We have recently seeded the very useful wildflower, Yellow Rattle. This plant is used to create or restore wildflower meadows, where it maintains species diversity by suppressing dominant grasses and the recycling of soil nutrients.

Yellow rattle feeds off the roots of nearby grasses which allows it to absorb nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and minerals. This process impairs the growth of the grass plants, and creates a more open environment to allow less competitive plants to grow.  When the yellow rattle plant later dies the nutrients are returned to the soil.

The seed is sown thinly onto grassland from August to early winter—to germinate the following spring, the seeds need to remain in the soil throughout the winter months.