In recent years wildflower and meadow populations have shrunk dramatically, which has a harmful effect on pollinators, bugs plants, or anything else that lives among the flowers. Luckily, there’s a way for you to help that will be massively effective, whilst fun to make and use: seed bombs! Let’s get into it…

What you’ll need

• 1 cup of wildflower seeds/any seeds of your choosing
• 5 cups of peat-free compost
• Clay powder (or clay soil if you have it)
• Water
• Mixing Bowl

How to make seed bombs

• Mix the clay powder/soil with the compost until well mixed.
• Add water until you recieve a dough-like texture.
• Pour in your wildflower seeds and mix thoroughly.
• Form into medium-sized balls and move to one side.
• Leave in a warm/sunny spot to dry.
• When dry, find an empty patch of relatively poor soil without grass to plant.
• Throw, smash, or crumble your seed bombs over the area.
• Leave for a while and see what pops up!

Managing your Meadow

If you’ve decided to continue your mini-meadow, then here are five tips to help you keep it as healthy as possible!

1. Don’t plant grass in your meadow. If you do, it will swamp your other plants and kill off all the wildflowers, which is why you don’t often see lawns covered in wildflowers.
2. Rich soil will not benefit your wildflowers, as you will find your meadow covered in plants and weeds which would other wise not be able to grow.
3. If you want to prevent grass growing, plant yellow rattle in your meadow. Yellow rattle is a hemiparasite, meaning it doesn’t kill grass but weakens growth.
4. A meadow will require cutting once a year, around late August after the majority of your plants have gone to seed.
5. After cutting the meadow, make sure not to leave the clippings on the ground, as they will make the soil fertile if they decompose.