Irish Native origin, wild stock
from Ireland.
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Yes
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Higher
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No
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Lower, watch out for
very low cost imports from USA and Europe, these grow well in first year and then do
not return. One imported mix for Eur 16.99 contains € 2.50 worth of
wildflowers. the rest is grass and packaging.
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Does
DBN import wildseed for seed mixtures?
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Cost
of selecting from wild to grow as crops
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Yes
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Higher
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No
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Lower, Very few
nurseries product true wildflower seeds, most sell you cultivated
wildflowers, it's the difference between genetically modified and natural.
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Destroy
crops after 3-5 years and re-sow from wild
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Yes
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Higher
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No
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Lower, most but in
from the few main supplier and remix or blend with cheaper species many
are not wildflowers.
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Grown
in Ireland
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Yes
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Higher
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No
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Lower
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Only Pure 100% wildflower, no grasses |
Yes, All our seed
prices are transparent as we only sell with or with
out annuals.
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Higher
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If with high proportion
of Annuals the price will be lower
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where mixed with
grasses and annuals prices are far lower.
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The amount of species in each mixture |
Biased towards performance with prices
reflecting the variety of species
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Higher
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very selective
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Lower
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The percentage of each species in a mixture |
Biased towards highest performance
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Higher
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Based towards cheapest to produce
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Lower
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If the mixture contains
grasses |
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Contains
80% grass seed
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Yes
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Lower
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
50% grass seed
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Yes
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Lower
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
30% grass seed
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Yes
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Lower
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
20% grass seed
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Yes
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Lower
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
unsuitable non-native species (Not wild)
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No
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Higher
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
cultivars of wild flora
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No
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Higher
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
mainly Annuals
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No our mixtures
contain between 10% - 20% a few up to 40%, but these are rare or grassland
species
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Higher
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
mainly species that are cheap to produce
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No
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Higher
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
a few easy perennials
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No
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Higher
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Yes
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Lower
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Contains
E.U. cultivars (where required by Law)
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Yes, a few mixtures
contain cheaper EU forbes, these are listed
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Lower
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Yes
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Lower
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Conforms
to DAFF seed standards
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Yes
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Higher
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No
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Lower
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DAFF,
Seed testing charges in Ireland
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Yes
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Higher
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-
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-
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Seed
testing charges are free in UK & USA
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-
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-
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Yes
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Lower
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Market
size (scale of this economy)
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Small
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Higher
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Large
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Lower
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VAT Rate
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13.5%, in Ireland, and FRA in UK at 5%, But
17.5% normally in the UK. If the
company is not charging you VAT, its is either too small, which means it
may not be legal, or cannot cover the high costs associated with seed
handling and production of native species.
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Postage
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If payment is in advance for order over Eur 100 there is no
postage cost in Ireland, but watch
out for charges of 8 Euro per Kilo for imports
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Type
of harvesting, by hand for high quality
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Yes
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Higher
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Only the best
Nurseries
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Costs can be lower
for machine only, poorer quality seed
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Type
of harvesting, by machine for low quality
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Yes
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Lower
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Yes
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Lower
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Research
is Government funded
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No
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Higher
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Yes
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Lower
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So
why are Design By Nature - wildflower seed mixtures less expensive than
most imported wildflower mixtures?
Because our profit margin is
lower and we are committed to our customers because we answer your
calls and emails personally. |
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Wild Flower Seed Origin:
Design By Nature is
the only Irish grower of Native Irish Wildflower Seed and Plants (we
source our stock in the wild and then grow farm crops from wild Irish
plants).
Definitions of Seed- types - grades - production
Genetic diversity- Seed Triggers, Facts you should know about.
We are primary producers who source our
seed in Ireland (Country of origin)
When you purchase Design By Nature's -
Native Irish Wildflowers, you are getting the optimum species for an Irish
situation.
Our customers include: The National Botanic
Gardens, Duchas, (the Heritage service), The Environmental Protection
Agency, The Department of Environment, The Office of Public Works and Teagasc. Every County Council and tidy town group and all the major
landscape contractors also buy from Design By Nature.
Technical index: The
following link is a real time alphabetical list of technical pages in this
web.
Navigation
By Category - Technical Pages
Go on choose Design By
Nature for seeds, plants, advice and design.
Return
to top:
Return to Folder/Section:Index - Technical Section. includes the Conservation section, Mulching and advice on certain weeds, phytosanitary.
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