WILDFLOWER MEADOWS:
Wildflower meadows or a patch of wildflowers are a great addition to any garden. 98% of English meadows have been lost to intensive farming, planting one in your garden can be a great way to encourage wildlife and contribute to the conservation of pollinator populations.
Types of flowers in a British wildflower meadow vary by season and look beautiful when all together:
Spring meadow:
- Cowslip. Yellow flowers attract bees and butterflies.
- Self-heal. A low-growing plant with purple flowers that provide nectar for bees, butterflies, and hoverflies.
- Oxeye daisy. Daisy-like classic flowers that are a favourite of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
- Yellow rattle. This plant is parasitic, meaning it weakens grasses, meaning other wildflowers can thrive in their place.
- Dandelions. These are a sign of deep rich soil. Butterflies love this, and bullfinches love eating the seeds.
- Milkmaids. Has pink flowers and is food for the orange tip butterfly.
Summer meadow:
- Oxeye daisy. Daisy-like classic flowers that are a favourite of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
- Field Scabious. Very popular with beetles and moths as a source of nectar and pollen, and has beautiful blue flowers.
- Common knapweed. Purple-pink flowers that provide nectar in late summer.
- Sheep’s Sorrel. Their seeds are loved by finches and the small copper butterfly uses the leaves for laying eggs.
- Yarrow. These spread rapidly, and the flowers are a great source of mid-summer nectar.
Here’s some further information on wildflower meadows in your garden:
