The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan does not recommend that you sow wildflower seed.
Instead we recommend that you reduce your mowing.
This is for a few reasons:
- You will achieve a higher biodiversity value by reducing your mowing.
- You will often be surprised at what is waiting to flower when given the right conditions.
- Sowing wildflower seed is often very expensive, especially in large areas and there is no guarantee that the wildflower seed will flower due to local conditions.
- Studies have shown that many wildflower seed mixes contain non-native species, despite what the packet says, and can inadvertently introduce invasive species. Even native species may be imported, and will not be as valuable to your local pollinators as the naturally occurring wildflowers they have evolved alongside.
- Reducing mowing and removing grass cuttings when you mow lowers the soil fertility over time. This helps local wildflowers pop up naturally over time and be of much greater benefit to biodiversity.
We have various blogs relating to why we do not recommend sowing wildflower seed:
Why I don’t plant wildflower seed – Dr. Úna FitzPatrick
Spreading seeds of doubt – fake ‘wildflower’ mixes – Dr. Noeleen Smyth
Why ‘wildflower seed’ is a prickly issue – Prof. Yvonne Buckley
Don’t mow, let it grow – and amazing things will happen! – Dr. Úna FitzPatrick
Why we don’t recommend wildflower seed mixes
To find out more, see our videos on creating natural meadows through reduced mowing: