April 2025
by Joe
Spring is well underway this week, with a noticeable turn in the weather and lots of sights, scents and sounds of spring. For many spring is synonymous with flowers and there is nothing quite like a vibrant swathe of wildflowers – in a meadow, on the verges or in garden borders. Our EATS Educates sessions this week have celebrated wildflowers, by making seed bombs and creating wildflower areas in the schools.
Wildflowers are not just beautiful to look at, but they are vital for biodiversity – providing food for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, flies and wasps. They are also fundamental in ecosystem health, as 60 to 80 per cent of the world’s flowering plant species rely on animals to pollinate them, including many of our important food crops. Insects that feed on wildflowers also provide a food source for other animals and help to reduce the numbers of pests like aphids that attack crops 1. The diversity of different flower species is also important because some insects, especially butterfly caterpillars, only feed on specific flowers 2, so it is important to provide a wide variety of flowing plants.
Making wildflower ‘seed bombs’ is a messy and fun activity to introduce young people to the importance of pollinator-friendly gardening. For our seed bombs we used a 100% wildflower seed mix, to ensure the highest concentration of wildflowers. Often wildflower seeds mix are a 20:80 ratio of flower to grass seed, as this is cheaper. But it is important to consider the area where you will sow the wildflower seeds, whether you are establishing a wildflower bed or a meadow-style grass and flower area. After combining with powdered clay and water to create a sticky ball, we left the seed bombs to dry and harden.
Make your own wildflower seed bombs with these instructions: How to make a seed bomb | The Wildlife Trusts
As well as making seed bombs that the pupils took home, we also created a specific area in the schools green spaces for a wildflower bed. At Camdean we used a Scottish Native Wildflower Seeds from Scotia seeds , which does include grass. Because the area is so large it was the most economic, and in fact most of the seeds are not only native to Scotland but also grown and harvested in Fife!
Most wildflower species bloom the second year after sowing, so we will have to wait a while before we see the results, but we’re sure it will be worth the wait!
1 Why wildflowers matter | Grow Wild | Kew