Wildflower rich grassland

There are many types of wildflowers which will grow in South Lanarkshire. These include:

• Birdsfoot Trefoil
• Common Knapweed
• Field Scabious
• Harebell
• Meadow Cranebill
• Oxeye Daisy
• Primrose
• Red Campion
• Purple Loosestrife
• Ragged Robin
• Valerian
• Yellow Flag Iris

Collecting wildflower seed

Uprooting a plant is harmful and illegal without the consent of the landowner or occupier. Gathering seed carefully and in moderation does little damage and is simple to do. There is a code of conduct which will keep you right and plants are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. You should only collect a small amount of seed from plants belonging to someone else but once your own plants are established you will be able to collect lots.

Many seeds need to lie dormant for a while before planting.

Sowing your seeds

You can sow your seeds using peat-free compost in many different types of container including:

• an old egg box
• toilet roll middles placed on their ends on a tray
• the ends of plastic bottles or milk containers - you can even create a mini greenhouse by cutting the bottom 10cm from a milk container, filling it with compost and slotting the top half in as a roof

Once your seeds have grown and the seedlings are ready for planting out, put your pots outside during the day, unless it's frosty, for a week, increasing the time each day. Remember to bring them in at night. Do this for a week then transplant outside once the frost has gone.

You can plant straight outdoors in a prepared bed. This should be done between September and November and the seeds will start to grow in the spring, although they won't bloom until the next season.