Woodland & Heavy Shade Wildflower Mix

Ground under trees, along north-facing walls and beside tall hedges is where most wildflower mixes fail. Light is limited for much of the day, tree roots compete for water, and leaf litter builds up each autumn. The Woodland & Heavy Shade mix is put together for exactly this ground: 24 native wildflowers chosen because they tolerate dense or prolonged shade and are found in woodland and woodland-edge habitats across Britain.

With no grasses in the mix, every gram of seed is wildflower, which makes it the right choice for sowing into existing shady grass, under a thinning canopy, or into borders and woodland edges where you want the most flower from the space. Heights range from 10 cm to around 2 m, and flowering runs from early spring through to October, giving pollinators food at both ends of the season when open-ground flowers are scarce.

Sow at 3 g per square metre, ideally from mid-August to late October. Rake back leaf litter first so the seed reaches bare soil, and don’t add compost or fertiliser. Shade slows everything down, so expect a patient start: most species build roots in year one and flower from year two. An annual cut in late summer, with the cuttings removed, keeps the planting open and diverse.