Wildflower Plants A to Z
So, you're keen to get your wildflower garden growing and you know exactly what colour scheme you'd like and what type of wildlife you'd like attract. Buying individual wildflower plants is one of the best ways to do it if you'd prefer a more curated look to your garden.
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Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
These yellow-and-orange clusters of pea-like flowers bring some fanciful flowers to your garden, but in a more down-to-earth way: hardy and low-growing, this meadow plant is an important source of nectar to certain pollinators, and its warm colouration adds a distinct summertime shine to lawns and wild gardens.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 15-20cm.
- Flowers: May-October
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Meadows, roadsides, grasslands
- Also known as: Eggs and Bacon, Cheesecake Grass, Lamb’s Toes
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Bearing larger flowers and a taller, stouter stem, the Greater Bird’s-Foot Trefoil may is a vastly different flower to its siblings, with its glamorous, golden pea-like flowers growing in bunched whorls at the end of branches, as well as having darker foliage and a preference for damp soil.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 30-45cm.
- Flowers: June-August
- Soil Requirement: Moist
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Wetlands, ditches, riversides
- Also known as: Large Bird’s-Foot Trefoil
This is a medium to tall in height hairy plant that can stand around 1.5 meters tall. The flower colours can vary from a deep pink-purple to a pale pink-white.
- Type: Annual or Biennial
- Height: 60-120cm
- Flowers: July - September
- Soil requirement: Neutral, well-drained, dry soils
- Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
- Natural habitat: Woodland edges, ungrazed pasture, embankment
A colourful, tall-growing wildflower, recommended for rockeries or dry stone walls. A brilliant bloom for brightening borders, as its densely clustered flowers range in colour from crimson to magenta-pink, rarely even blooming in white. What’s more, these long-lasting vivid flowers self-seed readily and attract pollinators- no wonder it’s been a popular pick for British gardens since the 17th century!
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 60-90cm.
- Flowers: May-October
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained, dry
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Coastal areas, roadside verges
- Also known as: Fox’s Brush, Jupiter’s Beard, Pretty Betsy
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
These climbing woodland legumes have an earnest and delicate charm not seen in others of its kind: its small, two-tone, pea-like petals in rich pink and purple look a bit like butterflies, which may be why they're so attractive to pollinators.
- Type: Annual
- Height: 45–75cm.
- Flowers: June-September
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Grasslands, verges, coastal areas
- Also known as: Fetch, Lintels
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Though known for its fuzzy foliage and calyces, this plant's golden globes of florets in a pincushion formation are only the most well known of the Kidney Vetch's fiery potential palette of petals, with some growing in orange, pink or ruby red. These summery, fluffy flowers are also quite long-lived!
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 7–15cm.
- Flowers: May-October
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained, chalky
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Grasslands, verges, coastal areas
- Also known as: Devil’s Claws, Mary’s Fingers, Woundwort
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
The Wild Primrose’s pale yellow, five-petalled flowers are a cottage classic! Its light colouration is a delight under trees and bushes- just imagine a shady spot illuminated by sweet-scented, hardy clusters of buttery beauty!
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 20-30cm.
- Flowers: February-May
- Soil Requirement: Moist but well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
- Natural Habitat: Woodland, grassland
- Also known as: Culver Keys, Suncups
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
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
What’s better than spikes of snapdragon-like wildflowers? This particular plant specimen’s vivid violet colouration add a rich and regal splash of colour in beds, borders and gravel gardens, as well as being beneficial for bees and being super easy to naturalise.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 22-60cm.
- Flowers: June-October
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained, sandy
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Waste ground, rocky soil
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
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
These soft-looking, bright blue blooms pair perfectly with other fluffy-petalled flowers, especially in yellows and pinks, such as hawk-bit and knapweed. An excellent plant for pollinators; bees and butterflies go baa-rmy for them! Recommended for rockeries and rough meadows, or anywhere with sandy soil.
- Type: Biennial
- Height: 20-50cm.
- Flowers: May-September
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained, sandy
- Light Requirement: Full Sun
- Natural Habitat: Grassland, clifftops, coastal areas
- Also known as: Shepherd’s Scabious
A low-growing, creeping beauty that thrives at woodland edges, but also makes for a unique lawn subject- not many other common flowers can compare to these small spikes of azure petals shining in the sun and bringing a little of the blue sky’s beauty down to earth for your garden!
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 10-20cm.
- Flowers: April-July
- Soil Requirement: Moist but well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
- Natural Habitat: Roadsides, woodland, grassland
- Also known as: Angels’ Eyes, Blue Stars
With a large, feather-like seed head, this tall ornamental tussock grass is perfect for attracting bees and other insects. Uniquely grooved, dark green leaves that form stiff rough clumps that form dense tufts that develop into distinctive tussocks.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 30-120cm
- Flowers: June-August
- Soil requirement: Wet, poorly drained
- Light requirement: Partial sun and shade
- Natural habitat: Marshy fields, rough grassland and woodland
- Also known as: Tussock Grass
Much like the wild mignonette, this tall and robust spire of fresh-looking, yellow-green petals adds a vibrant energy to a wild meadow as its verdant, branching stems of narrow leaves shoot up to the sky! Perfect for pollinators, and its colours can help bring nature back to a struggling spot as it tolerates poor soil.
- Type: Biennial
- Height: 100-150cm.
- Flowers: May-October
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Waste ground, roadsides, quarries.
- Also known as: Dyer’s Rocket, Dutch Pink, Jerusalem Ash
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
An amazing addition to meadows, herb gardens and even lawns! There’s so much to love about this lacy cluster of feathery leaves and florets in white, pink and creamy yellow, we barely know where to start: it's exceptionally hardy, has a powerful aroma, and even outside of the garden, it’s been prized in herbalism for a staggeringly long time- it’s named after its role in Greek legend where the hero Achilles supposedly used it to treat his wounds.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 40-55cm.
- Flowers: June-October
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Grassland, coastal areas, waste land
- Also known as: Lace Plant, Savory Tea, Thousand-Leaf
This is the perfect pond-side plant for those wanting a breath of fresh air! Produces globes of pale pink petals that are good for pollinators, and just as appealing are its aromatic leaves, which can even be used as a flavouring. Needless to say, this is one cool flower.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 60-80cm.
- Flowers: July-October
- Soil Requirement: Moist
- Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
- Natural Habitat: Wet meadows, marshes, river banks
- Also known as: Fish Mint
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Here’s the perfect plant for those who want a bright burst of colour lasting late into autumn! The Common Toadflax bears snapdragon-like flowers with pale, buttery outer petals and golden-orange centres; complimenting the palette of summer spirit as well as falling leaves.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 30-60cm.
- Flowers: July-October
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
- Natural Habitat: Hedgerows, meadows, waste ground
- Also known as: Bread And Butter, False Flax, Jacob’s Ladder
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
The violet and royal blue petals that these soaring spires of petals bear are just the beginning of this flighty flora's beautiful oddities: blooming with longer, feathery-looking flowers, and even the familiar seed pods it shares with others in the legume family ripen into a deep black colour. A quirky and attractive climbing plant which does its best when planted with other tall flora to support it.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 60–120cm.
- Flowers: June-August
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Hedgerows, river banks, woodlands
- Also known as: Bird Vetch, Canada Pea, Tine Grass
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
This winding wildflower boasts a long, speckled stem with thin leaves, and striking spikes of sapphire flower heads bearing red, tongue-like stamens. Don't be rattled by its slightly thorny exterior- Viper's Bugloss is a lot more beauty than bite, making for a charming plant for borders, and it benefits pollinators, too!
- Type: Biennial
- Height: 25–75cm.
- Flowers: June-September
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Grassland, coastal, heathland
- Also known as: Blue Devil, Cat’s Tail, Snake Flower
Wallflowers are associated with shyness today, but these brightly-coloured creepers in golden-yellow, amber and brick red make a bold statement in full bloom. These sweetly-scented plants are amazing as ornaments, adding a mysterious sylvan style to a cottage garden as they clamber across rockeries and walls.
- Type: Biennial
- Height: 22-45cm.
- Flowers: March-April
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Natural Habitat: Waste ground, cliffsides, quarries.
- Also known as: Bleeding Heart, Bloody Warrior, Yellow Gilliflower
Produces whorls of beetroot-coloured blooms with white markings on a hairy, crimson-tinted stem. As its name may suggest, it used to have uses in herbalism, and in the garden it’s quite popular with pollinators.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 30-90cm.
- Flowers: June-September
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Partial shade
- Natural Habitat: Woodlands, scrublands, verges.
- Also known as: Hedge Stachys, Red Archangel
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
A hardy scrambling wildflower whose bright buttery-yellow, pea-like blooms are well-contrasted by its black ripe seed pods. A magnificent meadow addition which benefits bees and butterflies, and adds a certain shine to shady spots.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 50-100cm.
- Flowers: May-August
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun or partial shade
- Natural Habitat: Grassland, roadside verges, waste ground
- Also known as: Angle Berries, Lady’s Fingers, Meadow Pea
Roses are red, and you already knew of the Violet’s namesake shade of purplish-blue. This five-petalled flower’s beauty is well known, and in sun or in shade, it’s quite easily grown. It looks magical decorating the edge of a woodland garden, or beneath a small hedge- but this plant’s so simple, it’s easy to style it; for those who want blue, it just must be the Violet!
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 5-10cm.
- Flowers: April-June
- Soil Requirement: Well-drained
- Light Requirement: Full sun to full shade
- Natural Habitat: Grassland, woodland, hedgerows
- Also known as: Wood Violet
Plants for Pollinators highlights plants selected by the RHS as scientifically proven to tackle the declines in bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
White Deadnettle has pretty white flowers permeated with green, which appear in intervals along the stem in clusters. This nettle doesn't sting- in fact, it's a very sweet flower, which makes for a great early nectar and pollen source for bees, and its young heart shaped leaves can be used in salads or cooked.
- Type: Perennial
- Height: 15-30cm
- Flowers: March - December
- Soil requirement: Moist or well-drained
- Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
- Natural habitat: Most of the UK apart from the far North, grassland, woodland, roadsides
- Also known as: Bee Nettle, Snake Flower, White Archangel
Choosing different wildflower plants by species gives you complete control over when you plant them, where you plant them and what the end result will be. And buying wildflower plug plants instead of seeds, means that you don't have to wait for them to germinate - perfect if speed is of the essence!
The full range of over 100 British wildflower plants species from Boston Seeds is available to buy online in trays of 25, 150 and 500 plug plants and all are available with nationwide delivery.
Want to learn more about the likes and dislikes of your favourite wildflower plants? Our handy wildflower species quide will tell you all you need to know - yours to download and keep for FREE.
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