Time to sow a wild flower meadow!

Mid-August to early October is the ideal time to sow a spring or summer wild flower meadow. Sowing can be done March to mid April but autumn sowing will allow frost action over winter. Many seeds require this before they will germinate.

Seeds are available online and from some garden centres. Prior to sowing, rake out the soil to produce a fine tilth. Firm by gently walking over the plot or rolling it lightly. Do this in dry weather, especially on clay soils, to prevent soil compaction and muddy feet! Rake again lightly to produce a slightly rough surface.

Ideally, sow seed on a still, fair day. Mix the fine seeds with sand or sawdust (from untreated timber) to form a greater bulk. This will make sowing easier and more accurate. The light colour also helps to show where you have already scattered seed. Sand does separate from the seed over larger distances, however.