Wildflowers for Clay

 

Recognizing clay soils

Clay is a very common soil type and we are frequently asked which wildflowers will grow best on this type of soil. Clay soils are characterized by  frequent water-logging in winter, and drying out in summer. In very dry weather clay soils will often bake and start to crack near the surface. Clay soils are usually hard to work and will stick to the soles of boots and other digging equipment.

Suitable Wildflowers for clay soils

Wildflowers that grow well on clay need to be tough and adaptable to the extreme conditions. Fortunately there are many native species available that meet these requirements and some popular wildflowers for clay include Lesser Knapweed, Oxeye Daisies, Birdsfoot trefoil, Cowslips, Meadow Buttercup, Yellow Rattle, Sorrel and Great Burnet.

A more comprehensive list of wildflowers for clay can be found by visiting our homepage and entering the word “clay” into the search box at the top left of the screen. You will be presented with a list of suitable products, including many species that can be purchased through our website as individual wildflowers seeds.

Ordering wildflowers for Clay

As well as selling individual wildflower seeds, we also offer a wide range of wildflower mixtures suitable for various soil types including a  wildflower and grass mix for clay soil and a 100% wildflower mix.

Both mixtures contain an optimum of around 14 individual wildflower species. This is a well proven balance and has been carefully formulated to give best chances of success based on years of experience. Once established, mixtures will provide a spectacular display of perennial wildflowers every summer. If you would like to add instant color in the first season then it will be necessary to sow a crop of cornfield annual wildflowers as a nurse crop to the perennial mixture. For further information on how this may be achieved please click here.