The best time to lay wildflower turf in the UK is autumn, from September to November. Spring is a close second. However, in practice you can lay it at almost any time of the year, as long as the ground is not frozen, waterlogged or baked dry.
We have grown Wildflower Turf® since 2003 and now produce more than 250,000m² of it a year across our sites. Unlike traditional seeding, where germination can be slow and erratic, ours is a soil-free matting system that reaches you with 100% of its roots intact. That makes timing far more forgiving.
The season you pick mainly decides how much you will need to water and how soon your wildflower meadow will bloom. This seasonal guide to laying covers each option, with the planting and aftercare advice taken from our own installation specification.
September to November gives a new meadow warm, moist soil, regular rain and months of root growth before it has to flower. The ground holds its summer heat well into October, so the plants anchor into it within a few weeks.
Rain does most of the work, and cooler air means less moisture is lost. A meadow that settles before winter will grow strongly from March and flower properly in its first year.
Some species need a winter in order to establish. Our Landscape 34 mix holds 41 UK native species, including hardy perennial wildflowers like oxeye daisy, knapweed and yarrow. Several need a cold spell, called vernalisation, before they will flower at all. Our specification allows at least a year for those plants. Lay in autumn and they get their winter straight away.
We cut established meadows in late September or early October so they can regenerate before the first frosts, typically in November. New plants use the same window to root.
Expect flat greenery over winter with little top growth – that is perfectly normal. The foliage ticks over while the roots do the work.
March to early May is the next best window. The soil is warming, growth is under way and here in the UK there is usually enough rain to help!
A spring-laid meadow will flower the same summer. On our experience, Wildflower Turf laid in spring or summer reaches strong growth and full colour in two to three months. Expect gaps in that first display, though. The plants are rooting and flowering at once, and many species in the mix will not flower in year one.
The risk with spring planting is an unexpected dry spell, which of course are becoming more common. A warm, dry April can stress newly laid rolls before the roots reach down. Lay as early as conditions allow, and be ready with a sprinkler every day or two if rain does not come.
Yes, but only if you can soak it every day until it roots. Heat and long days dry the rolls from above before the roots can draw moisture from below.
However, if summer is truly your only option you still have a strong chance of success as long as you follow the following guidance:
Remember to soak, but do not flood – it’s a subtle but important difference. Our installation guide warns that overwatering encourages the grasses to dominate.
The growing medium contains Hydropor™ to hold moisture, and the deeper the topsoil beneath it, the less irrigation you will need.
A summer-laid meadow may look tired for a while and flower poorly in year one. It usually recovers by its second season.
Yes, on any day the ground is workable. Landscape 34 carries an RHS hardiness rating of H6, the grade for very cold winters, so frost will not harm the plants once they are down. They sit dormant and start rooting when things warm up in spring.
If the ground is frozen, you cannot prepare it and the roots will not make contact and if it is waterlogged, working it causes compaction and drainage problems later.
Winter laying usually needs almost no watering, which suits a large landscape scheme or commercial site. Rooting is slow, though, so keep foot traffic off until spring.
January: Fair suitability. Minimal watering. Lay on frost-free days only. No rooting until spring.
February: Fair suitability. Minimal watering. Same as January. Avoid waterlogged soil.
March: Good suitability. Light watering. Soil starts to warm and rooting begins.
April: Very good suitability. Moderate watering. Strong growth. Watch for dry spells.
May: Good suitability. Moderate to heavy watering. Lay early in the month if you can.
June: Possible suitability. Heavy watering. Daily watering for three to four weeks.
July: Difficult suitability. Very heavy watering. Only with reliable irrigation. Avoid heatwaves.
August: Difficult suitability. Very heavy watering. Wait for September if you can.
September: Excellent suitability. Light to moderate watering. Warm soil and returning rain.
October: Excellent suitability. Light watering. The best single month in most of the UK.
November: Very good suitability. Minimal watering. Rooting slows as the soil cools.
December: Fair suitability. Minimal watering. Lay on frost-free days only.
Use this as a guide, but always be aware of local conditions as location will factor into these dates. Northern and upland gardens run a few weeks behind in spring and cool earlier in autumn. Southern and coastal gardens dry out sooner in late spring.
Seed is cheaper, but it ties you to the calendar. You can only sow in early autumn or spring, when conditions are exactly right for wildflower seed to germinate, and results vary from year to year. Annuals such as cornflower and poppy give a colourful first summer, then fade unless the ground is disturbed again. The longer-lived species in most flower seeds mixes can take two years to bloom.
Wildflower turf skips that stage. The plants are well established before they reach you, and the dense mat leaves no room for a weed to get in. For a landscaping project which calls for wildflowers without leaving the outcome to Mother Nature, that wider laying window is the main reason to choose it.
If you require a bespoke species mix, we grow it to order, and that takes around 12 weeks depending on the season. For an October lay, place the order in July.
Preparation is the key to success at any time of year. A well prepared June job will go far more smoothly than a rushed October one!
Wildflower turf needs bare earth, so it cannot go directly onto an existing lawn. Remove what is there, clearing all grass and weeds. Dig over or rotovate to at least 100mm, then rake to a fine tilth, levelled as much as possible. Take out large stones, roots and clods so the plants sit tight against the ground.
You will often read that wildflowers demand sub-par soil and that the topsoil should be stripped off first. We advise against it. Unlike normal turf, ours needs no fertiliser or compost before or after laying, but it does need some fertility to get going. Stripping is an unnecessary step. On fertile ground the answer is as simple as an extra cut each year.
There is usually no need to import topsoil either. The exception is a site that is down to subsoil, where we recommend a layer of 25-50mm of low-fertility topsoil. Aim for at least 100mm of growing depth overall.
Clearing old grass properly can take several weeks, so start early. If you want to diversify a plain lawn without replacing the whole area, cut wildflower patches into it instead.
Our installation guide is clear that wildflower turf should be laid on the day of delivery. The slabs and rolls weigh 16-20kg per square metre, so line up enough hands before the lorry arrives. Butt the joints together without overlapping or stretching them, because gaps are where weeds get in.
If you cannot lay it straight away, unroll it somewhere shaded and keep it damp.
Water thoroughly for the first couple of weeks, until the plants root into the earth below. Lift a corner to check that the ground underneath is damp, not just the surface. Rooting takes two to three weeks, depending on the weather. After that the meadow is fairly drought tolerant and should not need watering again.
While you have that corner lifted, look for white netting among the roots. It is bio-based and biodegradable, and no other grower uses a white one. It is the quickest way to check that a contractor has laid genuine Wildflower Turf®!
Landscape 34 has a flowering period of April to October, opening with cowslip in spring and running through to autumn hawkbit. Lay in autumn and the first flowers appear the following spring, with a full display through summer. Winter and early spring laying still gives a good first summer. Late spring and summer laying gives a lighter show until year two.
Do not expect all 41 species at once as many will not flower in their first year. The mix shifts over the first few years as different wildflowers naturally take their turn, and it settles from the second or third summer. Having wildflowers in your development brings in wildlife from the first season, with every bee, butterfly and other pollinating insect drawn to the nectar.
Yes. A perennial meadow is low-maintenance, but it does need cutting once a year. We recommend late September to early October, finished by the end of the first week of October, so the plants can regenerate before the first frosts. Once the seed heads have dropped, mow or strim down to 2-3 inches. Start with the mower set high, since the growth is much taller than mown grass. Always remove the cuttings, because leaving them feeds the soil.
On fertile ground, add a high trimming at the end of May, 8-10 inches off the ground, to knock back the dominant species and let light in for the lower growers. You can also choose to leave half the area uncut at a time, so wildlife can move across before you finish.
The plants grow back from the base each spring. It is an eco-friendly swap for part of a lawn: no feed and no weekly mow.
Can you lay wildflower turf all year round?
Yes, provided the ground is not frozen or waterlogged and you can water in dry weather. Autumn and spring give the best results for the least effort.
Is November too late?
No. November is still a good month in most of the UK. Rooting is slower than in October, but it will establish over winter and flower the following summer.
How long can the rolls stay rolled up?
They should not be kept rolled up if you can avoid it. Our guidance is to lay on the day of delivery. If a delay is unavoidable, unroll them in shade and keep them damp.
Enter your details to access this file