Saturday 27 July 2013

Meadow mixes

Many of what are sold as "meadow" seed mixes are no such thing, as I've ranted on about before, but if they bring in the pollinators then it hardly matters.

At the bottom of my plot I've got a cornfield mix which happily self sows itself with different flowers dominating each year - this summer it's mainly field poppies, phacelia and a few cornflowers, night-flowering catchfly and corncockles:


At the top of the plot I sow a mix from  www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk. This years was meant to be a "pastel mix" but has turned out to be mainly red poppies, bishop's flower and cornflowers - and again, not properly meadow flowers at all but rather a mix of colourful annuals, but the bees aren't complaining:


Next to my cabin I cleared an area of brambles where I'll be adding an extension (one day over the rainbow) and threw in seed from various old seed packets and saved seed. This has been my favorite mix this year as what came up was a complete surprise - mainly mustard, field poppies and phacelia: 

No comments: