Don’t you just love the expression ‘Seed Bomb’ ? And what about the idea of getting your fingers muddy making them?! It can be fun and therapeutic – what a great way of introducing wild flowers to our gardens and if you want to encourage biodiversity through your community, these little beauties are super nifty for guerilla gardening in hard to reach places!
Here’s how Glennie Kindred makes them, as described in her book, ‘Letting in the Wild Edges’.
Glennie Kindred’s Seed Bombs
‘Using a mixture of sand, clay and compost, mix with native wild flower seeds and then add a little water and press them into balls. Leave to harden off a little in egg boxes, but it’s good if they are still damp inside. It is always best to scatter them when it’s likely to rain. The seed bombs can be thrown along field edges, and any other place you can find in your locality where there is already some soil and native flowers have a chance of growing.
Don’t forget the aftercare, going out with a watering can or a bottle of water to give the plants a drink if it is dry and in some cases weeding around them while they become established. Choose places to plant that you walk by often so you can keep an eye on how they are doing.
Choose to grow native plants that are hardy and fit the places you are planting them out in.’
Bee an ally of nature
Don’t forget to include bee friendly flowers in your seed bombs! According to a report by Friends of the Earth, bees in the UK are declining at a worrying rate:
â– Two bumblebee species have become extinct.
â– Managed honey bee colonies fell by 53 per cent between 1985 and 2005.
â– Wild honey bees are nearly extinct in many parts of the UK.
â– Solitary bees have declined in over half (52 per cent) of the areas studied.
Here’s a lovely guide to which flowers make the best backup for bees. And yes even the bulb varieties in this list should grow from seed (it just takes them a little longer than growing from bulb).
Flower power
Don’t underestimate those little flower bombs … they’re packed with seeds of change! To me, their name and the very concept is beautifully representative of the renewed and lively energy of the planting season. Now is the time to get to work with our hands and our hearts, tapping into nature’s explosion of vitality!
Follow up with TLC
Almost any avid gardener would tell you that a key attribution of a thriving garden is ‘tender loving care’.
And it’s a two way thing! Heartfelt connection with the energy of nature brings a cycle of mutual growth. As we send out loving gratitude, for Earth’s boundless gifts, nature in turn feeds the intentions of our hearts and carries our blessings on the wind.
The more we get out into nature, and give to nature, with open hearts, the stronger this sacred symbiosis will grow.
What the world needs now is love sweet love
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Cygnus Books and I would love to read your thoughts, tips and ideas about seed bombs, native flowers and guerilla gardening on this blog page and Cygnus’ Twitter and Facebook Pages .
One love,
Louisa and the Cygnus Team