Wildflower Plants A to Z

Though it shares the same narrow, pearly white petals radiating from central sunny yellow florets, the Ox-Eye Daisy is much larger than the typical lawn daisy, with flower heads growing up to 5cm wide. A robust flower with classic charm, and perfect for pollinators to boot.

• Type: Perennial
• Height: 30-60cm.
• Flowers: May-August
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Meadows, road verges
• Also known as: Marguerite, Pretty Maids, Dog Daisy

Appearance-wise, the Common Daisy’s nothing crazy, with a ruffle of thin white petals, sometimes tinged pink, framing a central crown of tiny yellow florets. But love it or love it not, this famous flora is certainly robust, hardy and long-flowering, meaning its classic, cheery charm will shine in a lawn, bed or meadow for quite some time.

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 5–10cm.
• Flowers: All year 
• Soil Requirement: Moist or well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
• Natural Habitat: Meadows, woodlands, road verges
• Also known as: Bone Flower, Goose Flower, Luckin Gowan

Produces rosettes of leaves at the base of the stem leading up to its four pale pink petals. A flower that captures the essence of springtime; it's named because it blooms the same time you'd start to hear a Cuckoo's call. 

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 30 – 50cm.
• Flowers: April - June
• Soil Requirement: Moist but well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
• Natural Habitat: Damp meadows, pond margins, riverbanks
• Also known as: Lady's-Smock, Cuckoo Bread, Mayflower

Although its clustered spikelets trimmed with miniature magenta florets are now grown more as an ornamental plant, Crested Dogstail was once grown to be used to make bonnets. An important food plant for multiple species of butterflies, and works wonderfully in a wildmeadow mix, as it's exceptionally hardy- able to survive drought and cold and remain green throughout winter.

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 30–75cm. 
• Flowers: May-June
• Soil Requirement: Moist but well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
• Natural Habitat: Meadows, grasslands
• Also known as: Dog's Grass, Dog's Tail Grass, Windlestraw

The Meadow Cranesbill gets its name from its attractive, beak-like seed pods, but no bird could match the beauty of this flower's veined violet petals mixed with blue growing in pairs on tall, forked stems. Easy to naturalise and attractive to bees and butterflies, the sky's the limit with this wildflower!

• Type: Perennial
• Height: 60-100cm.
• Flowers: June-September
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
• Natural Habitat: Meadows, road verges
• Also known as: Crowfoot, Meadow Geranium

Hedge Cranesbill is a sublime, showy species of wildflower, its lobed petals a perfect palette of glowing pink and mellow purple, often with darker-coloured veins. This fuchsia firework of a flower is long-flowering and hardy, meaning it’ll grace your garden for a long time.

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 20–45cm.
• Flowers: April-May 
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Partial shade
• Natural Habitat: Meadows, woodlands, road verges
• Also known as: Hedgerow Cranesbill, Mountain Cranesbill

Cowslip plants form clusters of bell-shaped, sunny yellow flowers with distinct tubed calyxes. Known for having a sweet and strong scent compared to apricots, and it has a history in folklore, with uses in weddings and other festivities. An easy-to-grow Easter-time treat!

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 15–30cm.
• Flowers: April-May 
• Soil Requirement: Moist but well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
• Natural Habitat: Meadows, woodlands, road verges
• Also known as: Fairy Cup, Key Flower, Luck Flower, Paggles

Pure-white, delicate flowers standing proud on long feathered stems commonly found in roadsides and meadows. These umbrella-like clusters grow rapidly in the warm summer months and are home to an abundant supply of bees and pollinators. 

• Type: Perennial
• Height: 60-90cm
• Flowers: May-June
• Soil requirement: Neutral, well-drained
• Light requirement: Full sun to semi-shade
• Natural habitat: Grassland, meadows, hedgerows and woodlands
• Also known as: Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Chervil, Wild Beaked Parsley, Keck

These feathery flowers produce pale blue petals tinted with purple - a colour so nice, it's called 'cornflower blue'! Highly attractive to pollinators, and its unique, crisp colouration lends itself to many combinations. 

• Type: Annual
• Height: 30-60cm.
• Flowers: June-August
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Grasslands, farmland
• Also known as: Bachelor’s Button

Producing magenta and white petals, interspersed with rich indigo veins, these tall, hairy stems of summertime splendour make for a magical meadow flower, especially planted alongside poppies or ox-eye daisies.

• Type: Annual 
• Height: 60-120cm.
• Flowers: June-August
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained, sandy
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Grasslands, roadsides
• Also known as: Cat’s Eyes, Kiss-Me-Quick

The beautiful, nodding, bell-shaped blooms of the Columbine flower come in a variety of colours, even bi-coloured, though the most common colour in the wild is a vivid blue-violet, contrasted by a shining stamen the colour of honey, which is attractive to bees and butterflies. A cute cottage classic, perfect for pots, beds and borders, as it’s easy to grow and naturalise, though it dislikes being too dry.

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 45–60cm
• Flowers: June-July 
• Soil Requirement: Moist but well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
• Natural Habitat: Woodlands, roadsides, grasslands
• Also known as: Dove Plant, Lady’s Shoes, Pigeon Foot

A hardy, creeping lawn flower best known for its 3-lobed leaves, but its pom-poms of tinted white petals make for an excellent lawn flower, and carry the faint smell of honey. Easy to grow in any environment.

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 10-20cm.
• Flowers: May-September
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Grasslands, roadsides
• Also known as: Dutch Clover, Ladino Clover

Clover plants are an essential and easy-to-grow part of a spring meadow, yet the unique beauty of their spiky, carmine red flower heads and namesake trefoil leaves are often overlooked. Scatter them in a lawn or a flower bed for a vibrant accent to other plants. 

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 10-20cm.
• Flowers: May-September
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Grasslands, roadsides
• Also known as: Beebread, Cow Clover

Imagine a midsummer meadow rife with the Meadow Clary’s tall-growing spikes of striking indigo flowers! Though they’re now a rare sight in the wild, this handsome and hardy clump-growing plant is a sight to behold, on its own or at the back of a border. Noted for its soft foliage, which is aromatic when crushed.

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 80–100cm.
• Flowers: May-August 
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Dry grassland, hay meadows, grassy paths 
• Also known as: Meadow Sage

The Chicory is a perfect mix of energetic colour and grace, producing feathery, sky blue petals on thin, branching stems. In addition to making a creative climber, the Chicory’s roots have also seen a wide range of culinary uses, especially as an alternative to coffee - but we think the beauty of its bold blooms are enough of a boost!

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 30–90cm. 
• Flowers: June-October 
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Fields, road verges 
• Also known as: Blue Dandelion, French Endive, Succory

The county flower of Somerset, a low-growing hairless plant with blush pink flowers with feathery edges framed by narrow, grey-green leaves. Discovered in Cheddar Gorge around 300 years ago, this flower is excellent spread or scattered across rockeries and borders. It's also strongly clove-scented, so it's a real feast for the senses- or is that a bit too cheesy?

• Type: Perennial
• Height: 10-15cm.
• Flowers: May-July
• Soil requirement: Well drained, neutral-alkaline soils.
• Light requirement: Full sun
• Natural habitat: Cliffsides and rockland
• Also known as: Clove Pink, Sweet Pink, Firewitch

An amazingly aromatic alternative to common grass or daisy lawns, this low-growing, daisy-like flowers make for a pleasing ground cover that is easy to maintain once established, but sensitive to trampling. Plant plugs in full sunlight at least 10cm apart.

• Type: Annual
• Height: 10–20cm.
• Flowers: June-August
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Lawns, grasslands

The Corn Chamomile's daisy-like flowers are well-known for their attractive aroma that's been compared to apples, and make them perfect for pollinators. A flower that's easy to care for, with a lot more charm hiding beneath its simple appearance.

• Type: Annual 
• Height: 20-30cm.
• Flowers: May-July
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Grasslands
• Also known as: Mayweed, Field Chamomile

This spindly-white snowflake of a flower have a dainty beauty to them, especially on their pink-tinted, drooping stalks. They’re night-scented flowers, which means that they’re ideal for pollinators.

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 25–60cm.
• Flowers: May-July 
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained, dry
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Coastal areas, cliffs, grasslands
• Also known as: Sea Pink, Seaside Catchfly

The Common Cat's-Ear is a must-have for meadows, providing a scattering of sunny yellow blooms which return year after year, all while attracting pollinators and being relatively easy to take care of- they simply are the cat's pajamas!

• Type: Perennial
• Height: 30-45cm.
• Flowers: May-September
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun or part shade
• Natural Habitat: Roadsides, grasslands
• Also known as: Flatweed, False Dandelion

This well-known umbellifer is simple in its beauty, but generous, producing pleasing feathered foliage as well as fountains of foamy white florets, often with a dark red central flower. They're surprisingly eye-catching, making a bold statement in a wild meadow!

• Type: Biennial
• Height: 30-40cm
• Flowers: June-October
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Natural Habitat: Cliff sides, grasslands, roadsides
• Also known as: Queen Anne’s Lace

This pristine white, five petalled perennial is also well known for producing a clovey scent at dusk, not only making it perfect for pollinators, but also making for a lovely plant indoors.

• Type: Perennial
• Height: 30-60cm.
• Flowers: May-October
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Partial Shade
• Natural Habitat: Roadside verges, hedgerows
• Also known as: Bull Rattle, White Cockle, White Robin

A coastal campion. Grows a bladder-like calyx coloured in coral, ending in bubbly white flowers which look brilliant washing over a rockery like sea foam.  

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 15–30cm.
• Flowers: June-August 
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained, sandy
• Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
• Natural Habitat: Coastal areas, cliffs
• Also known as: Sea Pink, Seaside Catchfly

In spite of its name, the Red Campion boasts eye-catching fuschia petals, though planted with White Campion, they may produce precious, pastel-pink hybrids. Regardless, they make a welcome splash of colour in a shady spot, and they’re highly attractive to bees!

• Type: Perennial 
• Height: 30-60cm.
• Flowers: April-September
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained
• Light Requirement: Partial Shade
• Natural Habitat: Hedgerows, woodlands
• Also known as: Hare’s Eye, Ragged Jack, Adder’s Flower