Description

Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor

Also known as 'The Meadow Maker.' 

This pretty annual species is vital in helping establish and maintain a wildflower meadow.  A hemi-parasitic plant, its roots penetrate the roots of surrounding grasses, drawing water and nutrients from them, thereby reducing their vigour and preventing them from out-competing the wildflower species.  Without yellow rattle, the vigorous grasses in a meadow will soon take over at the expense of the wildflowers.

It is important when establishing a wildflower meadow to build a yellow rattle colony.  It might take a couple of years for numbers to grow to an effective level.

How To Sow:

Yellow rattle should be sown in the autumn between late August and November as the seed needs to be exposed to a prolonged period of cold to trigger germination in the spring. Scarify the area to remove any thatch in the base of the existing sward to encourage good seed to soil contact prior to broadcasting the seed. Alternatively, remove a small palm-sized section of turf and sprinkle a pinch of yellow rattle seed into the area of exposed soil. Aim to create 4 to 5 such sections per square metre. 

All our native wildflower seed is sourced from stock grown in the wild in Britain.  It is then multiplied up commercially and packed in the UK so you can be confident you are buying native British wildflower seed.