Loss of habitat is the most pressing problem facing British bees and pollinators. Grasslands and natural wildflower habitats have suffered serious decline in the face of changing land management and farming practices.
‘Wilding’ your garden or neighbourhood with the seeds contained in this pack is a simple and effective way to increase biodiversity and provide food sources and habitat to support bee and pollinator species.
Once you have sown your pollinator seeds, send us an email to pollinator@maber.co.uk telling us where they were sown and we will add your contribution to our maber pollinators map.
Instructions for your maber pollinator seed package
Your maber pollinator seed package contains a mixture of twenty six nectar rich UK Native wildflower species which create habitat and food for a wide range of bees, butterflies and other pollinators. This mixture contains mainly perennial species and a handful of annual and biennial species to create a permanent wildflower area.
You should sow your seeds between March and November. Spring and autumn provide ideal conditions as moisture and warmth are in good supply.
Wildflowers will not survive or compete in areas of lush grass or weed growth such as thistle, bindweed and nettle, or in heavy shade such as below conifers.
When you have cleared your planting area of all weeds and the soil is nice and crumbly, spread the seed evenly at a rate of 3g per sqm (your seed mix package will cover approximately 1 sqm). In the early stages, keep well watered. Some species will germinate immediately, some may need a frost to help to break dormancy, so be patient – the seeds will lie in the soil until the conditions are right for germination to occur. Perennial species can be slow to establish and are unlikely to flower in the first year. Annual seeds in the mix will generally flower in year one.
Occasionally you may need to pull out small weeds if you know they are not from your wildflower seeds. If you’re unsure, don’t pull it, just wait to see if it flowers. Even weeds like dandelions are great for bees and pollinators!