What do Red Rum, Desert Orchid and Kauto Star have in common? Connections who revealed that plenty of wild flowers in their diet were key to their long, successful careers.
Growing horse-friendly wild flowers in the fields and hedgerows where we graze our own horses and ponies means they too will do well on such star quality rations. And what rations they are!
This Seed Revolution Horse Friendly mix includes wild flowers that will add beauty to our green spaces, support our pollinators and introduce important, health-giving variety to our equines’ diet. How good is that?
20g Sainfoin, 20g Ribwort Plantain, 20g Meadowsweet, 20g Lucerne and 20g Lady’s Bedstraw. Each 20g sows 20 square metres.
Sainfoin: Onobrychis viciifolia. Other names: mountain sainfoin, esparcet, holy clover.
Literally crack for bees. Sainfoin nectar can have a sugar concentration of up to 60%, and the plants can yield up to 350lb of honey per acre. This hardy perennial requires no maintenance and can be planted on the poorest quality soil. In fact, the magic of sainfoin is that it will improve the soil quality for other plants. Scatter these seeds for a glamorous show of rich-pink flowers for years to come.
Ribwort Plantain: Plantago lanceolata. Other names: lamb’s tongue, buckhorn.
The Indians refer to ribwort plantain as ‘medicine of life’, but not only is it a remedy for the many bruises and scratches of life. Pollinator friendly, edible and often seen still flowering in October, ribwort plantain extends the life of your garden or meadow. Hardy, suitable to most soils and easy to grow, introduce these delicate white petals and continue the pollinator paradise well into autumn.
Meadowsweet: Filipendula ulmaria. Other names: meadow queen, lady of the meadow.
Meadowsweet, an absolute classic. You may not know this, but when you thought to yourself, ‘I’d quite like some wildflowers, maybe my own little meadow’, you were thinking of meadowsweet. Tall, white, complex, and quintessentially British. Nothing makes you think more longingly of warm British summer days than meadowsweet or a film by Richard Curtis. So it will be no surprise to you that Love Actually was supposed to climax with the whole cast dancing in a field of meadowsweet, but in the editing room they all thought it was too much, too British, too perfect. There’s been evidence of the use of meadowsweet since the Bronze Age, whether it’s flavouring mead and wine, relieving headaches from said mead or wine, or just as a perfume. But who cares when it’s this beautiful. Standing tall and resplendent, offering sweet smells of summer, and it’s easy to introduce. Meadow queen really will be the crowning glory of your garden.
Lucerne: Medicago sativa. Other names: buffalo herb, purple medic, snail clover, burgundy hay, alfalfa.
Lucerne seeds have been cultivated and traded by humans since we first domesticated animals for farming. It is a much-celebrated grazing crop which has been essential to our evolution and history. Originally thought to have come from Turkey, it is now grown worldwide from equatorial Kenya to the Arctic circle. This hardy little perennial is super easy to grow and will add a carpet of elegant purple to your garden or meadow.
Lady’s Bedstraw: Galium verum. Other names: cheese rennet, robin-run-the-hedge, maiden’s hair.
Lady’s bedstraw is one of those flowers that has been so deeply intertwined with so much of human history. Even well into the 20th century many people stuffed their mattresses with dried plants, and Lady’s bedstraw is often what they used. Legend has it that the original hay in the manger of Jesus Christ was lady’s bedstraw. And when the divine infant was laid upon it, the flowers blossomed and turned to gold. Bringing a bit of divine blossom to your patch of England is sure to turn it into your very own Garden of Eden.
For more about Seed Revolution, and growing details, please read on . . .