[Jim T]

Which wild flowers would be best to plant in a grass patch in between our small orchard (apples, plums, pears) and raised beds (brassicas, peas & beans etc)
 :?:

[WG.]

Which wild flowers would be best to plant in a grass patch in between our small orchard (apples, plums, pears) and raised beds (brassicas, peas & beans etc)

With what objective in mind please JT?  Bees, insects, companion planting??

I'd be tempted to grow comfrey but that's just me.

[Jim T]

Which wild flowers would be best to plant in a grass patch in between our small orchard (apples, plums, pears) and raised beds (brassicas, peas & beans etc)

With what objective in mind please JT?  Bees, insects, companion planting??

I'd be tempted to grow comfrey but that's just me.

Thanks WG, Mainly for beauty/bees. We will be planting marigolds as compaions and I have prepared a patch under teram for comfrey.
My wife thought woodland flowers would look just right.
What do you think :?:

[WG.]

It was you who had the cotoneaster?   Bees go NUTS for the stuff & it makes good ground cover.  Okay, so it isn't a wild flower.  A mere detail.

[Annie]

Most woodland flowers finish flowering before the trees are fully leaved so youare a little late for those.In my experience wildflowers are harder to grow than you think unless you like dandelion,thistle cow parsley,buttercups and selfheal!

[Jim T]

It was you who had the cotoneaster?   Bees go NUTS for the stuff & it makes good ground cover.  Okay, so it isn't a wild flower.  A mere detail.

  Great, we'll do that as well, but at the front of our plot  :idea:

[WG.]

but at the front of our plot  

Heathers?  They are a wild flower up here!

Loved by bees.  Year round colour if you choose the right ones.  And a nice contrast in texture from your cotoneaster.  Almost zero maintenance after they close ranks.  You'll need peat though (stands back and awaits tirade).

[Trillium]

There's a mix of nice plants bees love, both annual and perennial you can choose from:
borage, mints, thymes, lambs ears, monarda, butterfly bush (buddliea), hydrangeas, lilacs, zinnias, verbena canadensis, snapdragon, petunia, marigold, lantana, cosmos, sedums, red clover, purple coneflower, peony, garden pholx, mums, coreopsis, butterfly weed (asclepias), liatris and asters to name a few.
While these might not be wildflowers, they will attract a lot of bees and also pollinate your crops. And you can pretty much predict when they'll bloom so you can cover all times.  

[Annie]

Yuo could just let the grass grow and see what is already there,marjoram,mints and borage would all be able to compete with the grass  and wouldn`t mind being mown occasionally and would smell lovely when you did.Any flowering herbs will bring in bees and flavour food too

[Jim T]

:idea:  :idea:  :arrow:  :idea:  :idea:  :idea:  :arrow:  :arrow:  :arrow:  
            So many great ideas ..... Many thanks
Now how do we plant them? Just make little holes in the grass and pop the seeds in :?:

[Trillium]

There's a mix of nice plants bees love, both annual and perennial you can choose from:
borage, mints, thymes, lambs ears, monarda, butterfly bush (buddliea), hydrangeas, lilacs, zinnias, verbena canadensis, snapdragon, petunia, marigold, lantana, cosmos, sedums, red clover, purple coneflower, peony, garden pholx, mums, coreopsis, butterfly weed (asclepias), liatris and asters to name a few.
While these might not be wildflowers, they will attract a lot of bees and also pollinate your crops. And you can pretty much predict when they'll bloom so you can cover all times.  

Cosmos, marigolds and red clover can be direct seeded early May, or late April, depending on your weather & location.  These are annuals and will self seed. The others, I would recommend you start inside next month for planting out later.  Some will self seed, some won't, but the perennials will keep going. The buddleia, hydrangeas, lilacs are shrubs while the peony is a different kind of perennial shrub which dies down each year.

[muntjac]

go to T & m and choose the wildflower mix for fields .corn flower etc .they will self propagate

[Jim T]

go to T & m and choose the wildflower mix for fields .corn flower etc .they will self propagate

OK MJ, but what is T & m :?:

[freyaluck]

Wilkos also sell a butterfly mix, I have bought some for my front garden, they were pretty cheap but cant remember the exact price :?:  maybe worth a look.  I know the bees love them as much as the butterflys.

[muntjac]

www.thompson-morgan.com

sorry mate