In message , rabc
writes

For the coming summer i am thinking about growing some wildflowers
straight from seed , the area they are to be finally planted is just
bare soil approx 2 ft wide and about 8 mtrs long (the edging of a paved
area ) the requirements i would prefer would be plenty of
colour,mixture and fragrance and to flower the first summer where i can
then add next year..any help or ideas appreciated.......THANKS

Several others have provided good advice but I will just add a little
more from our experience of wildlife/wildflower gardening.

I would suggest that mixed seed collections from the main seed suppliers
(T&M, Suttons, Fothergills) can contain too many varieties in an effort
to cover as many habitat/soil combinations as possible which can lead to
poor performance unless one is lucky. As an example it is not, as a
rule, worth planting hay meadow plant seeds in a shaded area, although a
few like the poppy, Papaver rhoeas, will grow quite well. There is
however a wide range of woodland plants that can cope well with low
light conditions. It is also worth considering how dry/wet the area is -
we have a sunny, open area that is poorly drained that meadow plants
will not survive in.

As others have indicated unwanted 'weeds' such as the creeping
buttercup, Ranunculus repens, can be a real nuisance (not to be confused
with the meadow buttercup, Ranunculus acris, which is an interesting,
tall meadow plant) and it is a good idea to clear an area of such plants
before sowing/planting wildflowers, so as the area in question is bare
soil you may want to leave it until the usual crop of 'weeds' has
surfaced and remove them or spray them off prior to sewing/planting.
Land that has not been fertilised in recent years is a good starting
point.

A good alternative to direct sewing is getting single species seeds and
sewing them in trays or plug containers. Whilst this is a bit more work
you can then plant out in small single species groups which can look
very effective in a garden setting.

As with much gardening, preparation is at least half the battle. It is
quite hard work to establish wildflower areas that look right, can be
maintained for future years and help support a diverse wildlife
population. Having said that it is possible to speed things up a bit by
buying wildlife plants or plugs which can be very useful to create a
smallish area in a couple of years to see if you want to get more
involved in wildlife/wildflower gardening.

There are a fair number of online specialist suppliers of seeds and
plants - I tend to use those who also supply farmers/land managers with
seeds/plants for agri-environment schemes as their mixes are usually
simple collections of four seed types and it is possible to order single
species seeds and plants.

For some more online information you may want to have a look at the
Natural England website at
http://www.english-nature.org.uk/Nat...en/default.asp which
includes a pdf on wildflower meadow creation. If you do get bitten by
the wildlife gardening bug it is worth picking up a copy of Chris
Baines' excellent 'How to make a wildlife garden'.

--
Robert