Cotswold Wild Flora

Bentgrass

Common Bentgrass is a perennial grass with fine leaves, The seed head is delicate and attractive, opening loosely from late spring through to autumn. Older swards in heavily grazed or trampled areas may form dense, low growing clumps.

Bentgrass Species Guide  Buy Bentgrass Straight

Betony

Betony is a very attractive addition to any wildflower mix, its vibrant colour and lack of maintenance required make it an ideal choice.

Betony Species Guide

Birdsfoot Trefoil Wildflower

This is a common plant from the legume family, often found on drier soils, does not like the more acidic soils. Birdsfoot trefoil supports 132 different species of insect but is mainly pollinated by bees. Due to its red and yellow flowers it's sometimes called the 'eggs & bacon' plant.

Birdsfoot Trefoil Wildflower Species Guide

Corn Cockle

Corn Cockle is a tall annual with singular pink/purple flowers, dating back as far as the Iron Age in Britain; however it is now virtually extinct in the wild.

Corn Cockle Species Guide  Buy Corn Cockle Straight

Corn Marigold

Easily recognised flower-heads, carried on long stalks. The lower leaves are stalked and have toothed edges or are cut into leaflets. The upper ones clasp the stem and are sometimes little toothed. The plant which grows 6 to 8 inches tall is an annual.

Corn Marigold Species Guide

Cornflower

Cornflowers are a tall annual with a distinctive vibrant blue flower head. The flower supplies pollen and nectar for bees and lots of other beneficial insects and the seeds also provide food for small mammals and birds such as Goldfinches.

Cornflower Species Guide  Buy Cornflower Straight

Cowslip

Cowlip is a vibrant yellow perennial that adds colour and vital nectar to meadows and pastures, supporting many insects and flowering April to May.

Cowslip Species Guide

Crested Dogstail

Traditionally a grazing grass, which helps to fill out the base of the sward. This compact tufted perennial is found in abundance in sheep pastures. It is not aggressive and grows well late into the season when other grasses are giving up. It has good winter greenness but is inclined to produce wiry stems if not cut or grazed.

Crested Dogstail Species Guide

Field Poppy

Field poppy grows 1 to 2 feet high and is one of the easiest to grow. It is best known as a symbol of remembrance for soldiers who gave their lives in the first world war and is now in decline due to intensive agricultural practices.

Field Poppy Species Guide

Field Scabious

Field Scabious is a light blue/violet sometimes pink flower and has the special characteristic of being able to change colour, it grows from 30-90cm in height with beautiful single flowers.

Field Scabious Species Guide

Kidney Vetch

The erect perennial herb can grow up to 30 cm in height. It has round clusters of flowers and can vary from pale yellow to fiery red in colour.

Kidney Vetch Species Guide

Ladys Bedstraw

This is a weakly stemmed, sprawling species, when cut is has a notable sweet smell.

Ladys Bedstraw Species Guide

Lesser Knapweed

Lesser knapweed is also known as common black knapweed. It is a competitive wild flower found throughout the UK and parts of western Europe, in old meadows and roadsides. It may be known as 'hardheads'.

Lesser Knapweed Species Guide

Meadow Buttercup

There are several species of buttercup, this species is different from the creeping buttercup that many regard as a grassland weed. Found in older grasslands and damp grassy places, it is the tallest of the common buttercups.

Meadow Buttercup Species Guide

Meadow Crane's-bill

Meadow Crane's-bill Species Guide

Musk Mallow

This is a green coloured, bushy, upright perennial that once established can be a robust plant, that is prolific on fertile soils rich in nitrogen. This species can grow to 75 cm in height.

Musk Mallow Species Guide

Ox-eye Daisy

Ox-eye daisy is a robust wildflower species, the flower head is a typical daisy shape, with white petals and yellow central florets. They grow in solitary heads and are around three to five centimetres wide.

Ox-eye Daisy Species Guide

Red Campion

This plant produces short creeping stems and upright flowering ones from 1 to 3 feet high. Both the stem and leaves are covered with soft hairs. The unscented male and female flowers are on different plants. Pink flowered hybrids between red campion and white campion are fairly common.

Red Campion Species Guide

Red Fescue / Chewings Fescue

Also known as chewings fescue, this is a fine leaved, tufted grass. It is distinguished from creeping red fescue by its absence of creeping rhizomes. It remains dark green throughout most of the season.

Red Fescue / Chewings Fescue Species Guide  Buy Red Fescue / Chewings Fescue Straight

Ribwort Plantain wildflower

The erect leaves are ribbed with 3 to 6 veins. The flower stalk is deeply furrowed, and the flower spikes are shorter and very compact. It grows from 6 inches to 2 feet tall and is a good source of vitamins and minerals for grazing animals.

Ribwort Plantain wildflower Species Guide

Sainfoin (native wildflower)

Sainfoin (native wildflower) Species Guide

Salad Burnet

A pretty wildflower with 4-12 pairs of leaflets all less than 20mm. Mostly found on dry, lime rich. calcerous soils it has pale green flower heads which have a hint of red. The young leaves are edible and with a cool fresh cucumber flavour and fragrance are like by grazing anaimals. Salad burnet is known for attracting bees, beneficial insects and butterflies.

Salad Burnet Species Guide

Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris)

Self heal is a low growing plant with oval leaves and bluish or violet flowers that appear in dence, oblong clusters on the tops of its stems. Self heal is widely found throughout the UK

Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris) Species Guide

Sheeps Fescue

The finest leaved and least aggressive fescue, it is found throughout the UK. It is hardy and drought resistant and will with-stand heavy grazing or close cutting, however it has a low forage yield. It is a useful species for providing a low growing, low maintenance green cover on difficult soils. It is one of the earlier fine fescues to flower in the spring.

Sheeps Fescue Species Guide  Buy Sheeps Fescue Straight

Smaller Catstail / Small Timothy

A leafy perennial species found throughout the UK. It grows on low lands to foothills and can be found in old pasture and hedgerows. Normally thought of as a smaller, lower yielding relative of Timothy. Although valued as a forage plant for livestock, it can also form a useful compact turf.

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Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass

Found throughout the UK in meadows and traditional pastures. It is said to be one of the greenest grasses found growing in the early spring, and is an indicator of land that is well drained and in good heart. The species itself is palatable, and nutritional to livestock, often called one of the traditional 'sweet grasses'.

Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass Species Guide  Buy Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass Straight

White Campion

Medium to Tall hairy short lived perennial. Sometimes slightly sticky, the flowering stems are up to 3 feet high, and bear stalks, hairy leaves.

White Campion Species Guide

Wild Carrot

This is a reliable pioneer species, which is quick to germinate and establish, reaching up to 100 cm in height. It is found across the UK and Western Europe.

Wild Carrot Species Guide

Yarrow Wildflower

This is a common perennial species that flowers late into the season, with tiny disticnt white or pink flowers. The latin 'milfoil' means a thousand leaves and refers to the tiny divide segments of the feathery leaves.

Yarrow Wildflower Species Guide

Yellow Rattle

Erect, annual, hairless parasitic herb. Growing up to 50 cm in height. The leaves are narrow-lanceolate, coarsely toothed and slightly wrinkled on the outer edge, stalkless and arranged in opposite pairs. Flowers are situated in short leafy spikes.

Yellow Rattle Species Guide  Buy Yellow Rattle Straight