Sainfoin Seeds (Onobrychis viciifolia)

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) is a bushy, deep-rooted perennial of the pea family, growing 40 to 50cm tall with leaves divided into many small leaflets. From July to September it sends up cone-shaped spikes of dark purple buds that open into paler pink pea flowers, aromatic on a warm day. It is found in meadows, on footpaths and along chalk downland tracks, with a long history as a fodder crop on limestone.

The flower spikes are heavily worked by bumblebees, honeybees and butterflies, and it is one of the most productive nectar plants you can add to a chalk meadow. As a legume it fixes nitrogen, and its deep taproot lets it stay green through dry summers. It is a reasonably long-lived perennial that persists best where the sward is kept open and does not become rank.

It needs well-drained, chalky or lime-rich soil in full sun and does poorly on acid, wet or heavy ground. It suits a chalk bank, a downland-style meadow, a dry verge or a pollinator strip on arable land. On the right ground it copes with drought better than most meadow legumes.

Sow in autumn or spring onto bare or scarified ground, surface-sown and firmed in, or pressed in very lightly; the large seed germinates readily. Plants establish in the first season and flower from the second summer. Cut in late summer once seed has set and remove the cuttings, keeping fertility low so grass does not smother it. Combine with our 100% wildflower mixes or single species that share the same chalky, sunny conditions.