How to choose plants for a planting or restoration project
This category covers two different kinds of site, dry ground and waterside, plus one accessory that turns up on both. Work out which kind of site you have, and how much of a head start the planting needs to give, and the choice is straightforward.
Dry ground, or waterside and wetland?
Native British Wildflower Plug Plants are for dry ground: meadows, borders and habitat projects, grown from UK provenance seed. Everything else here is for water. Floating Islands are buoyant, planted platforms for garden ponds, commercial lakes, SuDS schemes and conservation sites, giving cover for waterfowl, fish, amphibians and insects above the waterline while a root mat takes up nutrients below it. Coir Pallets and Coir Rolls are for riverbank, pond margin and SuDS planting, where erosion control and habitat need to start working from day one rather than after a season of growth.
Does the planting need to arrive already established?
Coir Pallets and Coir Rolls arrive pre-planted with a native wetland species mix, so cover and root structure are already in place. For Coir Rolls specifically, that means establishment is quicker than bare-root or plug planting, with less aftercare needed once the roll is in, which matters on a bank that is actively eroding and cannot wait out a growing season. Wildflower plug plants work on the same principle for dry ground: they are young and well rooted rather than sown from scratch, giving a faster, more reliable start than seed, with little aftercare needed once they are in the ground.
Securing new planting while it establishes
Wherever new planting goes in alongside fabric, netting or matting, something has to hold that material down until roots take over the job. Stakes & Pegs (GreenStake) are biodegradable, hold well even in hard ground, and break down within about 18 months so nobody has to come back and dig them out once the site has established.
Which product for which job
- Native British Wildflower Plug Plants: meadows, borders and dry-ground habitat projects.
- Floating Islands: ponds, lakes and watercourses needing habitat and nutrient uptake.
- Coir Pallets: open bank faces and slopes needing pre-established wetland cover.
- Coir Rolls: bank toes, channel edges and margins taking direct water impact.
- Stakes & Pegs: holding fabric, netting or matting down while any of the above establishes.
Most of these are sized and quoted per site rather than sold off the shelf, since the right quantity depends on the ground, water body or bank in question. Send over the site type and rough dimensions through the enquiry form on the relevant product page, and specification and pricing come back from there.
Frequently asked questions
Are wildflower plug plants a faster option than sowing wildflower seed?
Yes. Plug plants are young and well rooted rather than sown from scratch, so they give a faster, more reliable start than seed, with little aftercare needed once they are planted.
Do Coir Pallets and Coir Rolls need a growing season before they start working?
No. Both arrive pre-planted with a native wetland species mix, so cover and root structure are already established when they arrive, which means erosion control and habitat value start from day one rather than after a season of growth.
How do I know how many plants or how much coir a site needs?
That depends on the site itself, its size, water body and existing conditions, so these are quoted per project rather than sold in fixed packs. Send the site type and rough dimensions through the enquiry form on the product page and sizing comes back with a quote.