Topic: How easy is it to sow wild flower seeds?

[Digitalis]

I'm looking at sowing a few grams of wild flowers in a new bed I'm creating.

How easy are they to germinate and grow?

[snipsnip]

Would love to know the answer to this.

I have scattered wild flower seeds three times now and not seen one wild flower.

I have either pulled them out thinking they were weeds or they haven't germinated.

I got to thinking they are quite hard to grow

[grawrc]

I think you have to ignore that area totally once the seed is in. Thorough site preparation is essential to get rid of any perennial weeds. My problem was that the thugs (e.g. feverfew) tried to take over and that over a period of years they choke out the diversity and you have to resow.

[small]

I have managed to get harebells, ragged robin, campion and toadflax (thanks, Thifasmom!) to grow this year, but I started them in seed compost in trays then planted out, since I was only preparing a small area.  Some companies claim wildflower mixes from seeds such as nigella, cornflower, marigold, which I think of more as hardy garden annuals, I grow these by germinating in in the veg plot and then planting out.  Some of the genuine wild flowers are very tiny when they first show and easily mistaken for the chickweed or bittercress type of weed. After all, a weed is only a plant in the wrong place....

[saddad]

They germinate dead easily (no pun intended) think of field poppies and corn cockle but they get swamped by larger/faster weeds on most soils which are too fertile..

edited to say... why do you only spot the transposed letters as you press post...

[Robert_Brenchley]

They germinate very easily in the right conditions. Poppies are a classic; they'll lie dormant for decades, then germinate as soon as the soil's disturbed.

[thifasmom]

your most welcome small but they didn't grow for me when i tried them this year :'( only got corncockle out of the mix i tried :-\.

on a brighter note at least three of my vege beds was a burst of colour this year from i assume dormant poppy seeds that must have come with the bought topsoil from 2 yrs back :). i saved and spread the seeds where i would prefer them to grow, bet they don't germinate next year ::).

[Digitalis]

Is it possible to scatter some in seed trays and transplant them when suitable?

[small]

Absolutely, that's what I do - you could even try modules and plant some clumps?  Re the red poppies folk are discussing, I have failed to grow these when I've wanted to but they pop up everywhere they are not wanted.......

[Geoff H]

Absolutely, that's what I do - you could even try modules and plant some clumps?  Re the red poppies folk are discussing, I have failed to grow these when I've wanted to but they pop up everywhere they are not wanted.......

Have you been sowing the poppies in drills and covering them? The seed needs light to germinate so you surface sow. A lot of wild flowers seeds are just sown on the surface and rolled in.
Emorsgate Seeds are specialist in wild flower seeds and only produce seed from British stock and the seed is good quality.

[emmy1978]

I think it must vary massively judging by the responses. I've never had a prob with them apart from it's too easy to pull them up as they are germinating!!
I used to chuck them in to the planters that the council did outside my house to cheer them up a bit.  ;D

[Borlotti]

Didn't do too well this year, but last year bought a tub of wild flower seeds from Morrisons, all blue and they did well in a bed at the allotment that I hadn't cultivated.  Got told off my by Italian friend for growing weeds, but they did look pretty.  Didn't plant them, just scattered the seed.