Our network of PlantGrow Champions continues to thrive, and we’re excited to be working with Samantha Wright from @Seedsology!

Seedsology supplies open pollinated and non-GMO wildflower and cottage garden flower seeds, and passionately promotes how important it is to protect our wildflower meadows in the UK. We’re delighted to work with Samantha to help gardeners dedicate even a small patch of their gardens to wildflowers and create their own little ecosystem.

Seedsology is a family-run business operating from their Lincolnshire farm, and 4 years ago Samantha realised that they needed to do something for their nesting barn owls. They had been at the farm for over 10 years, and it became obvious that the surrounding fields were bare in the autumn after the harvest. The fields were also frequented by wild roe deer, pheasants, partridges and hares, and there wasn’t enough cover for them to use as a hunting ground.

So, they set aside 3 acres of land that they wouldn’t farm and started growing their meadow, filling it with wildflowers to attract bees, insects and birds. But they didn’t stop there – they started growing cottage garden flowers too. That’s when Seedsology was born, and now all the seeds that they sell come from the meadow and cottage garden, which are all open pollinated and collected by hand.

But what is open pollination? It’s where flowers are produced by seeds that have resulted from the natural pollination of the parent plant. This might have occurred through self-pollination, the wind and rain or pollination from birds and insects.

Open pollinated seeds grow true-to-type, which means that the plants that grow from the seeds will look very similar to the parent plant – so when you see a picture, you’ll know what you’re doing to get!  Wildflower meadows are critical to the UK’s wildlife. They’re on the decline, disrupting habitats and food chains. A meadow can contain up to 40 species per square metre, so it’s important that we protect these spaces. They can also reduce flooding as they hold rainwater and they capture vast amounts of carbon, so they’re key parts of our ecosystems.

Why we’re happy to be championing Samantha

Biodiversity is vital for farmers and gardens and we’re happy to champion Samantha and Seedsology as they work to show people why wildflower meadows are so crucial to UK wildlife. If everyone dedicated a small part of their gardens to wildflowers, we could all do our bit to help the environment and support our much-loved wildlife’s habitats.