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Annual vs Perennial Wildflowers

Learn how annuals and perennials behave and discover what wildflower mixtures can help achieve the required results.

Annuals

Cornfield Annuals
Annual wildflowers are popular due to their ability to establish and flower fast and display splashes of bold colours that look spectacular. However, they can be a single season wonder if maintenance is not carried out. This is because annual wildflowers use all their energy to create beautiful blooms, then as they die off, they set seed to grow the following year, but the process is not perfect. Specific steps need to be carried out over several seasons to create a minimal maintenance annual wildflower display.

First Year

Annual species are fast to establish and flower. After flowering, the plants will naturally die back over the winter. Allow the plants to seed in autumn then cut the area down using a scythe, strimmer or mower, leaving the cuttings for up to a week before clearing the area. This will allow them to dry and shed seeds back into the soil. Then, use a roller or your wellies to split the seed heads up to enable more seeds to get into the ground. This will result in a full annual showing in the following year.

Second Year

Depending on your sowing preference, cultivate the ground and reseed in September or March. Over several seasons of repeating the above process, a fertile seed bank will develop and simply disturbing the soil through digging or rotovating will be sufficient to regenerate the flowers each year.

Annuals in a Nutshell

  • Produce bold and colourful blooms
  • Can establish and flower within 60 to 80 days when sown in the spring
  • Have longer bloom times than perennials
  • Attract and help pollinators
  • Will only flower for one season if left unattended
  • Require maintenance

Buy your annual wildflower seeds here.

Perennials

Perennials
While perennial wildflowers do not have the same visual impact that annuals have, they do last a very long time with less maintenance than annuals. Perennials are an excellent choice for larger areas as they still attract and help butterflies, bees and other pollinators.

First Year

Perennial species can be slow to establish and are unlikely to flower in the first year. The area can be cut once the flowers have died back in the autumn, but we recommend leaving the area undisturbed for as long as possible, ideally until February / March (before the first spring growth). When the area is left, dead flowers and stems provide a diverse environment which is a haven for wildlife through the winter months. In particular, it provides habitat for butterflies such as the Red Admiral and the Clouded Yellow which remain in their chrysalis during the winter months. Cut the area down to 10cm using a scythe, strimmer or mower, leaving the cuttings for a week before removing. This will allow them to dry and shed seeds back into the soil.

Second Year

After twelve months, the sward should be well established and require little additional maintenance. Then follow the same annual cut pattern (either in spring or autumn depending on your preference). Over time, some species within the mixture may become more dominant due to environmental factors and natural selection. To encourage diversity, reduce the number of dominant plants to restore the balance.

Perennials in a Nutshell

  • Return year after year
  • Are low maintenance
  • Attract and help pollinators
  • The first season after sowing will not produce a great display
  • Appearance improves every season
  • Have shorter bloom times than annuals

Buy you perennial wildflower seeds here.

Best of Both Worlds

We have created mixtures that will provide the best of both worlds therefore ensuring that annual blooms are produced in the first season after sowing followed by perennial wildflowers for the seasons after.

These mixtures produce instant and long lasting results, buy yours here.

Buy With Confidence

About Landlife Wildflowers
About Us

Landlife Wildflowers grow and supply high-quality, native wildflower products, restoring wildflowers right across the UK. Working in conjunction with wildlife charity, Buglife, we’re bringing back Britain’s treasured wildflowers! Find out more about why we’ve been trusted by the general public, Natural England and The Wildlife Trusts for over twenty years.

Quality wildflower seed
Quality

We’re proud to supply only the highest-quality, native wildflower products - tried, tested and refined by us for two decades to ensure each and every customer is delighted with their purchase. Find out more about our commitment to the supply of native, provenance-assured wildflower products to restore Britain’s natural wildflower habitats for bees, butterflies, birds and wildlife.

Contact Landlife Wildflowers
Get in Touch

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, our team of wildflower experts are on hand to guide you every step of the way. We love talking about wildflowers and the quality of our products, and are pleased to help with any enquiry, including how to establish wildflowers, product recommendations and even creating custom mixtures for specific projects.