Fancy growing some wildflowers?

How many times in life do you get something for free?  Sometimes it’s something you don’t want, like flu or woodworm.

But here’s something for free that you’ll probably welcome – wildflower seeds.

The opportunity is because of a project called Grow Wild. It is being led by the good people at Kew, but the RSPB is a willing and committed partner.

The idea of the project  is to get communities and youth groups growing beautiful wildflowers, mainly in public spaces. By doing so, they can brighten a neighbourhood, help insects and other wildlife, and connect people with nature.

You do need to be a community leader to get your starter pack, such as a scout leader, a WI or school teacher.  

I’ve already had my kit through. You get five packs of seeds, each of which could cover an area the size of a double bed. Each contains a mix of seeds of flowers such as Red Campion, Corn Marigold and Corn Poppy (the photo below I took at Hidcote in 2012, which is a wildflower cornfield mix of mainly Cornflower and Corn Chamomile).

The pack also contains a little solitary bee box to construct, plus full instructions for how to use your kit.

One kit on its own isn’t going to revolutionise the world, but wildlife gardening and nature conservation is all about doing your bit and together making a difference, and this might be the start that gets members of your community involved for the first time.

You’re going to have to be quick, mind you, because applications close on 9 March. Just click on this link, plug in your contact details, and a little parcel should be with you soon.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go and see where my female Blackbird is taking beakful after beakful of nesting material. She is distracting me terribly outside my window...