Looking for Native Irish Wildflower seeds

Suckit

Could anyone recommend anywhere that sells native Irish wildflower seeds but also recommend maybe a type to get?
Preferably somewhere to collect them.
I am only looking for a few small areas, would prefer many colours and to attract butterflies and bees etc. maybe biodiversity and another?

I am not sure of the soil, but I do know the gardens in my area used to have many wildflowers in them naturally before they were taken over and groomed roughly 30 years ago.
I have been to wildflowers.ie, and they recommend 4 other sites as they seem to only sell en masse.
One is sold out of most or all native Irish, another only seems to sell larger packets at a higher price, and the other two have unjustifiably high shipping imo.

I looked at seedbomb.ie, but do not know what size area is covered per amount nor if they are genuine native Irish and not sure how to find out.

polllinators.ie and irishseedsavers.ie have some information, and the latter looks like a decent site to join, but I would prefer to know more before committing.
I have visited a whole heap of other sites .ie domains, but they seem to be British and when reading through most of the descriptions they don't specifically say native Irish. In fact one site said traditional British.

I am genuinely trying to get native Irish, but am slowly thinking that maybe British would be similar and easier to source and not all that different?

Basically, looking at seedbomb.ie but would like to get more diversity, and unsure how many to get.

Total area is about 6 or 7sq meters.

EDIT - If there are certain packs and/or types that cost more and are worth it, would be grateful for that information too.

con747

You need 1 seed bomb per square foot so gauge it off that. A 25/50 pack would do. It's on the website. https://www.seedbomb.ie and say's all Irish native seeds.

frankston

I wonder are the the seeds produced here? Or are they Irish native varieties. From here

https://www.johnchamberswildflowers.co.uk/wildflower-seeds-mixes/100-wildflower-mixes

Irish locally produced with Irish native varieties

Not sure it matters a lot maybe some expert can jump in here

Flipperdipper

Irish Seed Savers, not only for wildflower seeds but also old veg seed varieties that can't be got elsewhere. If you need apple trees they can match varieties to suit whatever part of the country you're in. Become a supporter and you are entitled to free seeds every year.

Suckit

Flipperdipper wrote: »

Irish Seed Savers, not only for wildflower seeds but also old veg seed varieties that can't be got elsewhere. If you need apple trees they can match varieties to suit whatever part of the country you're in. Become a supporter and you are entitled to free seeds every year.

Thanks, they also seem to be sold out and also have suspended orders for the time being.


EDITED TO UPDATE

I bought from seedbomb.ie and the invoice was under Hover Trimmer International which are a UK company by the looks of it.
I hope they are native Irish seeds.

beggars_bush

Any wildflower mixes with no poppies?

FM252

con747 wrote: »

You need 1 seed bomb per square foot so gauge it off that. A 25/50 pack would do. It's on the website. https://www.seedbomb.ie and say's all Irish native seeds.

These are not native seeds and can be detrimental to environment sometimes if they take over local area. But still better than nothing I guess

FM252

Suckit wrote: »

I am genuinely trying to get native Irish, but am slowly thinking that maybe British would be similar and easier to source and not all that different?

http://wildflowers.ie/

This I believe is only website that has Irish native seed.

But you must buy in bulk is the only thing

con747

FM252 wrote: »

These are not native seeds and can be detrimental to environment sometimes if they take over local area. But still better than nothing I guess

Not me stating they are, just quoting from the website. " Please Note:
All Throw and Grow Seed Bombs are created from 100% Irish Wild Flower Seed stocks.
The Seed Bomb Wildflower Selection Range"

Suckit

That's what I read too.

charlesanto

I bombed and nothing came of them, i recall reading negative feedback after my failure.

con747

Suckit wrote: »

That's what I read too.

A thread on it here on Boards I found, mixed views and some links to better data on it. https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin//showthread.php?p=109415107

hirondelle

Seed bombs were invented as a way of seeding inaccessible (brownfield/industrial) sites where the seeds needed a parcel of clay/soil and couldn't be planted directly into the ground- you can catapult them in other words.
For me they are incredibly poor VFM as you are buying clay with some seeds in them- wildflowers.ie as said previously or I understand there is also a company in the north also doing natives whicgh reminds me I have to look them up!

Suckit

con747 wrote: »

A thread on it here on Boards I found, mixed views and some links to better data on it. https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin//showthread.php?p=109415107

Thanks, Seedbomb are tough to get in contact with..
The 'contact us' form doesn't seem to work on their site either.

I used their email address from paypal - nicola@robotlawnmowers.co.uk
Hopefully will receive a reply.

lordgoat

Planting a wildflower garden is more difficult than throwing a seed bomb over your shoulder and waiting.

www.wildflowers.ie

Have a read of the guides on what you need to do.

For small orders under 50 sq metres, try

www.mrmiddleton.com www.theirishgardener.com

www.thegardenshop.ie www.bloomingnative.ie

Suckit

Thanks, They are the sites I am referring to in the OP.
Two/three of them are now sold out and the last one has fairly high shipping prices.
Initially I thought only one was sold out but it seems they just hadn't updated their listing.

FM252

Suckit wrote: »

Thanks, They are the sites I am referring to in the OP.
Two/three of them are now sold out and the last one has fairly high shipping prices.
Initially I thought only one was sold out but it seems they just hadn't updated their listing.

Plenty of sites for wildflower seed. Try UK sites as well.
Just because it's an Irish website does not make it Irish native seed, if it's just seed you are after it's not hard at all.
Just get them anywhere

magicbastarder

Suckit wrote: »

I am only looking for a few small areas, would prefer many colours

just be warned that the really multicoloured seed mixes you see being sold (often marketed as 'birds and butterflies' mixes) are rarely native. our native flowers would not be as multi-hued as that; certainly not a mix that would all be suited to the same conditions.

lordgoat

Having been doing this or trying the last couple of years, best advice I'd give (if you're looking for any) start small.

Use perennial shrubs and flowers to help you out, and don't get too hung up on native species. A combination of native plants with some extras works best. I'd def stick to native species for trees/hedges/larger plants but for example a couple of dwarf Buddlejahs (spell) are always worth having.

But again, start small and plan the thing out over a few years would be my advice!

Best to plant nothing, let truly wild plants carry on as they will in any case. Many wildflowers sold, "native " or otherwise are cornfield annuals, which depend on huge annual disturbance. The displays of these are in no way natural. They are not better-than-nothing either - they displace some of the increasingly few areas of genuine wild plants. The most diverse, valuable grasslands tend to have very low nutrient status, and are on slightly alkaline soils. Time is the most important factor in increasing genuine biodiversity in a site. Find out what wildflowers you have growing in your garden, there are more than you think.

And seedbombs are a idea that deserve to die a quick death. Urban brownfield sites are often enormously diverse; again vital to know what is there before seeking to alter things.

Deseras

FM252 wrote: »

Plenty of sites for wildflower seed. Try UK sites as well.
Just because it's an Irish website does not make it Irish native seed, if it's just seed you are after it's not hard at all.
Just get them anywhere

Uk are not sending seeds to ireland due to brexit

Seedman

To clarify a few notes on this thread.

All Wildflower Seed Bombs are native and growing here in Ireland.

The Company also has an operation in the UK as well as Ireland.

Seed Bombs are a 100% Irish owned Irish Based Company.

Seed Bomb Wildflowers are used by most co councils and Tidy Towns.
Hope this clears up some misleading and negative comments.

FM252

Yes they are native species....that is not hard as we share the same species with most of British Isles but are the seeds sourced from Ireland or do the seed bomb import 'native species' seed from Britain?

Suckit

Deseras wrote: »

Uk are not sending seeds to ireland due to brexit

Ahhhhhhhh....
That might explain it. I have gone to a load of 'Irish' sites and they are all out of stock from early this year.
Tonight I was looking for seeds in particular (meadowsweet) and I came across this site
meadowmania.ie
It is the first one that I have come across that mentions UK based and Brexit.

Since we are based in the UK, due to the ongoing BREXIT negotations we are having to remove our offers from this website for a short while.
We hope to be able to be up and running again early in the new year.

At the end of last summer I had picked a handful of meadowsweet and planned on getting the seeds from it, but somebody threw it out .
I think/hope we have had our last day of frost for the year so I am hoping to plant as much as possible now but I am finding it hard to get anything.

cnocbui

Anyone know if bitter vetch seeds can be got anywhere?

charlesanto

I noticed THIS company in a discussion HERE

cnocbui

Anyone know of a source for Bitter Vetch seeds?

hirondelle

cnocbui wrote: »

Anyone know of a source for Bitter Vetch seeds?

You're mad keen on the vetch! It grows in my garden and the first shoots have appeared- if you can wait a couple of months I can send you on the first seed- in my experience you can take the earliest seed and get it going in the same summer so you might get a later flowering off them.

cnocbui

hirondelle wrote: »

You're mad keen on the vetch! It grows in my garden and the first shoots have appeared- if you can wait a couple of months I can send you on the first seed- in my experience you can take the earliest seed and get it going in the same summer so you might get a later flowering off them.

That is very generous of you - thank you - sending PM.

Harris8855

There are only two companies in Ireland that produce Irish Native seed - this is Designed by Nature and Blooming Native - I will leave their links below.

I have sown their seed and had incredible results, super value for quality seed

For wholesale and very large orders i.e. for re-sale: www.wildflowers.ie

For garden spaces, community spaces, pots etc: www.bloomingnative.ie

Simon.d

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635919#Comment_117635919

Blooming native are only partially irish provenance, as many varieties in their mixes are not genetically native, they re trying to fix this in the future.. Sandro Cafallo at wildflowers.ie has pure irish stock mostly, corncrockle being the only exception as it's extinct here..

Another reputable company is ecoseeds.co.uk up north.

Best practice is to bring out the local seed bank through managed cutting only;

https://pollinators.ie/videos/