WF2.2 Seed
general - seed - rootballed clumps - pot grown/plugs - bulbs, corms or tubers
Wildflowers can be bought as seed, both as single species and as mixtures. Considerable research has been undertaken in establishing wildflowers from seed and it is worth reading the following: Wells, TCE. 1989. The establishment and management of wildflower meadows. Peterborough, Nature Conservancy Council.; Ash, HJ, R Bennett and R Scott. 1992. Flowers in the grass. Peterborough, English Nature.; 'Select Wildflowers', in Plant User, issue 14, Spring 1994. pub. Landscape Design Trust.
The principal criterion for the purchase of seed is its ORIGIN / PROVENANCE.
Origin is defined as "the place in which an indigenous stand of plants is growing or the place from which a non-indigenous stand was originally introduced."
Provenance is defined as "the place in which any stand of plants, whether indigenous or non-indigenous is growing."
For the use of wildflowers, it is essential to research the appropriateness of the selected species to the final site. Examples exist of particular species wildflowers planted where none have previously been. If the chosen species establishes from seed then it is essential to specify the source of the seed. For certain species which grow widely throughout the British Isles, it is probably appropriate to specify BRITISH ORIGIN. For wildflowers which are more specific to location, it may be necessary/appropriate to specify that the seed should be collected, with all necessary rights and approvals, from a particular source (LOCAL ORIGIN).
This subject is a matter of considerable research and it is recommended that the guidance of specialists is sought to determine the most appropriate species and specifications to use.
There is no simple method for checking the ORIGIN of wildflower seed. In purchasing this type of plant it is essential to talk to suppliers and find out where they obtain their seed and how they recommend seeding and/or growing plants.
Seed may be used for perennial, short lived perennial and annual wildflowers. Increasingly perennial forms are being supplied as plants. Examples of species which may establish from seed is as follows:
Wild grasses such as Agrostis tenuis (Common Bent); Anthoxanthum odoratum (Sweet Vernal Grass); Brizia media (Quaking grass). and wildflowers such as Betonica officinalis (Betony); Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower); Centaurium erythraea (Common Centaury); Fumaria officinalis (Common Fumitory); Papaver rhoeas (Field poppy)