Name: Bird's-Foot Trefoil Seeds - Lotus corniculatus
SKU: WILDFLOWERBFTREFOIL_S
Availability: InStock

Bird’s-Foot Trefoil Seeds – Lotus corniculatus

Bird’s-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is ideal for areas of flowery wildflower lawn due to its dense clusters of yellow/orange pea-like flowers and tolerance for cutting, trampling, and grazing. It can also be sown in patio pots, gravel gardens, meadows, and areas of naturalised planting. The Bird’s-Foot Trefoil plant is a herbaceous perennial in the pea family and can grow in difficult soil conditions which makes it ideal for heavy clay or chalk downland wildflower mixtures.

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Native Bird’s-Foot Trefoil wildflower seeds:

Sow native Bird’s-Foot Trefoil seeds to create habitat and food plants for bees and butterflies, this species of wildflower is also the larval food plant for a number of moth species including both the six and five spot burnet, and the common blue butterfly.

Flowers: June to September.

Sow: soak the seeds in water for 24 hours or gently scarify before sowing. Then sow directly into a well-prepared bed when temperatures are warmer and the ground temperature is above 12 degrees. Seeds sown in autumn have a good chance of producing flowers in their first summer.

Lifecycle: medium-term perennial, lasting between 2 and 4 years. Bright yellow flowers appear in summer, with a peak flowering period from late June to mid-July. These flowers eventually form seed pods containing small dark-brown seeds that, when in contact with soil, germinate during cool, moist periods in spring and autumn.

Best for: sandy poor soil and chalk pasture. Often found growing alongside Ribwort Plantain, Red Clover, and Lady’s Bedstraw.

Also known as: butter and eggs and hen and chickens. Its other name ‘eggs and bacon’ is often favoured as the mature flower is usually the colour of egg yolk whilst the bud is often red.