Description

Seedball Beetle Mix is the ideal mix to attract ladybirds and pollinating beetles! Created in collaboration with the scientists at the Natural History Museum to help beetles – who are super important to our garden ecosystems. Did you know that many beetles are important pollinators who pollinated the first flowers 140 million years ago at the time of dinosaurs?

Flowers in the Carrot or Umbellifer family (Apiaceae), and those with multiple flower heads, seem to be particularly attractive – making our mix of flowers perfect for beetles 🙂

Each tin contains 20 balls, enough to cover 1 metre square in a garden bed. Or 3-5 medium sized pots (leave at least 10cm between each ball).

How do I use Seedballs?

Throw onto soil or compost in a garden bed or planter in Spring or Autumn, leaving at least 10cm between each ball. Your Seedball has everything it needs to grow and, once the ball becomes moist and the temperature is right, your seeds will then germinate!

Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
Perennial.
Height: 30-80cm
Flowers: July to September

 

 

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
Annual.
Height: 90cm
Flowers: June to August
Cornflowers are edible. They have a cucumber-like taste. Flowers can be consumed in the form of salad and tea, or used as a garnish.

 

Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
Perennial.
Height: 50-150cm
Scatter: late summer or autumn
Flowers: May to July

 

Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)
Perennial.
Height: 30-60cm
Flowers: August to September

 

 

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
A tall biennial (flowering stem grows in the second year) with pink and purple flowers on spikes.
Height: 60-150cm
Flowers: June to September
Toxicity: Poisonous if eaten
Foxgloves are a really good ‘bridging plant’ as they bloom late May-June, a period when the bulbs have finished and the summer perennials are yet to be at their best!

 

Great Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis)
Perennial
Height: 40-80cm
Flowers: July to August

 

 

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
A perennial aromatic herb with white flowers arranged in a many flowered flat umbel head.
Height: 8-60cm
Flowers: June to August
Yarrow is a common herb that has been highly regarded for its medicinal properties in Britain since Anglo-Saxon times, it is said that Achilles used this herb to treat the wounds of his soldiers. Yarrow’s pretty little flowers, usually white but can be pink, cluster together in tight groups to resemble flat umbrellas. The leaves are like feathers and are aromatic if crushed. Can be found in many grassland habitats including, waste land and some coastal dunes and stable shingle.

 

As well as the Seedball Butterfly Mix of Wildflowers, there are many other options to choose from. To see more from Seedballs, click here.