Boost biodiversity by sowing wildflower seeds this autumn

September is a perfect time for planting wildflower seeds, getting them settled in before they spring into life after winter.

Arbour Landscape Solutions offer 19 varieties of wildflower seed mixes to incorporate into your landscaping projects. We hope we have covered everything from bat-friendly mixes to wetland and pond varieties, green roof mixes, and hedgerow and shade-tolerant seeds. 

It is worth reflecting on some biodiversity facts and figures to remind ourselves as to why we must plant schemes to support eco-systems.

The Charity Bug Life describes the foraging life of pollinators perfectly:

‘Imagine trying to travel around Britain without our road and rail network. Or imagine if nine out of every ten miles of road just didn’t exist – life would be impossible!
 
Well for much of our wildlife this is the reality – it is confined to tiny fragments of habitat and unable to move across the countryside as our climate and landscape rapidly changes. It has been predicted that 40-70% of species could go extinct if action is not taken to enable species to move through the landscape.’

Some Pollinator Facts:

• Pollinators contribute to £690 million worth of crops every year!
• Bees, butterflies, beetles and flower visiting flies are an important part of our native ecosystem they are food for birds mammals and other insects – 60% of our wildlife is in decline……
• Native Red Mason Bees (solitary bees) are 120 times more efficient at pollinating apple trees than honey bees!
• 1/3 of all of the food we eat relies on pollinators.
• 90% of global crops are visited by bees – including cotton & food for livestock.
• Over half of the UK bee species have declined in the last 50 years.
• 80% of European wildflowers are pollinated by bees giving us a more beautiful and diverse landscape to enjoy.

 
This statement underpins the very reason why intelligent horticulture is crucial and the duty of the landscaping industry is to ensure that our landscape designs and installations support habitat creation and forage for bees, bugs, bats, and birds!

See how beautiful wildflower seeds can look in this fantastic project from Greenhaven Landscapes, we sourced large volumes of plants and wildflower seeds at short notice to enable the team to carry out this fantastic work.

A wildflower case study from Dave Bennet at Greenhaven Landscapes

Shop for wildflower seeds

No time for seeds to establish? Our wildflower turf offers instant groundcover and a wonderful floral display - discover more here