Baltic Wiltshire | BWS20
Baltic Wiltshire | BWS20 is harvested meadow mixture which has been sourced from a beautiful site located in Wiltshire. The meadow was established 10 years ago within an arable reversion project using locally sourced brush harvested from Morgan’s Hill SSSI for it’s quality chalk grassland. Additionally, since establishment the manager has also improved the diversity through a series of plug planting projects to aid in establishment of specific species. A significant amount of effort has gone into the creation of this meadow and certainly shows. In May, the field is a sea of yellow from the cowslips.
Price range: £37.50 through £75.00
- Establishment History: 2015 – Arable Reversion
- Origin: Devizes, Wiltshire
- Soil Type: Shallow lime-rich soils over chalk
Specification for 2025 harvested stock
Flora
| Black Medic | 19.0% |
| Oxeye Daisy | 15.8% |
| Ribwort Plantain | 10.9% |
| Common Knapweed | 3.7% |
| Hoary Plantain | 3.2% |
| Wild Marjoram | 3.2% |
| Ladys Bedstraw | 2.9% |
| Yellow Rattle | 1.2% |
| Smooth Hawkbeard | 0.6% |
| White Clover | 0.4% |
| Wild Carrot | 0.3% |
| Cowslip | 0.3% |
| Birdsfoot Trefoil | 0.2% |
| Meadow Buttercup | 0.2% |
| Red Clover | 0.15% |
| Lesser Trefoil | 0.11% |
| Field Scabious | 0.04% |
| Meadow Vetchling | 0.02% |
Grass
| Fine Fescue | 11.0% |
| Yorkshire Fog | 5.8% |
| Crested Dogstail | 5.0% |
| Meadow Grass | 1.2% |
| Soft Brome | 0.6% |
| Timothy | 0.6% |
| Bentgrass | 0.6% |
| Cocksfoot | 0.2% |
| Tall Oat Grass | 0.1% |
| Sterile Brome | 0.003% |
Inert Matter (chaff, immature seeds, plant material) 12.3%
Recommended Sow Rate:
3-5g/m²
500g to cover <100m²
1Kg to cover <200m²
Sowing Method:
1. Cultivate the area
2. Spray off weeds which flush or alternatively a light cultivation will reduce vigour of weeds
*Repeat as required to create weed free bed*
3. Mix seed well in a bag before sowing, dry sand can be added to aid drilling
4. Ideally broadcast seed or drill at shallow depth
5. Roll to improve seed-to-soil contact
Once you have sown the mixture, it is very important to manage the growth for the first year. This includes cutting and weeding if possible. If sowing in the autumn, cut the sward when the grass gets established and keep it down to help the flower seeds to germinate. If sowing in the spring, again keep the grass low for the first growing season.
When to sow:
While sowing can occur at either timing, generally speaking, the preferred sowing window is the Autumn as this mirrors nature more accurately. Most perennial wildflowers require vernalisation, a prolonged period of cold, to break dormancy and achieve germination. The winter months after Autumn sowing aids this process. In addition, there is a lower weed burden.
Spring sowing success is reliant on the weather, a cold spring will slow growth and therefore reduce resilience against weeds. However, if warm with moderate rainfall, similar results can be seen as to autumn sowing.
Key to remember:
When sowing wildflowers, the key thing to remember is the cleaner the seed bed the better the success. Wildflowers are often less vigorous than weed species and will struggle to compete against them.
When it comes to fertility, typically speaking wildflower prefer low fertility areas as there is less competition from weeds. However, this does not mean you cannot sow on higher fertility areas, simply more management may be required to control growth and weed ingress.
