For 2021, we want to say thank you to NHS staff and key workers who are working so hard in difficult conditions to keep us all safe and well. Therefore we’ll only be considering applications for our seed kits from people doing occupations in these sectors:

• Health and social care
• Key public services (including justice system, religious staff, key frontline services, management of the deceased, journalists/broadcasters)
• Education and child care
• Local and national government
• Food and other necessary goods
• Public safety and national security
• Transport and border
• Utilities, communication and financial services

If you think you meet the criteria, please submit an application for a chance to get a free wildflower seed kit. If you would like to source UK native wildflower seeds yourself, we have guidance on how to get wildflower seeds.

For our spring 2020 wildflower campaign, we are aiming to reach people that know little about UK native wildflowers as well as young people and people from disadvantaged areas. You can find out more in the campaign Terms & Conditions. Seed kits are also allocated across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in proportion to population size and demand.

Native plants have adapted over many generations to thrive in their local natural environment.

Sourcing seed from different parts of the UK helps ensure our mixes are well-adapted and able to thrive in the different growing conditions in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It can help reduce the risk that plants from distant parts of the UK will ‘escape’ to areas they would not normally be found, or hybridise (that is, cross-breed) with local wild populations. This is why we also ask that our seed is not sown in or near natural areas.

We are also keen to work with specialist producers across the country, benefitting from their local experience and supporting the development of a diverse native seed industry.

We recommend a fine Spring day, when your soil is neither too wet nor dry - preferably before mid-May. Read our guidance on how to sow wildflower seeds.

But if you miss the boat in Spring, all is not lost. You can sow them in Autumn and they will get a head start for the next year. Read our guidance on how to sow wildflower seeds in Autumn.

Yes, absolutely. Window boxes can make great homes for wildflowers. It’s easy to keep an eye on them and they look brilliant and brighten up your home when they flower.

However, wildflowers will do better in a bigger container with more space to grow. Read our guidance on how to sow wildflowers in containers.

Yes, store them in a cool, dark place.

The best time to sow seeds is Spring or Autumn, and you are more likely to be successful if you follow our top tips on sowing seeds.

Grow Wild’s seed have a high viability but bear in mind that this will dip slightly if you save them beyond the year you received them.

Of course you can! We have guidance available on how to get wildflower seeds, if you do still want to try growing them.

You can also enjoy wildflowers themselves, taking photos and sharing them on social media (don't forget to tag @GrowWildUK).

Professor Monique Simmonds, Director of the Kew Innovation Unit says:

"This plant, like many we have in our gardens, does contain compounds that can be toxic if eaten in large amounts or eaten frequently over a period of time. The toxic compounds are in higher concentrations in the seeds, which are hard and very bitter. If eaten by a child, the child would most likely be sick or complain of a stomach ache. There is no evidence that eating a few seeds would cause acute toxicity. In the past, problems associated with toxicity occurred in Europe when flour contaminated by corncockle seeds were consumed in bread, and this contaminated bread was eaten over a period of time. The fact that there are very few reports about any form of toxicity to humans in other parts of Europe where the plants are more common indicates that although toxic, the plant is not considered a high risk."

Guy Barter, the Chief Horticultural Advisor to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) says:

"Like many garden plants, corncockle (officially called Agrostemma Githago) is potentially harmful especially if consumed. Merely touching this plant is a very low risk indeed. We know of no instances of harm occurring from this plant in gardens, but in historical times cases of poisoning occurred from consuming contaminated bread. Modern agricultural practices have eliminated it from farm crops.

"Like other potentially harmful garden plants, the actual risk of harm is extremely small as a considerable amount of a very acrid (bitter) plant would have to be consumed to cause ill-effect. The usual sensible garden precautions should be followed; refrain from eating any plant not known to be edible, wash hands after working in the garden and before eating or touching lips and eyes, and see that pets and children who cannot be entirely trusted not to consume vegetation are supervised. If these simple precautions are followed there is no reason not to grow this plant.

"Corncockle is a very rare wildflower, but contrary to recent reports has never actually become extinct in Britain, merely hanging on in a very few isolated pockets. Cultivated seed of this plant has been widely sold as a ‘wildflower’ and consequently is not uncommon in gardens. It is a cornfield annual, so it can only grow on disturbed ground. Therefore, it generally has to be sown afresh each year or the ground disturbed to produce its preferred conditions where seed is already present in the soil."

Grow Wild seed mixes contain a variety of UK native wildflowers, including corncockle, but should not be considered high risk.

We discourage people from picking mushrooms in the wild because many species look alike, and distinguishing species is difficult even for experts. Harvesting such species could also, possibly, harm natural fungi and wildflower populations.

We will be opening applications for Grow Wild Fungus Labs on Monday 7th September. Unfortunately, being successful in previous years does not guarantee that you will recieve one this year.

Successful fungus participants are determined by the extent to which they will meet Grow Wild's aims to engage as many people as possible in learning about the fungi kingdom. We are also allocating labs to try and reach as many of Grow Wild's target beneficiary audience as possible: children aged 5-11 years old, young people aged 12-25, adults disengaged from nature, and disadvantaged adults (living in or near an area within the top 30% of the national Indices of Multiple Deprivation).

Fungus labs are also allocated across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in proportion to population size.

You can find out more in the Terms & Conditions for Fungus Labs.

If not using straight away, you can leave your fungal mycelium inside the packet in the fridge for up to three weeks.

The brown bits in the packet are organic wheat grain, which are used as a carrier for the microscopic fungal mycelium. The grain also helps to feed it until transferred to the straw, which is a much richer source of nutrients.

This mycelium, or spawn, is essentially mould. However, the white fluff isn't mouldy, promise! In this packet is a living breathing fungus and as it breathes it heats up, like we do. There is a small risk your mycelium may have got too hot on its journey to you. If there is a green tinge to your white fluff, get in touch and we will try to help.

Don't worry, it will be ok!

We would suggest keeping the straw in the bag – continue to follow the instructions – but if you can use tape to seal the hole before putting the straw and mycelium mix in the kit box that will help keep it moist. There is also the risk that your mushrooms may grow out of the split rather than the slit you make later in the process.

It is better to keep it in this bag, rather than transfer into another bag, as it has the breathable patch at the top.   

Yes. Our fungus is a specially cultivated sporeless strain of Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). Unlike the wild variety that produce spores, which can be potentially hazardous for people with asthma, the oyster mushrooms you’ll grow in your lab can’t produce any spores.

If your mushrooms are starting to grow early just cut the plastic open to give them room and oxygen to grow. Spray with water twice a day to keep them moist. They should continue growing.

That really depends on the growing conditions you create! Sometimes, particularly if the weather is warm, mushrooms may even appear before the fridge stage. Sometimes, after the fridge stage, if your fungus is too dry it can take several weeks for mushroms to appear. 

When they’ve appeared, they’ll grow quickly, so keep a lookout; once the mushrooms begin to grow, they’ll be ready to harvest and eat within a couple of days. Don’t wait too long as they’ll be past their best quickly. Don’t eat the mushrooms if they’ve started to shrivel and dry up.

Absolutely! You can zoom into the areas on our project map to find one near you.

Not all of our projects are open all the time, so you may need to get in touch to find out when you can visit. We also have a range of "recommended sites", these are places around the country that are free to visit and celebrate wildflowers and fungi.

Native wildflowers are fantastic for our native wildlife. This is because they have evolved alongside each other and are well suited to each others’ needs.

Wildflowers provide food in the form of nectar, pollen, seeds, fruits and foliage, for pollinating insects, or ‘pollinators’.

Pollinators are insects or animals that move pollen from one flower to another as part of the plant reproduction process. This is a vital job that helps continue the life cycle of plants and crops. In fact, approximately one in three mouthfuls of food and drink require pollination

Wildflowers also provide nesting sites, larval food, forage and shelter for wildlife.