How to create a wildflower pot

in Home : Projects: Seeds and bulbs

You will need

Native wildflower seeds

Eragrostis grass seeds

Good-quality compost

Containers

Slow-release fertiliser

Water-retaining gel

Do it: March - April

At its best: June - September

Takes just: 30 minutes

Project categories

Overview

Cornflowers and other wildflowers appear between narrow blades of native grasses in meadows and cornfields. It's easy to recreate this effect in your garden by combining native wildflowers with delicate, swaying stems of silky eragrostis grass. The plants can be rasied from seed, directly where they are to grow, in March and April.

This planting combination looks great in a container on a sunny patio, but it would work equally well sown in generous, naturalistic swathes, in beds or borders. The grass needs the sun to ripen, so make sure you place the container in a warm, bright spot.

How to do it

Creating a wildflower pot: make a thin sowing of wildflower seeds

Prepare your container by adding some crocks to the bottom and filling with a mix of compost, slow-release fertiliser and water-retaining gel, leaving a gap of 6cm from the rim. Spread the container with a 2cm layer of seed compost and water gently. Then, make a thin sowing of native field cornflowers over the whole surface of the pot.

Creating a wildflower pot: cover with a layer of seed compost

Cover the seeds with a 5-10mm layer of seed compost and make another thin sowing of wilflower seeds. Cover these with a further 5mm layer of seed compost.

Creating a wildflower pot: sow Eragrostis grass seeds

Make another thin sowing of Eragrostis ‘Ruby Silk’ seeds over this, then cover lightly with vermiculite. It’s worth also sowing some small pots of eragrostis in pots indoors as a back-up.

Creating a wildflower pot: remove excess seedlings

Once the seedlings are growing well, thin out leaving at least 10cm between plants. Remove patches of wildflower seedlings to make room for any extra potted clumps of Eragrostis. These can be planted in the garden. Deadhead the wildflowers regularly to extend their flowering.