florabundance

A couple of years ago I was tempted by the huge basket of cut price seed packets on sale in the local hardware shop.  This year I was determined to sow them, as they had all gone past their sow by date.  There will normally still be some germination after the sow by date, but I couldn't really leave it any longer. 

I originally planted a range of perennial herbs around the allotment borders, but the grass smothered them and not a lot remains.  I now have a plan of having wildflower borders all around both plots, to encourage butterflies and bees.  They will hopefully come up every year once established. 

I mixed up the seeds in the seed packets and cast them over the freshly dug soil in the borders.  It promises to be a colourful display - several varieties of poppies, cornflowers, Echinacea, honesty, scabious, nasturtium, marigold, borage, evening primrose, and many other things I have now forgotten. I do wonder how many plants will actually appear, as it has been very dry since I sowed them, and I haven't had time to water them.  I covered them with soil though, so hopefully they will be protected from birds.  If it flowers well, it will look very much like a rainbow all around my land.

I am glad to see white honesty has appeared this year under the ash tree.  I tried a couple of times to germinate seeds there, and it looks like I've finally been successful.