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Wildflowers

How to grow wildflowers in your school

Introduce biodiversity and beauty into your school by planting wildflowers, providing food for a wide range of pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

Follow our easy how-to guide developed by the National Wildflower Centre

Tips on growing your wildflower seeds

Gardener raking soil

How to plant your seeds

Sow in a sunny spot that doesn’t already have wildflowers growing there. Prepare the ground by digging and raking until the soil is fine and crumbly, then sow the seeds on the surface. Gently rake over the seed, then press them down with the back of the rake. Water in dry weather.   

Hands holding seeds

When to plant wildflowers

Sow your seeds in spring or autumn. Spring is from March to May, but the weather varies depending where you are. Avoid sowing when there is still the chance of a frost. If you want to see flowers before the summer holidays, move swiftly! The most important thing is that they are watered if you’re sowing in late spring. 

However, the best time to sow is in autumn – late September/October, when wildflower seeds would naturally drop. We don’t advise sowing wildflower seeds in June or July, as it is too hot. It’s better to wait until autumn. That way they will be in tune with their natural cycle and nature will water them for you. 

Wildflowers growing in Outdoor Gardens

How long will it take before we can see our flowers?

If sowing in spring, it will take about 60 to 80 days for your annuals to flower after sowing, depending on when you sowed them. If sowing in Autumn they won’t flower until the following Summer.   

FAQs

Seeds for schools