80/20 Wildflower Meadow Seed Mixes

An 80/20 mix is a complete meadow seed mixture: 80% fine native meadow grasses and 20% native wildflowers. The grasses form the permanent sward that holds the soil, suppresses weeds and gives a meadow its structure; the wildflowers provide the colour, nectar and seed. This is the mix to choose when you are creating a new grass-and-wildflower meadow from bare or cultivated ground — a garden meadow, orchard floor, field margin, paddock corner or amenity area. Each mix below is matched to a soil or setting: pick the one that fits your ground, then choose a pack size by area (sown at 5 g per square metre).

Choose this if…

You are sowing a new meadow from bare ground and want grasses and wildflowers to establish together.
You want a long-term, hay-meadow style sward that is cut once a year rather than a flower bed.
You do not want grass seed in the mix → see our 100% wildflower seed mixes.

More help choosing

Why grasses are part of a meadow mix

A wildflower meadow is a grassland first. In a traditional British hay meadow the fine grasses — fescues, bents and meadow grasses — make up most of the plant cover, and the wildflowers grow through them. Sowing grasses and wildflowers together at the outset means the ground is covered quickly in year one (which keeps annual weeds down), the sward knits together so it can be cut and walked on, and the wildflowers have a stable community to strengthen into from year two. Our 80/20 mixes use fine, non-aggressive grass species that coexist with wildflowers rather than crowding them out, provided the soil is kept low in nutrients.

Which 80/20 mix is right for my site?

Every 80/20 mix contains the same grass framework; what changes is the wildflower selection, chosen for a soil type or setting. Match the mix to your ground rather than the name you like best:

Your ground	Mix
Most well-drained garden and field soils	Traditional 80/20 or General Purpose 80/20
Chalk or limestone, thin and free-draining	Chalk & Limestone 80/20
Heavy clay that lies wet in winter	Heavy Clay Soils 80/20
Wet ground, pond margins, ditches	Wetland & Pond 80/20
Deep loam or river-valley alluvium	Loam & Alluvial 80/20
Hedge bottoms, banks, woodland edge, part shade	Hedgerow & Banks 80/20
Under trees, dense shade	Woodland & Heavy Shade 80/20
Coastal, sandy, stony or salt-exposed	Coastal 80/20
Acidic, peaty, moorland or heath	Acidic Soils 80/20
Restoration sowing — see the product page for its intended use	Restoration 80/20
Pollinator-first planting	Bee & Butterfly 80/20
A one-season annual display on cultivated ground	Cornfield Annuals 80/20 (annual species — expect to re-sow or re-cultivate)

If your soil is mixed or you are unsure, a soil test or a quick look at what already grows well nearby will tell you more than the label. We are happy to advise.

How much do I need?

All 80/20 mixes are sown at 5 g per square metre. Packs run from 10 m² (50 g) up to 2,000 m² (10 kg), and every mix is also available as a Seed & Mulch Mat (three mats of 5 m × 0.5 m, covering 7.5 m²) for banks, verges and small plots where loose seed is hard to keep in place.

Establishing an 80/20 meadow

Sow in spring (March–May) or early autumn (August–September).
Prepare a low-nutrient, weed-free, firm seedbed: strip or scarify existing vegetation, remove topsoil if it is rich, and leave the surface exposed. Do not add fertiliser or compost.
Broadcast the seed on the surface, rake lightly or roll — do not bury it.
Year one: grasses establish and annual weeds may flush; cut if growth is rank, removing the cuttings.
From year two: cut once in late summer after the flowers have set seed, remove the hay, and keep fertility low. Wildflowers strengthen year on year.

Full step-by-step guidance is in How to Establish a Wildflower Meadow.

Frequently asked questions

What does 80/20 wildflower seed mean?

It is a meadow mix made up of 80% fine native grasses and 20% native wildflowers. The grasses form the sward; the wildflowers grow through it.

Why are grasses included in a meadow mix?

Grasses cover the ground quickly, hold the soil, suppress weeds and give the meadow a structure that can be cut, grazed or walked on. Wildflowers on their own do not form a stable sward on open ground.

Which 80/20 mix is right for my soil or site?

Choose by ground conditions: chalk, heavy clay, wet, loam, shade, coastal, acidic, or general well-drained soils. The table above matches each setting to a mix. If in doubt, contact us with your soil type and location.

When should I sow an 80/20 mix?

Spring (March–May) or early autumn (August–September), onto a prepared, low-nutrient seedbed with the soil surface exposed.

How much seed do I need?

5 g per square metre. Measure your area, then choose the matching pack size on the product page — packs cover from 10 m² to 2,000 m².

Can I sow an 80/20 mix into existing grass?

It is not designed for that. An 80/20 mix needs bare ground so the grasses and flowers establish together. To add wildflowers to an existing lawn or pasture, use a 100% wildflower mix or Yellow Rattle into a scarified, closely cut sward.

Related guides and categories

Not sure which mix fits your ground? Email paul@wildahome.co.uk or call 0333 242 0602 with your soil type, location and area and we will point you to the right one.

80/20 Wildflower Meadow Seed Mixes

General Purpose 80/20 Meadow Mix

Traditional 80/20 Meadow Mix

Restoration 80/20 Meadow Mix

Wetland & Pond 80/20 Wildflower Mix

Acidic Soils 80/20 Meadow Mix

Bee & Butterfly 80/20 Meadow Mix

Chalk & Limestone 80/20 Meadow Mix

Coastal 80/20 Meadow Mix

Cornfield Annuals 80/20 Meadow Mix

Heavy Clay Soils 80/20 Meadow Mix

Hedgerow & Banks 80/20 Wildflower Mix

Loam & Alluvial 80/20 Meadow Mix

Woodland & Heavy Shade 80/20 Wildflower Mix