This autumn, we are excited to be launching our new range of scatter bulb mixes that have been specifically chosen to enhance your wildflower areas. They are easy to incorporate into your garden designs whilst laying your wildflower turf. Scattered onto prepared soil before laying your turf, there is little extra effort required to creating a beautiful visual display through the Spring and Summer months. We have developed four unique bulb mixes that due to bulb size, flowering time, height, colour and shape will each bring something a little different to your wildflower patch.
There are two spring scatter mixes, both will lengthen the flowering season earlier into the year. The first of which is a naturalising mix, with a subtle colour palette incorporating bluebells, puschkina, crocus, scilla and fritillary. The second, a vibrant spring mix, is designed to give a big colour hit with varieties of bold tulips, narcissi and crocus, perfect to bring early visual impact. Both mixes will flower before the new growth of the wildflower gets going, and bulb foliage dies back and is hidden as the campion and cowslips take over in May.
Our summer bulb mix for bees and butterflies provides a lovely structural design element through May to August. With a mix of alliums, nectaroscordum and ornitogalum, the bold flowers look fabulous amongst the whimsical growth of the wildflowers and also provide an addition to the ‘nectar bar’ for the bees and butterflies. And finally, the rooftop mix brings your green roof to life from February to May, with vibrant colour and a special mix of bulbs that will survive through the harshest of temperatures and require little depth of soil to ensure a wonderful early display.
The ideal time for planting bulbs is between September and December, which is a great time to be laying turf as well. Simply scatter the bulbs from waist height onto the prepared soil. For a naturalised effect, about 15-20 per square metre is perfect. However if you have an existing wildflower area that you would like to under plant, traditional methods of bulb planting can be used, either hand planting for smaller areas or using a turf cutter is great for a more defined area of bulbs. The turf is shaved off in a strip and can be simply relayed after placing the bulbs down.
With regard to maintenance, you will need to bear in mind that your wildflower area does not need to be mown until the autumn. Residual growth of the bulbs will be hidden by the wildflowers through the summer, but all cuttings need to be taken away from the area in autumn, to avoid rotting material suppressing the plants over the winter months.
Whilst there is a compromise to be made on the native element of your wildflower landscape, under planting the area with bulbs certainly lengthens the season of colour and interest whilst providing an early nectar source for pollinators. We are working in conjunction with JUB , the flower bulb specialist from Holland to ensure the very best bulb quality. We believe our scatter bulb mixes will be the perfect enhancement for your wildflower area and provide you with plenty of exciting design opportunities.
For further information call David at Wildflower Turf on 01256 771222.