The Pictorial Meadows mixtures are carefully blended seedmixes of native and non-native hardy annuals designed toprovide high quality and cost-effective flowering displays.They have been developed following several years ofintensive trials by Dr Nigel Dunnett at the University ofSheffield.

Unlike other mixes that are available, Pictorial Meadowswill flower and provide visual interest over an extremelylong period of time (from summer through to late autumn).They overcome many of the problems that are often associatedwith creating meadows from seed, such as unreliablegermination, short flowering season, untidy appearance and

the need to sow on low-fertility soils.

Pictorial Meadows create sumptuous visualeffects; they are formulated primarilyfor their harmonious and impressionisticcolour associations rather than attemptingto copy the species compositions ofmeadows that might be found in the

wild.

They inject drama into large-scale commercial landscapesand create sparkling, complex and intricate pictures at thevery smallest of scales. Providing a colourful, wildlife-friendlyreplacement for mown grass, or more formally in plantingbeds, or to provide colour between planted shrubs, treesand perennials.

The mixtures have been used successfully in urban parks,private gardens, school grounds, play areas, urban highways,verges and roundabouts.

Sow Pictorial Meadows Annual seed mixes in the spring –March, April, May - and they will produce superb colour

displays within 8 weeks or so of sowing.

Unlike other annual meadowmixtures, Pictorial Meadowsmixtures are formulated sothat as one species in themix starts to die back it isreplaced by another to givecontinuous displays from

midsummer through to lateautumn.

The sowing rate is 2.5 - 3 gramsper square metre

Pictorial Meadows Annual Mixes

Perennial meadows provide beautiful intricate and naturalisticdisplays that carry on from year toyear, without the need forrepeated cultivation. Whilelacking the overwhelmingflower-power of the annualmeadows, our perennialmeadows share the samecharacteristics of very longseasons of flowering andharmonious colour displays.Again, we mix native withnon-native cultivated speciesto heighten visual effects. Allmixes contain a small amount ofannuals for first-year flowering effect.The sowing rate is 1gram per square metre

Cover Photo by Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski - Pictorial Meadows Standard/Classic Mix

Pictorial Meadows Perennial Mixes

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The original Pictorial Meadows mix that produces stunning displays from late Juneuntil November, starting out with white, blues, pinks and reds, turning to reds, orangeand yellow in the autumn. The mix has been carefully balanced for colour andsuccession of display. Major components include: Shirley Poppy, Californian Poppy,Cornflower, Fairy Toadflax, Red Flax, Bishop’s Flower, Tickseed, Corn Marigold,Black-eyed Susan and Larkspur. General Height: 60cm.

Pictorial Meadows Classic/Standard Annual Mix

Photos - The Garden House, Saxby , Lincs

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A mix suited especially to more restricted or compact situations, but having the same long-flowering characteristicsof the standard mixture. Components include Fairy Toadflax, Red Flax, Californian Poppy, Convolvulus Minor,Love-in-a-mist, Candytuft, Larkspur, Dwarf Cornflower. General Height: 30-40 cm.

Pictorial Meadows Short Annual Mix

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A wonderful mix of rich tones of yellow, orangeand reds. Made from tasty recipe includingRed Flax, Painted Daisy, Black-eyed Susan,Californian Poppy

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Pictorial Meadows MarmaladeAnnual Mix

Pictorial Meadows Candy AnnualMixBright sparkling colours including purples,yellows, red, white and blues producing stunningeye-candy effects. Main Components : PurpleTansy, Fairy Toadflax, Poppies and CornMarigold.

A vibrant mix with a combination of orangeand yellow with contrasting blue components.Throwing together species like Cornflower,Red and Blue Flaxs and Larkspur.

Pictorial Meadows ContrastingAnnual Mix

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A beautiful ‘strawberries & cream’ mix of whiteand pink with a scattering of clear blue. Gentlyblending elements such as Bishops Flower,Cosmos and Shirley Poppy

Pictorial Meadows Pastel Annual Mix

A fiery mix of reds with some purple anda splash of gold, giving an eruption offlowers including Red Clover, Red Flax,Purple Cornflower and Red Orache.

Pictorial Meadows VolcanicAnnual Mix

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Pictorial Meadows Native CornfieldAnnual MixA carefully selected mix of pretty native annualsthat will flower mainly in July and August. IncludesField Poppy, Cornflower, Corn Marigold, ScentlessMayweed and Corncockle.

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A colour-themed mixture of predominantly purpleand blue, with billows of white for contrast.Main species include Columbine, Greater Knapweed,Field Scabious, Wild Carrot, Hedge Bedstraw,Meadow Clary, Perennial Cornflower, PerennialFlax, Oxe-eye Daisy, Purple Loosetrife, PurpleCornflower, Prairie Aster, Joe Pye Weed.

Pictorial Meadows Purple HazePerennial Mix

Pictorial Meadows Golden SummerPerennial MixYellows and golds, with hints of orangeand purple. Contains, amongst other species,Garden Yarrow, Perennial Black-eyed Susan,Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Lady’s Bedstraw, YellowOxe-eye, St John’s Wort, Greater Knapweed,Meadow Clary.

Pictorial Meadows Woodland EdgePerennial MixA very free-flowering mixture to sow amongstshrubs, around new tree planting and inwoodland edge situations. Includes HedgeBedstraw, Red Campion, Oxe-eye Daisy andAmerican Wood Aster

Pictorial Meadows Native MeadowPerennial Mix

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A selection of very dependable native speciesthat will succeed in a wide range of soils andconditions. Includes: Oxe-eye Daisy, Lady’sBedstraw, Cowslip, Greater Knapweed, BlackKnapweed, St John’s Wort. Floweringpredominantly in June, July and August.

Viables Roundabout Basingstoke featuring “Purple Haze” in Year One and Year Two. We include annual seeds as partof our perennial mixes so you get flowers in the first season while the perennial seeds are germinating. It changes insubsequent years as the perennials take over.

Year 1Year 2

RHS Harlow Carr The Eden Project10

An Ideal GiftYou can now give the Gift of Pictorial Meadows inthese attractive Tub presentation. Featuring the 6top selling Annual mixes each tub includes 30g ofthe mix combined with 30g of Vermiculite to helpsowing. These Tubs contain enough seed to cover

10 -15 sq metres

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Pictorial Meadows LtdManor Oaks Farmhouse389 Manor LaneSheffield S2 1UL

Tel 0114 267 7635Fax 0114 267 7636Email: info@greenestate.orgwww.pictorialmeadows.co.uk

Frequently Asked QuestionsQ. Is there any grass seed content in your mixes?A) There is no grass content to the mixes. Don’t mix with grass as itwill kill off the flowersQ. Can I just scatter the flowers over existing grass tocreate a meadow effect?A) Unfortunately not - the seeds have to be sown on bare soil.Q. What are the suggested sowing rates for your mixes?

A) The suggested sowing rates are 2.5 - 3g per square metre forannuals and 1g per square metre for perennials.

Q. Will your annual mixes self-seed? A) Only some of thespecies in the annual mixes will. To get the same effect you have to sowfresh each year.Q. Will Birds eat the seed ? A) No, they are too small for them tonoticeQ. Will Rabbits eat the flowers ? A) Yes probably they are a tastytreat and rabbits will eat anythingQ. Will your mixes work in Sandy/Chalky/Clay soil ? A) Yes.They will work on all types of soil but the better the soil the better theresult.Q. Do I need to water the seeds if it doesn’t rain once I’vesown them ? A) No. There is usually enough rain eventually and ifyou over-water they could rot before they germinate.Q Will your mixes work in shady areas? A) The mixes do needsunshine at some point during the day but the Woodland Edgeperennial mix is designed for very shaded areas.Q How long will the seed keep if I don’t use it all? A) Usually forseveral years - keep in a cool dry placeQ. Can I mix annual and perennials seeds to get a show offlowers in the first year? A)There is no need. We already includea proportion of annual seeds in each perennial mix to give a goodshow in the first year while the perennials are getting established.Q. Can I blend the mixes together ? A) You can if you want butthat defeats the objective . Each mix is designed to produce it’s ownlong-lasting show. Taller plants in one mix may hide shorter plantsin another mix so you will get a better show if you keep themseparate.

Using Pictorial MeadowsWhen you buy Pictorial Meadows seeds we send you detailedinstructions on how to sow and maintain them. If you want you canread these on our website. But in summary it is not as complicated asyou may first think and if you read the outline guide below it will giveyou an idea of what is involved.

1) You must sow onto bare soil. So you do have to get rid of anyweeds and grass first.

2) You just scatter the seeds over the ground - don’t dig them in

3) You should start to see growth within 6 weeks of sowing. It maylook like weeds and be patchy - but don’t worry within a short while itwill fill out.

4) Then sit back, watch and enjoy the show. You don’t need to doanything else until the end of the flowering period (Sept/Oct) - thenwhen it looks too straggly just trim it down with a strimmer and removethe cuttings.

5) If you sowed annuals then the following spring you have to re-sowagain to get the same showing

6) If you have sown perennial seeds, you don’t need to do anythingjust wait for them to start growing again in the spring. If you spot plantsthat are obvious weeds that you definitely recognise (say dandelions)you can hand remove them if you want. But if you are in doubt waituntil they flower because they could be part of the mix.