Brightens up university grounds

Limagrain UK’s annual flower seed mixture, Douce France from its Colour Splash range, provided stunning colour to the grounds of Bath University, in south west England, last summer. To add more colour this year, the Jour de Fete mixture from the range will be sown at the site as well.
The Colour Splash flower seed mixtures provide outstanding colour to landscapes including golf courses and park flower beds and attract bees and insects. They are best sown in the spring and have the benefit of not requiring fertiliser or pesticides.
Dave Hunt grounds manager at Bath University said: “The Douce France mixture was sown at the end of April last year, and flowered from June, until the first frost in October. It is easy to use, you don’t need to be an expert.
“It is important to prepare the soil before the seed mixtures are sown, to make sure the soil bed is free from weeds, and to create a fine tilth on the surface. However, once the mixture has been sown, it is very simple to maintain. We watered the seeds two weeks after establishment and didn’t need to water or weed again. This year we’ll be adding more colour to the university grounds, by using the Jour de Fete mixture too.”
Jour De Fete contains five species of flower: Centaurea mixed, Cosmos Bipinnatus Sensation, Cosmos Sulfurates, Zinnia Sunbow and Tithonia Torch. It grows to a height of up to one metre and so is suitable for screening areas. It has good drought tolerance and attracts insects and butterflies and provides colour from July to October.
The Douce France grows to 0.5 metres in height, and contains five species: Centaurea Polka Dot, Zinnia Sunbow, Cosmos Trianon, Eschscholtzia, South Pacific Beauty. It competes well against weeds but requires better soil conditions than Jour de Fete, and flowers from June to October.
TEl 01472 371471
www.limagrain.co.uk
Watch out for Ground Control – next edition of The Landscaper

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