Want to boost your kerb appeal and make a great first impression on visitors and passers-by? Consider swapping some of your ornamental planting or flower borders for a patch of wildflowers. The plight of bees is well-publicised, and any business or organisation that is making an effort to help will gain automatic ticks in the ‘first impressions’ box.
Wildflowers add texture, colour and movement to what can otherwise be in danger of becoming an uninspiring car park, drive, border etc., and a wildflower area doesn’t have to mean an overgrown patch of thistles and nettles – they can be exceptionally beautiful, and often their charms shine all the brighter when mixed with cultivated plants.
Five wildflowers that work excellently in commercial settings are:
Cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus) blend very well with both hot and pastel shades and attract plenty of pollinating insects. Lacy white flowers such as bishop’s flower (Ammi majus) provide a great contrast to the bluest of nature’s flowers, the cornflower.
Field poppy (Papaver rhoeas) – the classic symbol of arable farmland works well in large areas or vary it with one of the ‘Shirley Poppy’ range with its white, pink, red or orange blooms.
Corn chamomile (Anthemis arvensis) – the small, daisy-like corn chamomile can be used as a filler flower, adding depth to other combinations of wildflowers or ornamentals.
Corn marigold (Glebionis segetum) – the sunny golden flowers we expect of English marigolds add cheerful colour and are most effective with other strong colours, especially blue and red. Pair it with Cornflower and Field Poppy, as above, and you have yourself a eye-catching display.
Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) – epitomising the glory of summer meadows in full bloom, these lively, white flowers are fantastic at self-seeding and will produce striking clumps.
If you would like to discuss using wildflowers as part of your commercial planting, feel free to contact us. The bees and butterflies will thank you.