You are visiting the Pollinator Project in Guernsey
How to create
a Pollinator Patch
Any of your property’s exterior land (that is domestic curtilage or garden) can be transformed into a Pollinator Patch – because flower seeds can be sown in pots and containers, as well as on open soil.
It’s not just lawns and grass areas that can be transformed, imaginative use of containers such as upcycling an old bath, sink, wheelbarrow or boat can bring colour and wildlife to even the most urban of environments.
You will need 2-3g of seeds for each square meter, so bear this in mind when choosing where to sow your seeds.
Remember that most flowers need sunshine, so try to avoid deeply shaded areas.
Be thoughtful: Always have landowners permission before you sow your lower seeds. Even an unloved, messy old plot will be owned by someone so it’s best not to risk putting in time and effort until you’ve got permission.
When to sow: Anytime from May to August.
If your chosen space is grass or lawn: you will need to remove the grass with a spade and rake the soil where your seeds can be sown. You could even create a special shape to sow – we like a circle or curved ellipse.
Our How to Guide
- Remove weeds so the flowers don’t have any competition, and remove any large stones.
- Rake the soil so it’s fine and crumbly
- Ideally, leave your prepared soil for about two weeks so any dormant weeds or grasses that come to life can be removed before you sow your seeds.
- Mix your seeds with some soil, sand or flour in a dry container and then scatter your seeds over the soil by hand – a little at a time for an even spread.
- Rake the soil again – gently – to just cover the seeds with a very thin layer (1mm) of fine crumbly soil. Seeds need sunlight, so be careful not to bury them too deep or they won’t grow.
- Water very gently using a watering can, taking care not to wash your seeds away.
- Label the area with your plant markers and don’t forget to include the sowing date.
After sowing your seeds
Your seeds should germinate within a couple of weeks of being sown, depending on the weather. Be patient and keep looking out for the tiny green shoots of life.
Water your seedlings regularly after sowing and while the seedlings are establishing. Ideally water your freshly sown space twice a week and more frequently in hot weather.
To protect wildflowers already growing in the countryside from cross-pollination with the flowers in your seed kit, please make sure that you don’t sow seeds in or near open countryside or near nature reserves.
You can get lots more hints and tips from Growwilduk.com or ask us!
Thanks to generous local businesses like PF+A, we provide seed packets to primary school children each spring and at our events
Or we can advise on the best type of seeds for your needs – and can supply insecticide-free, organically grown seeds at cost. We can supply a small amount of locally grown seeds but it is necessary for us to import seeds
We carefully vet our suppliers and only ever bring in seeds of flowers that are already recorded in Guernsey – either native species or garden flowers that are already here and have not shown any invasive tendencies.
